New goat herd project. advise pics posted

[heatherlynnky]

Ok so I currently have 3 goats. I have a Sannen/boer mix doe, and 2 nigerian dwarf does. All at least 2 years old and never had a kid ( I have no male). I think its time the gals got knocked up. I would also like to add a Nubian or 2 to the mix for milk. The goal in all this is to make the goats a bit productive. Have some babies and some milk.

I have had nanny's in the past but I did it purely as a hobby. I was not looking for milk quality ( hence the nubian)

I just don't know if I am completely mad for thinking of doing this. Taking my little girls and putting them in with a big ugly smelly billy ( I am not fond of the billy smell). I do have a friend with a nigerian dwarf buck that I can borrow to knock up all the girls in one go. Is this feasible? Sannen/boer/ nigerian sounds a bit confused. My ND girls would be perfectly fine and I do have a rather beautiful blue eyed black spotted girl and he has a beautiful blue eyed black spotted buck............

Can one buck cover so many different breeds lol. This will be one rather confused herd. I want milk though and nigerian milk stinks like mad. I cannot drink it. So that leads me back to the nubian.

 

[babsbag]

Nigerian milk stinks...NEVER heard that one before. It is supposed to be the highest in butter fat and the best tasting. Many prefer it over any other breed. If the milk you have tasted stinks then it is the:

1. way the goat milk is handled, not chilled fast enough or just not milked in a clean manner.
2. what the goat is being fed.
3. the doe lives with a buck in rut. And I mean in the same pen where they literally rub on each other.

Second to Nigi milk comes Nubian, then LaMancha, then Alpines and the rest.

Yes, a buck can cover all those breeds most likely with no problem at all. And I wouldn't bet the farm that your milk will stink.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

While I've never had Nigerian goat milk- I have milked both Nubians and Pygmies. Pygmy milk and Nigerian milk are both very high in butterfat and I suspect they taste similar. At least with my own goats the Pygmy milk taste is superior to Nubian milk. Now-don't get me wrong- Nubian milk is good stuff- but the milk from the dwarf goat is sooo much sweeter. My children used to describe it as tasting like a melted milkshake.

My focus now is on nubian/Pygmy crosses. Best of both worlds in my opinion.

I second what Babsbag says-the Nigi buck should be able to handle the job. And also- like Babsbag said- I've never heard of Nigi milk stinking. Might be an individual issue or bad handling, mastitis, or some other isolated cause.

 

[heatherlynnky]

How long does the doe have to be away from the male? The goat I milked had the WORST SMELLIEST milk and I did everything I could. I sanitized. I did my research before we ever got to that point but it just smelled so bad. Anywho I got her a couple months before she had her babies and she was living with one of the smelliest bucks ever. I ended up leaving my clothes outside after visiting him. His owner was getting rid of him because of it. She had multiple bucks and they all stunk a bit but this one would gag you. But they had been apart for 2 months before I milked her. She smelled from being around him but I washed her when we got her home because of the strong smell. Could it have lasted that long? From what I am hearing though none of my worries are a real issue. That's a relief. I am buying a nubian or two to add to my little herd. I think 5 gals is my limit at this point because I do plan on all of them having kids in the spring.

 

[babsbag]

Isn't a pygmy/Nubian cross a Kinder?

 

[babsbag]

I have never had a doe live with a buck, only visit for a breeding, but I do believe that the odor could last a long long time on their skin and coat. I think you would have to wash the heck out of her with some coffee soap or some other odor removal soap to get that odor gone. I would NEVER let a dairy doe live with a buck while he is in rut. Other times, sure, but not during rut. If the milk smelled that is probably what it was. That odor is so strong and so hard to remove, it can permeate everything in the house if you aren't careful.

That being said, I still own bucks and I like them. The smell doesn't bother me anymore but I DO NOT want it in my milk or on my furniture or in my car. I am careful what I do after visiting with my buck.

Warm goat milk does have a different odor than cow milk, but I would never say it stinks. The goats you have will probably have great milk and the Boer cross, if she has enough to milk, should have really nice high butterfat milk.

 

[heatherlynnky]

Yea the smell was strong. I think I washed those pants a few times before I gave up and they were for barn use only. I do not own a buck but the lady I got mine from had 3 and they stayed 24/7 with hers. So maybe that was the problem. I washed her once , maybe I should have completely shaved her and then washed her a bit more. Ok well none of mine are stinky now and no male is in sight. They would only see one to get pregnant and then come back home.

I have had very very good goats milk and it did smell a bit different but it was not gross stinky, so I really think it was her blasted bucks fault lol. Well I am getting a Nubian this weekend and arrangements are made to borrow a less smelly male when the girls need a bit of attention

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@babsbag

Yes, a registered animal that is a cross between a registered Pygmy and a registered Nubian is a Kinder. First cross is an F-1, second generation F-2 and so on and so on. I believe you get an actual Kinder after five generations.

The Kinder association has trademarked the "Kinder" name and legally a peron is not allowed to us the Kinder name unless their animal is registered with their association- which is why I sometime call mine 'kinder-type' goats or just call them Nubian/Pygmy crosses.

My goats will be registered Kinders if I ever get my lazy, procrastinating behind caught up on my paperwork, lol!

p.s. great milkers, great tasting milk, meaty enough to eat (if you're of a mind to), easy keepers, easy kidders, and just all around great critters! I kinda like them, lol.

Sorry-didn't mean to hijack the thread.

 

[babsbag]

I know someone near me that raises Kinders but haven't seen her goats. It sounds like something I would like, as long as the are quiet; Nubians can be SOOOOOOO noisy. I have primarily Alpines, 1 togg, and 2 LaManchas. Boers are all gone but 2 and those are sold. Concentrating on the dairy so Boers aren't part of the plan.

 

[heatherlynnky]

I am just trying to picture what I would get with all this crossing and struggling. I do think I would love to have my ND bred to another ND. I have a beautiful blue eyed girl and he has a beautiful moon spotted blue eyed boy he will loan me. So how is the mini nubian as compared to the kinder? Oh and hijack as much as you want. I am digging for information big time. I am picking up a new goat or two this weekend to put in with my girls. Trying to figure out when is best to breed because I do not want to go through half frozen babies again. ( the result of letting a back have his way anytime she goes into heat rather than planning) If I really want to use the ND buck that I have access too. He is a gorgeous little thing but I really have my doubts about him being capable of breeding my sannen.