Choosing the right dairy goat...help!

[kanpope]

We just moved onto our 23 acres and we are ready to get some goats. We live in NE Texas and it seems as though the only goats available around here are Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Kiko, and Boers.

I really like the way that Boers look and how easy they are to find but can anyone tell me anything about their disposition? Are they nice animals by nature? Do they offer a fair amount of milk? We are a family of five and do not need a lot.

I was really set on getting LaManchas but they are no where around here. I have not found ANY sellers in the area.

Can you de-horn a kiko? Do they get a good milk supply?

I have a lady that will sell us her Nigerian Dwarfs: 7 does, sire, and newborn buck for $750 but I am not sure that I want to go the dwarf route. Down the road, can I introduce full size goats to a dwarf breed with minimal effort?

As you can see, I am a TOTAL "greenhorn" and can use all the help that I can get! Dh has made a point to make sure that I know that these will be my goats and I want to make the most informed decision. I have several books but they do not talk about using a meat breed like Boer for dairy or visa versa. Any ideas?

[TexCountryWoman]

Howdy! Boers are meat goats and not really used for milk. I know some breeders in your area that have what you are looking for, perhaps, I am going to send you a PM.

[Sasha]

I have a couple of Nubians that I've been quite happy with. My doe kidded in the fall (before she was mine) and she gives about a quart of milk a day. I'm new to goats like you are but that much milk is enough for us. She's a finicky milker, though, although both she and the wether have nice dispositions other than that.

The lady we bought them from has several Nubians and some Nigerian Dwarfs together and has no problems.

Good luck.

[TexCountryWoman]

A good dairy goat should give at least a gallon a day, if not a gallon and a half. if you are going to house, feed and care for a goat, get one that is a good dairy quality animal. my opinion. In my early goat keeping years, i had goats that barely gave milk and were a pain to milk. Never again. I would recommend a beginner buy a calm, trained milker as to better enjoy the experience and to learn to milk on a goat that is already "broke in".

[wilderness1989]

I had a herd of Togs for some time and found their milk lacking in taste. Most does produced good tasting milk but a few were off taste enough to make you not drink it. If I were going back into the goat business I would be looking closely at LaManchas, Nubians, and Kinders.

[TexCountryWoman]

kanpope, I think I found you a source for some good dairy goats in your area. I am sending you another PM

[homebirtha]

Of the breeds you listed, the only one I personally would consider getting if I wanted to milk would be nubians. The NDs don't give that much milk, and Kiko and Boers are meat goats, not milk goats. You could alway travel to get your herd started. Get LMs and you can start a trend in your area. :-)

Originally Posted by kanpope

We just moved onto our 23 acres and we are ready to get some goats. We live in NE Texas and it seems as though the only goats available around here are Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Kiko, and Boers.

[Freeholder]

I don't think I'd try to milk a purebred Boer, because the skin on their teats is thicker than the skin of a dairy doe, making it harder to milk them. But my half-Boer doe (half Oberhasli) is a very good milker. Her udder isn't perfect, but I've seen worse, and she's not hard to milk, either. She's been giving between twelve and fourteen pounds a day (over a gallon and a half) of sweet, rich milk, milked almost twelve months in her last lactation, has a nice personallity (easy to get along with), is an easy keeper, and gave me lovely 3/4 Oberhasli triplets this year (I'm going to use the bucks for packgoats). So I wouldn't automatically reject Boer crosses as dairy goats. Other people I've talked to who milk part-Boers really like them. The rich, sweet milk is indistinguishable from Kinder milk (though I don't think the cheese yield is as high as Kinder milk). Others also report persistent lactations in their does -- surprising in a goat bred to nurse it's own babies. I suspect that eventually there will be a registry developed for milking percentage Boers (since ADGA won't register them) and a new dual-purpose breed developed.

However, for someone just starting out, I would recommend the Nubians. You don't really want to have to keep a buck just yet, and if you buy a breed that is common in your area, you are more likely to be able to find a buck locally to breed to.

Kathleen

[TexCountryWoman]

Originally Posted by BlueJuniperFarm

I don't think I'd try to milk a purebred Boer, because the skin on their teats is thicker than the skin of a dairy doe, making it harder to milk them. But my half-Boer doe (half Oberhasli) is a very good milker. Her udder isn't perfect, but I've seen worse, and she's not hard to milk, either. She's been giving between twelve and fourteen pounds a day (over a gallon and a half) of sweet, rich milk, milked almost twelve months in her last lactation, has a nice personallity (easy to get along with), is an easy keeper, and gave me lovely 3/4 Oberhasli triplets this year (I'm going to use the bucks for packgoats). So I wouldn't automatically reject Boer crosses as dairy goats. Other people I've talked to who milk part-Boers really like them. The rich, sweet milk is indistinguishable from Kinder milk (though I don't think the cheese yield is as high as Kinder milk). Others also report persistent lactations in their does -- surprising in a goat bred to nurse it's own babies. I suspect that eventually there will be a registry developed for milking percentage Boers (since ADGA won't register them) and a new dual-purpose breed developed.

However, for someone just starting out, I would recommend the Nubians. You don't really want to have to keep a buck just yet, and if you buy a breed that is common in your area, you are more likely to be able to find a buck locally to breed to.

Kathleen

I am milking a 1/2 Lamancha 1/4 Nubian 1/4 Boer right now and she is also giving a tremendous amount of milk....between a gallon and a gallon and a half. Not quite as much as a pure lamancha doe that is comparable, but the milk from this "LaBoer" is very creamy. I am experimenting with crossing Boers and LaManchas too, and will have some more to milk next spring. I love the way they are so hardy and yet give a remarkable amount of milk. I actually like the texture of their udders. And I like the natural "ear mark", you KNOW they have LaMancha in them, whereas a Boer crossed with another dairy breed, well you just have to guess what it is if you didnt breed it your self. Their is never a doubt with a Lamancha / Boer. Rarely do the ears come through on a cross, I have found.

[homebirtha]

Thread drift... But have you heard of kidding problems with LaBoer mixes? I have been warned not to breed our LM does with Boer bucks because of an increased risk of kidding problems. The claim is the boer kids have broad shoulders and are bigger and harder to deliver??? Thoughts??

[TexCountryWoman]

I have heard others claim the same, that breeding a Boer buck to a Lamancha doe may present kidding problems. So it is wise to use a large Lamancha doe. I am using a large Lamancha cross doe now, who has kidded a number of times. I also have Boer does to cross with a Lamancha buck. I can criss cross breed. I have some fine-boned delicate Lamanchas that I would not breed to a Boer. I take these things into consideration with each breeding.

I have a great looking doeling, really what I am striving for. She is red headed, white bodied, like a Boer, but with LaMancha ears and a dished face. She is muscled but still has dairy character, if that makes since. I can't wait for her to come into milk next spring. She is 5/8 Boer. I just don't know whether to breed her to my Boer buck or the LaMancha for the next generation. I will have some more does to work with this year also. These crosses may lose hybrid vigor after one generation, I am trying to determine that also. Since I raise both breeds anyway, crossing them is irresistable.

The ADGA does not allow recording any grades with Boer blood in them (as well as Spanish, Cashmere, Pygmy...) so a Boer blooded cross cannot be graded up. One has to be careful when selling a goat that looks Lamancha with Boer genetics in it that it is not passed off as a pure dairy goat. The adga retains the right to DNA test. Therefore, i am trying to fix the red-headed factor in my LaBoers in order to alleviate this problem.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by homebirtha

Thread drift... But have you heard of kidding problems with LaBoer mixes? I have been warned not to breed our LM does with Boer bucks because of an increased risk of kidding problems. The claim is the boer kids have broad shoulders and are bigger and harder to deliver??? Thoughts??

If common sense is used when choosing a certain doe to breed to a certain buck, you shouldn't have problems. Don't breed a small-boned doe to a Boer buck. Don't breed a narrow doe to a Boer buck(If you have a narrow doe, consider not breeding her at all). If you have a buck that is known for throwing huge kids....I'd find a different buck. By huge, I am talking 14-18 lb kids. Thats just to big for me to want. My Boer buck pretty consistently throws 8-10 lb kids. I have never had a dairy doe of *any* breed(including Lamanchas)have a problem delivering Boer kids. That includes dairy yearlings. All the Lamanchas have been fine, not requiring any assistance at all kidding out to a Boer buck.