Nubian x Boer as milkers?

[WannaBeFarmR]

What does a 75% Nubian 25% Boer goat look like? What differences would I see with milking one compared with a 100% Nubian. I've been looking for goats for 2+ years and have been unable to find pure Nubian within 100 miles of me excluding some that were $300-$400 a kid unregistered I won't pay that for a kid with no proven milking lines, maybe I'm wrong but I just can't bring myself to do it. So I've found a few people this year that have Nubian Boer crosses, I didn't want to go that way but 75% to 90% Nubian with a little Boer in there doesn't seem to bad and at $150 a kid it seems like a pretty good price. But what am I going to get come milking time with the meat goat genes in there? Is there going to be a huge difference in milking time/amount/taste? Should I keep holding out for a pure Nubian after 2 years of waiting. I have 2 Nigerians and I don't want huge age differences in my does if possible. I know of some people I could breed (Nubian cross does) with that have a really nice milking line pure Nubian buck as well, people seem to have bucks but keep other breed does (mostly Alpine or Boer) to cross them with around here for some reason.

 

[woodsie]

I'm not super experienced with breeds first hand but here's what I have heard from my neighbour who has been in goats for 20 years. A lot of people cross with a meat goat so that you have a bit more meat on the boys that are destined for freezer camp. Boer's tend to not have a lot of milk, my neighbour who raises meat goats crosses some dairy in them because they are so light on milk that sometimes they don't have enough for their kids.

I like the look of a more filled out goat personally so in terms of looks, they are a bit more solid looking and Boer's still have those adorable floppy ears so you should still have that look. I am not sure what Boer milk tastes like, but I did have a friend who milked a LOT and who favoured the Nubian Boer crosses....so I imagined its taste must decently.

I would say go for it, especially if you have Nubian bucks around, unless you were super concerned with getting the MAXIMUM amount of milk from a goat and or you were going to breed or show. Plus if you need more milk you can always get another goat!!! Like any of us need an excuse to get another goat.

Hope this helps...if you do pick up a kid, please post pics!

 

[Catahoula]

I heard Boer's milk has high fat content. They can produce high volume milk when they have kids to feed...just not as long as your typical dairy goats which would still give milk well after their kids are wean. I agree with Woodsie, go for it. You can always sell her later.

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

Ok, I'll go for it! I'm going to go send them an email.

 

[OneFineAcre]

You must like Nubians if you have been looking for 2 years.

I say go for it. Breed it to the Nubian Buck you have access to and the offspring would be pretty close to full Nubain.

 

[Queen Mum]

Boer goats make very decent milk. Nice fat content and quite tasty. A Nubian/Boer cross would be a nice all around goat. Good milking capacity, hardy and sturdy babies. PLUS the bucklings would be great meat goats...

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Just keep in mind that because there is Boer in there, you may not be able to register the babies with ADGA. But if you are not concerned about registering, I say go for it. I had a Alpine / Nubian and was going to breed her, but found out she had CAE, so she is out.

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

I couldn't decide between Nubian and Nigerian dwarfs I thought I'd decided on Nigerians and found 2 does almost a year ago (they were not in the best health but are doing great now) I'd been looking for goats for a while before I found these 2 and decided shortly after getting these girls that I wanted Nubian goats too (its an awfully big barn for 2 little goats, at least that's my excuse) but haven't seen any available that I could afford (excluding mixes) I love their long ears and roman noses. I like the size of the Nigerians better though, so I might end up breeding some mini Nubian in the future too. I like goats in general even though they kind of look like someone put a deer together wrong, lol they are just a fun animal.

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

I don't worry about registering them, if I could I would, if I can't its not a big deal. Very few people have registered stock around here and it's not a buying incentive locally, if I ever sold kids so I don't mind.

 

[michickenwrangler]

My neighbor started with 3 Nubian/Boers and they provided enough milk for her family, ours and an occasional batch of cheese for her. I have an Alpine/Boer I'm milking right now, and her output is half of what her Alpine mother gives. Meaning I get 2 qts a day from the Alpine/Boer. This would certainly be adequate for a small family that doesn't go through huge amounts of milk and cheese.

Here are pics of my neighbor's Nubian/Boers.