Want to breed for Mini Saanen

[landis1659]

Kind of new to goats, only had them for a year now. I've been thinking in the near future that I would like to try and breed for mini Saanens. I was wondering if anyone had tried this. I have a purebreed Saanen doe and I'm thinking of breeding her next fall with a Nigerian Dwarf buck. I don't know how many years it would take for this to be a success. Anyone ever tried this?? I love the Saanens but would like it if they were a little smaller. I've heard that both breeds are good milkers. They proably wouldn't be able to retain their white/cream color would they??

Thanks Pepper

 

[no nonsense]

To do it successfully, so that they breed true and consistent will take more years than you have. Now, you could breed selectively, and in about 3 generations call your creation mini Saanens, but you will only be fooling yourself, and, unfortunately, a growing number of gullible dreamers. Most of these so-called mini dairy goats and cattle are nothing more than recent crosses, a few generations at most, and are nowhere near what an honest man would consider a true or proper breed.

If you have to have a small(er) white dairy goat, why not just focus on mostly white or light colored Nigerians? When it comes right down to it, there is not a heck of a lot of difference in the management and handling of normal dairy goats vs these minis, and you won't have the problems of insufficient milk production, early drying off and impossible to milk small teats. Many of these minis have not yet been selected for proper dairy temperament, size being the main concern, and so you'll have a higher than normal chance of getting a more flighty, bratty animal. Normal Saanens generally have been selected for good dairy temperament, so generally they're easier to handle than a mini half their size.