Opinions On Goat Breeds

[ArtisticFarmer]

I can't decide between Alpine, Nubian, and LaManchas. I like alpines cause their cute and give good milk, Nubians sound good in general, but I know they can be loud, and LaManchas, I like the idea of high butterfat in their milk, but they look kinda...creepy. I guess I'd get used to them. What do you think? Any other breed suggestions?

 

[dhansen]

I love my nubians and their milk, but some of them are LOUD. I also love that they can look different, unlike alpines.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I think you should select the breed that you prefer

They all have their advantages, and there aren't any real disadvantages to any goats. They are all cool.

I have Nigerians. If I were to own another breed it would be Nubians. Why? I like the way they look.

 

[woodsie]

Something to consider is if you are looking to keep registered animals, are there other breeders in a reasonable driving distance that has that kind of breed. It seems like in my area the only registered animals are Nubians and Nigerian Dwarfs, maybe a couple alpines. Although it is tempting to get "something different" it makes it very difficult to maintain a registered herd unless you spend a lot of money travelling or shipping and also makes it hard to sell the animals at a decent price.

 

[cindyg]

I love my Nigerian Dwarfs, and am starting with Mini Silky Fainters. It's a good point about access to the breeds though, I have to do some travelling/shipping to get what I want. I drool over all the goats I see in the States, and here in Canada it's so hard to get them. Especially on the East Coast. I like the smaller breeds, for ease of handling and space requirements. And the NDs give fabulous milk!!

 

[AshleyFishy]

Nubian mutts sometimes make the best goats! They are normally very affordable and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Boer/Nubian mutts are one of my favorites! You could then cross them back to a boer buck and sell the kids as meaties for a bit more.

First off pretty much anything with Nubian in it is going to be talkative. I don't mean just the loud ear splitting noises but the soft chortles and low mmms they do.

They tend to pout the worst, say when it is vaccination or worming time. They will stomp their foot when angry and wrinkle up that bottom lip when they are pouting. Any registered Nubian or cross I've owned express themselves to the point it is easy to anthropomorphize their behavior. They will steal your hearts and anything edible...

They also lick... don't why but all my Nubian and Nubian crosses always lick me...Or beg for leaves off of the trees they can't reach. They look at the branches, then look at you and make this little mmm noise at you then look at the branches again. You shake your head thinking "aww poor pathetic goatie thinks it has me trained".......as your digging in your tool shed for your tree pruners and step ladder. Oh well that tree needed trimming anyway.

I would say my milk goat of choice over all is the Nubian. You will laugh at their comedic antics, cry for them if they are sick and swear you'll never have another when you lose one....

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

I am leaning toward ND. I've read their milk is known to be very good, they are pretty availiable in my area, and they are just so darn cute!!!!!!! How big of a shed/stall would 2 need?

 

[Catahoula]

Not all Nubian are loud. My neighbors's two were loud at the beginning but they are relatively quiet comparing to my Boers! I like Lamancha's milk best...comparing to the Nubian and Alpine's milk that I have tasted. Nubian has higher butterfat than Lamancha or Alpine...I think. Why don't you visit different goat breeders and try to milk the goats and taste the milk. Nigerian Dwarf may have the most butterfat milk but they are smaller, so milking them may be harder for people with bigger hands.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I am leaning toward ND. I've read their milk is known to be very good, they are pretty availiable in my area, and they are just so darn cute!!!!!!! How big of a shed/stall would 2 need?

A lot of people ask opinions about breeds on this site. Most people talk up the breed they own, which is good. It makes sense that you can speak fondly of the animals you own. But, since you are leaning towards ND's I can defintely say that they would be a good choice.

I own Nigerians. Their milk is very good. The fat content also makes it very good for making cheese. We make several kinds, but mostly a soft chevre just because it is the simplest and it freezes well.

Plus, they have the best feed conversion ratio of any dairy goats (feed input for milk output)

They are very sweet anmals as well.

Maybe 8x8 would be good size? I forgot what you need for two, it's been years since I only had 3 which is what we started with.

We bought 3 doelings 4 years ago. Then we got a buck. You know what happened then

We have 23 now and that is after I sold 4 this past weekend. I have 5 I am going to put for sale because I have 5 does kidding in August.

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

I am leaning toward ND. I've read their milk is known to be very good, they are pretty availiable in my area, and they are just so darn cute!!!!!!! How big of a shed/stall would 2 need?

A lot of people ask opinions about breeds on this site. Most people talk up the breed they own, which is good. It makes sense that you can speak fondly of the animals you own. But, since you are leaning towards ND's I can defintely say that they would be a good choice.

I own Nigerians. Their milk is very good. The fat content also makes it very good for making cheese. We make several kinds, but mostly a soft chevre just because it is the simplest and it freezes well.

Plus, they have the best feed conversion ratio of any dairy goats (feed input for milk output)

They are very sweet anmals as well.

Maybe 8x8 would be good size? I forgot what you need for two, it's been years since I only had 3 which is what we started with.

We bought 3 doelings 4 years ago. Then we got a buck. You know what happened then

We have 23 now and that is after I sold 4 this past weekend. I have 5 I am going to put for sale because I have 5 does kidding in August.

I am trying to convince myself, 2, only 2. HA good luck with that. I am %100 positive I will be getting NDs now. I am so excited! But I will be waiting until next spring. It seems so far away! Oh, do you think a 18" by 36" milking stand will be big enough for ND does?