Dairy Breeds

[lupinfarm]

Mum and I were speaking about perhaps starting a small quality dairy goat herd. Registered animals from good bloodlines and breeding for conformation and production for the small farm. Basically hobbiests.

Our main concern would be looking for a breed that suits us, for a reasonable price, that would do well in our climate.

Musts...

+ Hardy in winter and summer weather
+ Friendly
+ Easy-kidders
+ Good milk production, but not dairy production farm amounts! We want to breed for the homestead.


Plug your favourite breed and explain to me why we should breed them.

Know of any breeders in Manitoba, Quebec, or south to New York, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, ect.?

Also does anyone know what the laws are concerning crossing the border with goat kids are into Canada? Obviously vetting with an international health certificate and testing up to date.

None of this will be coming to fruition for a couple years, all the fencing and stuff needs to be finished and ideally we'd have the barn taken down beforehand and perhaps our stable block already up.

 

[ksalvagno]

I have no idea about goats crossing the border. I do know that there haven't been any alpacas allowed to cross the border in probably about 4 years. I guess you would have to find out from your agriculture department what you can and can't do.

I would think the best thing for you is to look around your area and see what people have. With the right housing and husbandry, I would think most goat breeds can work for any climate.

One thought for the homesteader would be crossing a full size dairy breed with a small size dairy breed to create a little smaller dairy goat that would produce a lot of milk. Such as crossing a Nubian with a Nigerian or an Alpine with a Nigerian. That is what I'm planning to do with my Alpine cross. Breed her to my Nigerians and promote her offspring for homesteaders. She is one heck of a milker but I think many people are looking for a little smaller size animal for those smaller properties.

The other option would be crossing a full size dairy breed with a pygmy to possibly create a little more meat but use a good milking pygmy line.

If you would do something like that, you would want to make sure everyone is from good milking lines.

 

[lupinfarm]

I liked the idea of Mini Nubians here. All sorts of breeds are common but we don't have a whole load of goat breeders. You're more likely to see milk gots in a full production situation instead of in a breeding situation. I'd prefer to buy out of province where for the most part I am able to get my quality stock for a cheaper price. Availability of breeds is a huge issue here and then cost is another issue. A couple years ago I spoke to a Nubian breeder about buying doelings (if he didn't retain any) and for registered but with no show history in the bloodlines, he wanted between $500 and $700 a doeling. That is a little ridiculous IMO.

If we can't ship cross the US border, we'll have to look in Canada. Shipping by Air Canada Cargo is not a problem, we've dealt with them in the past and their prices are reasonable and service ain't so bad.

I love the idea of breeding smaller, perhaps Kinders or like I said.. Mini Nubians. Boers are a dime a dozen out here, Nubians are hard to find but attainable for a cost, and there is now a Nigi breeder about 30 minutes away so I'm not really into breeding Nigerians.

 

[cmjust0]

If I were starting all over again, I'd start with registered Saanens. I've never owned a Saanen, mind you, but everything I've read, heard, and seen with my own two eyes about Saanens and Saanen crosses suggests to me that they're among the hardiest and most trouble free of any goat out there.

That's just me thinking, though..

 

[freemotion]

Are you looking for purebreds? Sounds like it. I am of the opinion, having homestead goats myself, that crossbreds are more suited to the homesteader. A bit more hardy, and the average homesteader is looking for milk and meat, and a few more ounces of milk per goat is not a deal-breaker, like it is for a dairy that has hundreds of goats so those extra 2 ounces per doe add up twice a day.

So I am thinking a bit of Boer or Spanish or Fainting to add a little meat on those bones would be desirable. I have a 25% Boer doe and now her doeling who is 12.5% Boer, both are much heftier than my dairy mixes.

La Mancha's can be lovely and gentle, too. The no-ears thing may be considered an advantage in the extreme cold of the northern winters. Crossed, you get little ears. My two half-La Mancha doelings have itty-bitty ears. One has elf ears (Nubian cross mom) and one has Vulcan ears (not an official name!) from her Alpine cross mom.

 

[lupinfarm]

I don't mind crosses! But whatever we get into has to absolutely have a reasonable sale price for kids. I was thinking something like Mini Nubians because of their size and also the availability of the parent breeds in my area.

We recently purchased a 3/4 Boer 1/4 Nubian doeling... well her mom is 50/50 and her dad is a boer, but that doesn't mean she'll end up being super boer-like. She has a more Nubian face IMO.

 

[cmjust0]

Yep...as much as I love me some crosses -- and I really, really do -- I'd have to recommend starting with registered stock if you're breeding dairies. If a dairy goat doesn't have papers, the value goes way down regardless of how awesome it may be.

We're currently learning the dairy/papers thing the hard way....just like we learn almost everything.


FWIW...If you were breeding for high quality commercial replacement does (and inevitable market wethers), registration status would be a different story.. Commercial animals seem to be judged more on a goat-by-goat basis, since that's usually all there IS to judge..

 

[lupinfarm]

Yeah, I would prefer registered stock. We may show, but it is unlikely beyond 4H level with my brother, he's already almost 16 years old. We aren't looking to produce does that are going to be huge milkers, just enough to support a small farm/homestead/hobby farm. Smaller in size is probably better as I've found most hobbiests don't have the resources to care for large goats and livestock.

 

[Ariel301]

I raise LaManchas. I got into them by accident. When researching what goat breed to get, I really liked Alpines, but then I was offered a deal on some purebred LaManchas that I just could not say no to. I did not like their ears at all at first. Thought they were the ugliest things ever. I also ended up picking up an Alpine buck along with those does, and decided I really did not like the personality of the Alpine (not sure if they're all that way or just him, but he was really a brat and stubborn and independent) but just fell in love with the "Munchies".

They are a medium sized breed, my does are between 100-125 pounds, bucks somewhat bigger. They seem tolerant of both heat and cold, I bought them from Colorado originally where they were living at a dairy farm at 9,000 feet with winter temperatures in the -20s. I moved them to the Arizona desert, where they spend a good deal of the year at 100+ degrees. They are also pretty efficient feeders for the most part, they don't require a lot of extra feeding to keep weight on. I've got one doe that actually gains weight while milking a gallon a day, and eating no grain. They have had little difficulty kidding for me so far. I did have one freak enormous buckling this year that I had to pull out, but that's it.

They seem to average about a gallon to a gallon and a half every day, but that is less if you only milk once a day. The milk is high in butterfat and very rich. When I first tasted it, it was like drinking melted ice cream, it was so sweet. (It makes amazing ice cream, by the way!) When I have a recipe that calls for cream, I often just use plain LaMancha milk instead because it's rich enough. If that's too much milk for your tastes, you can look into mini-manchas. They are a crossbreed between the LaMancha and the Nigerian, and look like a miniature version of the large LaMancha. My mini doe gives me 2 cups a day right now but it is her first year, so she's not at full production yet.

The LaMancha has a personality like a big sweet dog. They are loving and eager to please. They just love to be around people. Mine greet me every time I go outside or pull in the driveway in the car. They run to the fence calling and wagging their tails. They follow me around the yard, 'helping' whatever I am doing. Sometimes I just drag a chair out to their pen and they all gather around me begging for petting. They have been very easy to train, the kids pick up walking on a leash in just a few sessions, and they seem to accept getting on a stand and being milked like it's natural.

So, there's my "Buy a LaMancha" ramble. If you were closer, I'd even sell you some.

 

[ohne]

I know this thread has been going on for over a year but I thought I would just add my two cents to it. I agree with the previous statement that any breed should do fine as long as they are provided adequate housing and care in your climate. I would recommend that you select your breed based upon what youre planning to do. Nubians are traditionally considered to be the highest producers of solids (butterfat & protein) so if youre looking at doing cheese they are an excellent option. Likewise La Manchas are also high performers in this area, this is the reason many commercial dairies cross their Swiss breed does with Nubian and La Mancha bucks. If you simply want production I would suggest the Sannen as the highest total producer by volume. The Alpine and Toggenburg are also good producers. Yet any individual of a breed may be an excellent producer.

I personally raise and show Toggs and prefer them, but that is my personal preference. If you are having a difficult time deciding go to a dairy goat show and talk to breeders and look around see what you like. I would suggest staying with purebreds as it will improve your ability to sell you kids and obtain a higher price for them.

As far as minis go I have never been impressed by the ones that I have seen at shows. Yet there are some outstanding Nigerians Dwarfs out there, so if you want a smaller milk goat they are a good option. If you do decide to go w/ a mini Nubian I would defiantly recommend starting with quality on both sides!

If you are looking for breeders perhaps the best way to find them is to join ADGA (American Dairy Goat Association) they will send you a breeders directory which list all breeders that are members and what they raise. It will give you an excellent base for getting started.