# Dairy Goats



## 77Herford (Oct 29, 2011)

I live in Iowa and was interested in some educated idea's for Dairy Goat breeds.  Our state has Saanen's, Sables, Nubian's, Togg's, Alpines, Orsh, and British Alpines.  Probably all of them but haven't seen them yet.


----------



## autumnprairie (Oct 29, 2011)

77Herford said:
			
		

> I live in Iowa and was interested in some educated idea's for Dairy Goat breeds.  Our state has Saanen's, Sables, Nubian's, Togg's, Alpines, Orsh, and British Alpines.  Probably all of them but haven't seen them yet.


I have been researching dairy goats lately too. Rolls recommends Nubians but you really need to decide how much milk you want and what you will use it for, if I have read correctly the difference between Sables and Saanen's is Sable's are colored Saanen's are either white or and cream and they are one of the oldest breeds of goats. All the breeds you have mentioned do well in cold weather and hot except the Saanen's not recommended for hot because of their light skin. I want to say that Toggs have a strong milk they were mainly bred more for making cheese not for drinking milk.
I am still researching for myself but keep me posted on what you decide.
I hoped this helped you.


----------



## Roll farms (Oct 29, 2011)

I recommend Nubians if you're crossing them to boers...for more marketable kids who 'look' more boer b/c they share common ancestors.

Just for dairy, for all around sweetness, QUIET, smarts, etc....Oberhasli are my fav.  Just don't tell my Nubs.

Toggs my least fav.  Ours are loud and pushy and very in your face.

The few Alpines I've been around were 'ok' but didn't steal my heart.  The Alpine cross does we've had were escape artists and flighty, but lots of folks love them.

I'd be bored to tears w/ a herd full of Saanens (sweet enough goats, but...every.one.is.white - unless you got sables) but you'd have loads of milk.


----------



## wannacow (Oct 29, 2011)

I'm in NW IA and have nubians and saanens.  We LOVE the nubian milk.  It's creamy and is WONDERFUL in my coffee.    My DH prefers the goat milk over cow milk now.  I've not had saanen milk yet, but it is lower in fat content than nubian.  What I've read is that the saanens are the "holsteins" in the goat world.  They give a lot of milk.  My first saanen is at the breeder along with my nubian.  Hopefully we'll get to taste the milk of the saanen sometime next Mar. or April.


----------



## wannacow (Oct 29, 2011)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> I'd be bored to tears w/ a herd full of Saanens (sweet enough goats, but...every.one.is.white - unless you got sables) but you'd have loads of milk.


Roll, you're correct about them all looking alike.  I'm a little worried about when my 9mo grows up.  If they lose their collars, I don't know How I'll tell them apart!  (better get tattoos)

They also aren't as loving as my nubians, but my nubians were bottle babies and the saanens were dam raised.  Not sure if that makes all the difference.


----------



## Queen Mum (Oct 29, 2011)

I have Nubian, Alpine and Oberhauslie/Nubian Cross.  

The Alpine gives a very good quality, sweet milk in high volume with a lower cream content. I drink it and make cheese with it. It is as close to 2% cows milk as you can get.  Her personality is gentle, quiet (emphasis on QUIET) and she is very stable and easy going.  She does not jump.    She is a great dairy goat.  She is intelligent and regal.  Her kids have all been just like her.  

The Nubian (I no longer have her because she was killed by a predator) was a laugh a minute and a very sweet little nut.  But she was also very talkative.  She gave very high quality milk with a very creamy texture.   6% cream in fact.   The milk was great for making cheese, butter and general use.  Her personality was not as stable as my Alpine and she was smaller.  She was a climber and a jumper a swimmer, a dancer, an acrobat and everything else.  Her nickname was Nutty Nelly.

The Oberhauslie is still young and has not been bred yet.  SO I don't know what her milk is like.  BUT I suspect she will, like her Nubian mother, have good quality milk.  Her father had great dairy lines.  She is even tempered, very sweet, very smart and a joy to be around.   She is more vocal than the average Oberhauslie but much less vocal than the average Nubian.  (Her twin brother is absolutely silent.)   I think I got the best traits of both breeds in her.  

Small sampling, but there you have it.


----------



## autumnprairie (Oct 29, 2011)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> I recommend Nubians if you're crossing them to boers...for more marketable kids who 'look' more boer b/c they share common ancestors.
> 
> Just for dairy, for all around sweetness, QUIET, smarts, etc....Oberhasli are my fav.  Just don't tell my Nubs.
> 
> ...


Sorry Rolls, I forgot the part that I want to cross them with my boers. 
 I need to study up on my history of nubian and boers and there common ancestors, I am intrigued.
 I was told that Buster "John" (as my DH calls him) had a tiny bit of nubian in him hence his spotted ears.


----------



## Roll farms (Oct 30, 2011)

Africans added middle eastern goats to their boer stock.
English added middle eastern goats to their dairy stock.

That's why boers and Nubs share long ears, roman noses, and sometimes color patterns.

Pygmies and Nigerians share common ancestors, too.


----------



## Chaty (Oct 30, 2011)

I had 9 Saanens and you could tell who was who because they each have a different personality and different freckels. I have all the types and I love all the only type of goat I dont have is Togg and even though they are pretty they all look alike to me. Like some say about Saanens. I guess its to each their own as to what type of dairy goat you choose.


----------



## zzGypsy (Oct 30, 2011)

no LaManchas where you are?

that's what I've got, I love them.  excellent milk, all ours are over a gallon a day and my top is 2 gallons a day (on once-a-day milking).  they're quieter than most goats, gentle, personable, mellow. great moms, easy breeders and kidders.  they can be velcro goats... always in your business... so if you're wanting more independence and stand-offishness, they wouldn't work for you.  and they've got elf ears and gopher ears and sweet faces.

we love them.


----------



## Queen Mum (Oct 31, 2011)

zzGypsy said:
			
		

> no LaManchas where you are?
> 
> that's what I've got, I love them.  excellent milk, all ours are over a gallon a day and my top is 2 gallons a day (on once-a-day milking).  they're quieter than most goats, gentle, personable, mellow. great moms, easy breeders and kidders.  they can be velcro goats... always in your business... so if you're wanting more independence and stand-offishness, they wouldn't work for you.  and they've got elf ears and gopher ears and sweet faces.
> 
> we love them.


And are made of rubber and brown sugar...


----------



## austintgraf (Oct 31, 2011)

I prefer nubians though I am not sure what exactly you are looking for but toggs are more cold hardy than nubians and swiss breeds milk more than nubians though nubians have higher butter fat content. They are old loud. It just depends what you are looking for


----------



## zzGypsy (Oct 31, 2011)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> zzGypsy said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


heeheee! yes they are.


----------



## DKRabbitry (Oct 31, 2011)

> they can be velcro goats... always in your business...


Too funny, that is exactly the way the breeder described one of my girls when I went to pick her up.  But I will have to say... they DO come in standoffish mode.  I have had 5 or so dam-raised lamancha does, most of them come around and end up being really friendly, but one of mine does NOT like people.  She is a very strong-willed, hardy type doe, and will avoid people at all costs.  Her breeder said her dam was more standoffish too, even being bottle raised.

But my vote is in with the lamanchas.  You can get different bloodline lamanchas for whatever you want.  They are sturdy little goats that tolerate most climates here in the US really well.  You can get heavy milkers or not so heavy milkers.  They can be refined and showy, or thicker built and even heafty.  They come in all colors and their milk is fabulous.  My one milker freshened last summer for the first time with a single doe kid.  She was never milked, just raised her kid.  I got her this past Feb with the kid still on her, dried her up for a month to make sure she wasn't pred, then, when she ended up not bred, I just started milking her twice a day even though she was almost completely dry.  She just started producing and peaked at approximately 3/4 of a gallon/day.  She is still giving me 2qts a day now.  And her udder is attached really well, and she is the sweetest, cutest goat I ever met, and I could go on and on and on about how wonderful she is... but alas, I am sleepy and you would probably get bored   Some people can't get past the ears (DH really hated them at first) but once you have one the lack of ears makes no difference, they are just wonderful goats (DH is sold and even wanted me to get another lamancha instead of a boer I was looking at!)


----------



## Livinwright Farm (Oct 31, 2011)

Too bad you don't have Nigerian Dwarfs or Mini of any of those breeds... In my experience, minis tend to be sweeter in temperment and in flavor of milk. You tend to get higher butterfat from the minis & dwarfs as well. Out of the medium to large breeds though, I would go with either Oberhasli or La Mancha. Nubians are a bit too noisy, unless you don't mind it and live a mile or so from your closest neighbors  
Oberhasli- Pros: they are quite friendly, not too large, and not too noisy. Cons: Not much variety in coloration.

La Mancha- Pros: generally quiet, friendly, variety of colorations, loads of personality. Cons: larger breed, so, unless you have enough space you can't have that many of them.


----------



## MrsDieselEngineer (Oct 31, 2011)

Livinwright Farm said:
			
		

> La Mancha- Pros: generally quiet, friendly, variety of colorations, loads of personality. Cons: larger breed, so, unless you have enough space you can't have that many of them.


You forgot the fact that they are missing their ears in the con's part.... I like ears.


----------



## Livinwright Farm (Oct 31, 2011)

MrsDieselEngineer said:
			
		

> Livinwright Farm said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LOL, I wouldn't dare put their lack of or tiny ears in either catagory.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 31, 2011)

If your plan is to breed with Boers. Then I would stick with the Nubians. I noticed that people don't like "airplane" ears when you mix the upright ears with floppy. Like Roll said, if you breed the Nubians and Boers, then you get the same floppy ears. I'm guessing that market wethers won't matter but the females would probably sell easier.


----------



## zzGypsy (Oct 31, 2011)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> If your plan is to breed with Boers. Then I would stick with the Nubians. I noticed that people don't like "airplane" ears when you mix the upright ears with floppy. Like Roll said, if you breed the Nubians and Boers, then you get the same floppy ears. I'm guessing that market wethers won't matter but the females would probably sell easier.


ah, the ear thing 
we bred our kinder (airplane ears) to our lamancha buck - got really cute elf ears with curled back tips.... so it just depends on your market.

if the ears aren't a driving issue, boer buck bred to lamancha does will produce large, fast growning moderatly muscled kids - these are nice market goats and *much* faster to market size than boers. a friend of mine thinks hers might be close to twice as fast as her pure boers.

*DKRabbitry,* if you've got a line on more muscular lamanchas that are still high producers, I'd love to know... next spring I'm going to be adding some does and I'd like to find some that fit that description.  I've got one, she's stockier than most lamanchas, and a 1.25 gallon a day milker.  we'll see how her doe kids do next year - if they're producers or not. 

anyway, to the OP, I'd suggest visit folks with the breeds you're interested in, that will tell you a lot.


----------



## Queen Mum (Oct 31, 2011)

Nubians?  Noisy?  I beg to differ.  They are talkative.   Great conversationalists.   Never a dull moment.   Oh wait, I guess some people would call that noisy.  But then if you call that noisy, I would have been culled a couple days after I was born.   

As for ears, I prefer stand up ears myself.  However, when it comes to dairy goats, I would think it is about milk isn't it?   So one would then look at the different dairy breeds based on milk quality, quantity, lactation time, ease of kidding first,  then go for the fluffier issues next.  Looks, personality, size, etcetera.   And factor in space needs, as well when evaluating what you really want.

And where goats are concerned, if you can't make up your mind, buy one of each!  What the heck, why not?


----------



## 77Herford (Nov 1, 2011)

MrsDieselEngineer said:
			
		

> Livinwright Farm said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, I do like ears too.  Well since my vacation we've got four Nubians and two Alpine.  Thank you all very much.


----------



## Queen Mum (Nov 1, 2011)

77Herford said:
			
		

> MrsDieselEngineer said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What!    And you haven't posted the pictures yet!   for shame!


----------



## that's*satyrical (Nov 1, 2011)

Right??? Where are the pics??     For shame    lol


----------



## Pumpkinpup (Nov 1, 2011)

that's*satyrical said:
			
		

> Right??? Where are the pics??     For shame    lol


X2   Gotta see pics!


----------



## 77Herford (Nov 1, 2011)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> 77Herford said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What is it with Goat women and pics....................Go to my Journal...HA.  You might get lucky.


----------



## Queen Mum (Nov 1, 2011)

Link to your journal?


----------



## Queen Mum (Nov 1, 2011)

You got a Sundgauu!   I have one, too.   There are a LOT of coloring patterns in Alpine dairy goats.   The British Dairy goats have to have this pattern exclusively.  The American Dairy goat can have this coloring or a number of others.  But I think this one is particularly lovely.


----------



## cottinpickin (Nov 4, 2011)

we raise saanan,sable,oberhasli(my sweeties) and have a token couple of nupains ..oh i mean nubians.I have raised toggs as well.like them a lot milk flavor was fine i think togg flavor depepends on lines.some of the older lines have stronger milk as they were the cheese makers.The one alpine i had was a bully and mean to other goats.I've not had lamanchas but my aunt in law did and she raved at there milk and quirky personalities.Now my fav is my sweet Obers.Hubbys is the Saanens.they are the workhorses of our dairy allong with the sables.Now we have a man who raises meat goats maily boers and he likes to cross with a saanen or sable from us every couple years to increase milk production.More milk means bigger babies and faster growth.


----------

