Pros and cons...Nubians or Nigerian Dwarfs?

[Roll farms]

When you visit her farm, notice which does are loudest and DON'T take a kid from them.

I have some of the 'quiet' Nubs....All descended from our herd Matriarch, Dolly. Mine are vocal at milking time, but not obnoxiously so.

I never understood what people complained about w/ Nubians being loud, until I bought a new doe this winter. She was not just loud, she was a SCREAMER...the entire time I was in the barn until I got her milked she'd scream, and then start it back up when I put her back in the stall.

I sold her a few mos ago and it's quiet here again....except for the Toggs.

I've never owned a Nigi, because we use a lot of milk. Like others have said, if you go Nigi, ask to see milking records and buy from a dairy line, w/ big, productive udders and teats.

 

[chandasue]

You might want to consider buying one that's a few years old, has kidded a couple of times AND been milked by hand. It really helps to have goats that know the routine when you're learning how to milk, especially ones with smaller teats. You won't really know how much milk Nigis are going to produce until their 3rd kidding and those teats need to be milked to stretch to a comfortable length. If you get a first freshener you might be disappointed in the amount of milk. We're a family of 3 and I soon discovered that 2 nigerians was not enough milk for us once I started making soap and cheese. Drinking wise it was plenty but if you get into cheese, yogurt and ice cream you'll discover you need a lot more milk.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

I have not milked yet, but have a Nubian that I hope to breed later this year.

I had same questions as you. Visited a couple of goat farms and decided on the Nubian. I am a man with large hands and I was concerned that me trying to milk a NIGI might be difficult. My Nubian is very quiet.

 

[whetzelmomma]

I have had both. I'll not own a Nubian again. Too pushy, and too noisy. I love my Nigerians, and that I can have a "herd" (I'll have about 5 when I'm finished building my herd) in a much smaller space than I could have the same number of Nubians.

In regards to the teat size, you get used to them. I also own a Henry Milker for those teats that give me troubles... inexpensive, and easy to use.

ETA: Another thing to note: For the same amount of milk, you'll get twice as much cheese/butter out of a Nigerian than a Nubian, because of the higher butter fat. I haven't gotten to this stage yet, but this is what I'm told by someone that DOES make cheese and has used Nigerian AND Nubian milks.

 

[freemotion]

It is just my husband and I, and before getting our first dairy goat, we probably used 2-3 quarts of milk a week. Our first Alpine gave us a consistent 3 quarts a day and peaked at a bit over a gallon a day.

It was not enough. I will be milking 4 does this year, and this is only my third season. I discovered the joys of making cheese.

We use so much more milk than ever in everything! Soap, cheese (not just chevre....in fact, I find chevre to be rather boring and don't make it anymore), kefir, yogurt, dressings and dips, ice cream, chowders, pudding, popsicles made with pudding and ice milk, hot chocolate, chocolate milk, milk and cookies......Raw milk from pastured goats is a superior health food, too. I noticed my digestive system went back to super-cranky when my doe was dry for the latter part of her second pregnancy here, so the next time I froze lots of her milk and doled it out like a miser.

Now my mouth is watering after typing all that. My big producer just freshened on Monday and I can't wait until she is done producing colostrum. Meanwhile, the pigs are getting fat on it. They will also get several gallons of whey per week from cheesemaking.

Bottom line, I would go with the Nubians, personally.

 

[helmstead]

I have Nubians and Nigerians.

I also apparently have the quiet variety of Nubians... Thank goodness for that. My Nigis are only loud at feeding time, but I have a couple Nigis that have this maaaa that makes your ears ring it's so loud and obnoxious...

Ease of milking, as it has been mentioned, varies GREATLY by bloodlines even in the big girls (who cares if your doe makes over a gallon a day if she has tiny orifices and takes you 20 minutes of hand cramps to milk!). So, shop wisely!

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

(who cares if your doe makes over a gallon a day if she has tiny orifices and takes you 20 minutes of hand cramps to milk!)

EXactly. Or who cares if her teats are 8 inches long if it's like a pin prick in a water balloon! I swear one of our Nigerians has such nice orifices that she flows like a garden hose. I love milking her! I'd love milking her more if she didn't flop her fat belly onto the stand EVERY time she spooks at the slightest noise, but that's another matter altogether.

 

[KellyHM]

I have both and so far I like the attitudes of the Nubians better. My Nubians are much quieter and calmer than the Nigerians. You would think the Nigerian boys were dying the way they scream for attention. The Nigerians are also a lot pushier, harder to pen (b/c they squeeze through anything), etc. However, they eat a lot less (big plus for limited space) and still provide a good amount of milk. I love their colors and blue eyes, but if I only had to pick one I would stick with my Nubs.

 

[julieq]

We've had both nubians and nigerians in the past and gave up the nubians and stuck with the nigerians. DH is disabled with degenerative disc disease and although our nubians were all bottle raised and very friendly, they can tend to haul a person around a bit. The nigerians are much easier for us to care for. The nubians were loud, but we've got one nigerian buck in the barn who's louder still.

We find the nigerian kids much easier to sell, either locally or via air shipments. As far as milkability, it depends on the nigerians in question. DH, who is over six foot and has good sized hands, helps milk our FF does without any problems. We have a tall milk stand with a ramp that's at waist level so he doesn't have to bend over.

We currently have two nigerian FF's in milk and one mini togg and we're getting between 1-1/2 to 2 gallons of milk per day, which is more than we need, even with bottle feeding kids.

 

[KathyCo]

I love the way Nubians look. If I had read this forum before I got my Nubian goat I may have changed my mind but my girl only bawls now and then when she wants attention but quiets down quickly.
My fences are more suited to a full size goat and I wanted something I could see from my deck - I think small goats would look like spots in the distance. Now that my girl kidded I am double glad because the babies were small enough to require we shore up a bit under the gates in their stalll but mini babies would have required major work to keep safe. Plus we have a lot of vegitation we want them to eat!
Smaller goats are very cute and maybe when I am older and can't handle a full size goat I will look into them, but I like the big ones with floppy ears for now.