Should I avoid too much variety in my goat herd?
 

Newbie here. We are getting goats soon for brush

Not sure what you mean by variety? If for brush eating, variety/type of goats doesn't matter. You may want to source your goats from a few places to reduce the risk of diseases however. The breed of goat will not matter in the least, it's mostly what you want to look out to pasture and see running around out there. They all eat brush.

If you plan on RAISING goats though, I do STRONGLY recommend you have a plan and stick to it. :) You could have 5 different breeds but if they're all average/low quality animals, don't expect the kids to sell for more than meat every year. Variety is only good if you can raise good quality animals of each type. If you plan on having 5 breeds for example, you'll likely want at least 1 buck of every breed to sire purebred kids, and not many people want that many bucks - or if you have a small herd, you could have half as many bucks as does! :P

You want boar kiko or some meat type for that. Start with the very best buck you can afford and quality does with papers. You will be glad you did in the long run. I have been in and out of goats the last ten years. I am just now following the advice I'm giving you and it is making a huge difference.

Ha. Sorry about that. The iOS app posted my topic before I was finished. :)

Thanks for the reply. It actually covered what I needed. I was curious if there were any reasons to avoid a Pygmy / Nubian mixed herd. We're just going to use them for brush and as pets so it sounds like I can't go wrong really.

Thanks!

No, it doesn't matter, but if it were me and I had to look at them every day, I'd prefer some decent looking purebred animals, rather than ugly airplane-ear mongrels. You also might want to think about a meat type goat, because they'll at least be more marketable in the fall. Also, are you going to want to feed them all over the winter? Consider a buck and a few does, selling off the offspring every fall after letting them all have their way with the brush during the summer.

Easy there, Sensible. We're pretty partial to our airplane-ear mongrel! OUr herd sire is Kiko/Boer/Kinder - so includes the Pygmy/Nubian part the OP was considering. And he's darn hard on blackberries.


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280...0/706/a7lo.jpg

I love my airplane-earred snark-defying mongrels as well. Especially the 9-10 lbs of milk each was milking per day at peak their first freshening!

Sensible. You just stepped in it! Appologize now, before it really hits the fan! HahahHa

Point of clarification... Do you want to run Pygmies and Nubians together or Pygmy/Nubian crossbreds?

There are some concerns if you want to run the purebreds. First of all a Pygmy buck can be be bred to a Nubian doe but a Nubian buck would be unsafe to breed to Pygmy does because the kids would be too big for her to deliver. Second some Nubians produce so much milk that even with kids left on them they HAVE to be milked and wouldn't be suitable for brush goats. If all male goats are wethered neither would be an issue unless the Nubian does have precocious udders (produce milk without being bred).

SJS..love the expression on that one's face!.. as if it heard...

Should I avoid too much variety in my goat herd?
 

[QUOTE=Squeaky McMurdo]Point of clarification... Do you want to run Pygmies and Nubians together or Pygmy/Nubian crossbreds?[\QUOTE]

Great question. I'm talking running them together. My thought on this is Nubians will be able to reach higher brush crowding my fences - of which there is p l e n t y! Pygmys would be "cuter" (I guess - I have no idea except that my girls are all "ohhhhhhh!!!" when they see them).

Right now there's no plan to breed, milk, or eat -- but the comment above about selling each Fall is actually pretty insightful and I never thought of that. It would save me money on feed for sure. Hmm

I'd suggest getting only wethers that have been weaned and letting them clear brush all summer. Then if you can get past the young'uns, sell them for meat in the fall. If you just want brush cleared and pets, you don't really need does that will require the additional care.

What about does required more maintenance over weathers?

My girls are also interested in having year-round goats. They want the "pet" part, I want the "free labor" (yeah I get it's not free :) - but it's labor off my hands nonetheless).

Squeaky and Cyng make some pretty good points. You definitely won't want a buck with does around - and if you are only after brush clearers, you may not need does at all.

Cool. But I'm missing how bucks make better brush clearers than does. Are weathered bucks just lowest maintenance over all?

A wether doesn't think of much besides eating and hanging with his buds.

A buck will go into rut and stink to high heaven and be hunting a lady friend at every opportunity. When in rut, most don't think of eating so much. They can stay in rut for months.

A doe, if allowed anywhere near a buck will most likely get pregnant. A pregnant doe needs to be fed properly and you need to make sure she gets the minerals she needs. When time comes for her to kid, she will need a reasonable shelter and supervision and may need assistance with the delivery. You will need to be sure the kid or kids are eating enough and if she is a heavy milker, you may need to milk out the extra milk. You are going to be out more money to care for a doe and kids than you will for a wether. Also, if the doe is any good at all, you will pay more for her than for a wether, who probably is only destined for meat.

Wethers really don't need much management. Hoof trims several times per year, decent minerals, free choice water and baking soda, and average hay when your pasture is limited or during the winter. If you can find a goat dairy in your area, finding some cheap wethers is easy

(however, you may have to bottle feed them and that may make them more pet than meat bound, and can make them pricier to raise depending on how you do it).

Definetely avoid bucks. Not only do they stink (and I mean STINK when in rut!), but they get rude, pushy, and some get downright mean. I used to not let anybody in the buck pen when I had my boer buck, besides me or Dad. Sometimes he was in a mood that you just had to carry a big stick. Once, he was lucky I couldn't find my .22. My Alpine buck is the sweetest thing on 4 legs but even he gets pushier and dumb when in rut. Their brain stops working for several months every year.

Does are very sweet, but they are pricier because they have breeding value. The management for breeding animals is much different them males at maintenance so that is a consideration. If they are NOT breeding, then they really don't need anything special... but why buy pricier does if not to use them?

If all you want right now is brush eaters and cute pets then I would definitely go with a few wethered boys. Then if you decide to go full on goats :) you've already got your feet wet with a few easy keepers.
I sold to an elderly couple a Nubian and a nigi buckling, they took them to a vet had them fixed, they use them for brush control and pets for their grandchildren, they absolutely love them and they send me updates regularly.

Awesome. Thanks everyone for the input. So I'm in the market for some wethers then - hopefully in the next couple of weeks we'll have some additions to our family. :)

My purebred airplane eared "mongrel" eats more browse than any of my purebred full size goats! There ARE quality Nigerians etc. too...Some people just have a high opinion of their own choices.

At any rate I agree that wethers are what you want for brush clearing! :)
When you find your goats be sure to post pictures for us here!!:goodjob:

Absolutely. I'm looking forward to posting them when we get them. :)

Suzy!
Suzy!
Get over here and show Sensible that ugly ol' airplane eared mongrel! ;)

Almost forgot....
here's my airplane eared mongrel.

That is a great picture. XD Is it a Snubian? I'm seriously considering breeding my Saanen does to a Nubian buck (he's SO MUCH CLOSER!). When we were in Utah, the guy we got milk from had Snubians, they are great goats.

Yep, Snowpile is a snubian. Out of my saanen doe and a Nubian buck.

Be sure you have PLENTY of brush. I was shocked how quickly my bucks were able to clear one area we fenced for them on my property early this summer!

We started our herd today! Thanks for all the advice.

2 Nigerian Dwarfs and 1 Nubian mini - all wethered males. Let the adventure begin!

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Ooooh!!! I love them! SO handsome :D