Best Breed for Beginners?

FrontPorch · #1 03/31/08, 01:21 PM

If a family were considering getting their feet wet with goats which breed would you recommend? I've heard that you should get older animals, possibly even culls, from a breeder to practice on before investing a lot of money. What are your thoughts?

We're in the beginning steps of researching goats. Not something we're rushing into. More or less considering getting a few "living lawn mowers" at this stage and seeing how it goes. Any advice would be appreciated.

MB · #2 03/31/08, 01:32 PM

Well I was in the same boat last year. I researched and researched and researched then I spent as much as I could afford on good, healthy, well bred animals. Right now they are brush clearers / pets but in the fall I plan on breeding two for milk the following spring. I chose Lamanchas because of their temperament and their availability in my area.
I wanted to start off on the best foot I could with healthy young animals. I LOVE them by the way! Good luck and have fun.
MB

mpete · #3 03/31/08, 02:03 PM

Find a breeder near you and see if they would let you "hang-out" while they are doing the chores. You learn a lot from hands on, and then you can find out about the breed(s) that they have. Although pigmys are cute, I have learned that they have a lot of issues with kidding, so that may not be a breed to start off with...

Patty0315 · #4 03/31/08, 02:14 PM

Saanens are healthy good milkers and have a mild temperment.

Patty

deafgoatlady · #5 03/31/08, 02:19 PM

Nubians are good too. They are not heavy producers like saanens or alpines.. They are sooo sweet and remind me of dogs. LOL. I remember that my first nubian I purchase is full blooded registered doe that is very healthy. Just be sure that u get healthy goats and be sure ask a lot of questions to be sure that the owner knows what they are talking about.. Good Luck.

GoatsRus · #6 03/31/08, 02:22 PM

Are you looking for milk or meat? That will make a difference in your breed. We raise boer and sell as a meat goat. We're heading towards Bo-Ki's right now. We sold our boer buck this winter and are looking for a Kiko buck. Kiko's are bred to have less foot and parasite problems.

christij · #7 03/31/08, 02:37 PM

I started with a 2 year old bred Nubian who was sold because she in a milking farm and I was wanting a family milker so her production was great for us. Thus, I didn't have to worry about a buck/breeding my first year - just kidding and milking. Oh, she was also towards the end of her lacation when I bought her. After kidding out 2 FF I am so glad I started with a doe who was experienced in milking and birthing!

TennesseeMama23 · #8 03/31/08, 03:00 PM

I wouldn't buy unhealthy animals --they may bring something to your farm that you might never get rid of. I would not buy from a stockyard-ever. The first goat I got was a $250 "cull" from a guy that is only interested in the absolute best show-quality stock (i wanted a milker). Those are my kind of culls. I wouldn't suggest culls from the average goat raiser. Buy straight from the farm and only if all the animals look healthy-if you just want goats for fun or mowing breed doesn't really matter.

You don't want to learn "goat 101" on animals that are any less than perfectly healthy. It is frustrating enough to have to deal with health problems for someone that isn't a complete newbee--I'm not far from it LOL.

Dh works with a huge number of stockyard bought cattle- they are either crazy or sick most of the time.

They say all the time around here -"if we can ever get that one in the trailer-she is going to the stockyard"

Someone else will say "that's what the last guy said"

jBlaze · #9 03/31/08, 03:37 PM

Get healthy animals. Ask for certifications for CAE. CL, etc. I have had people tell me their goats were negative, but when I tested, they showed positive.

Diseased animals cal look healthy as all get out.
Goats are great!
I like pygoras, and Lamanchas

Wags · #10 03/31/08, 03:42 PM

You didn't say how much space you had for them, and if space is at a premium on your place then you might check out Nigerian Dwarf's. We started off with doelings last spring because that is what we could afford - but the breeder threw in an adult doe that wasn't getting along with the herd queen, she is a real sweetie and has helped mother/protect the doelings.

You could check with your local 4-H leader for goats - they usually know who has what for sale and sometimes there is a 4H family that is getting out of goats because the kids have moved on. I could have doubled our herd by now going that route, but I didn't want to take on more than I have housing for.

southerngurl · #11 03/31/08, 04:08 PM

It's not so much that any breed is best for beginners, just get what appeals to you. There are gems and nuts in every breed haha. I like nubians, but nubians are known for being drama queens, they are smart and that can be annoying sometimes. Some nubians holler a lot. My two original ones are quiet, but this latest addition lives up to the nubian reputation in that area!

Lamanchas are a quiet gentle breed, at least the ones I've been around.

Minelson · #12 03/31/08, 04:13 PM

I'm a newbie. I got my Gretta (Pygmy) in Sept and she was 3 years old and pregnant and she had horns. I was not looking for a pregnant goat with horns. But I fell in love with her

She was bred to a Nigerian Dwarf. She had no problems with the delivery of twins in Jan. (Frankie & Flossi). I just love all 3 of them and they are a complete joy! I couldn't have done it without the help of this forum and the Fias website. I got Gretta by putting an ad in the local newspaper..."wanted: Pet Goat" And I got a few calls...some guy that had 2 wethers used for roping practice with horses..went to look..they had horns..said no way. Then this other guy called and we really hit it off and I went to visit his farm and he raised all little animals...mini donkeys, mini Aussies, mini pot belly pigs, pygmy, ND, little rabbits, little Bante chickens, His cats were even teeny tiny! With all his hundreds of animals I was so impressed with how clean the place was. Then I met my soon to be Gretta and my heart told me to have an open mind about the horns and pregnancy...so I brought her home along with 5 little chickens. Best thing I ever did!!! So my advice would be...follow your heart

Alice In TX/MO · #13 03/31/08, 04:46 PM

Be aware that goats don't mow lawns. They eat your shrubs. And, some of your shrubs may be toxic to goats.

Rockytopsis · #14 03/31/08, 04:51 PM

I have to agree with what most folks are saying here, culls are just that. The previous owners are getting rid of them for some reason or other. We got into goats with just 2 and now have well over 45, (a lot of market kids this year). We have learned a lot of things the hard way.

Do your research, choose a breed that is hardy to your area. If possible learn from someone in your area that has had goats for some time.

shelleydar · #15 03/31/08, 05:01 PM

I had Nubians and loved them - but they are LOUD. As someone else mentioned, they act a lot like dogs. The two does I kept were very loving, didn't have problems kidding, and gave great milk (which made wonderful ice cream).

FrontPorch · #16 03/31/08, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wags

You didn't say how much space you had for them

We have 7 acres total. The area we're considering for the goats backs up to a wooded ravine. All that flora and fauna wants to take over our property so ideally we'd like to keep the goats on that back 3 1/2 acres.

This is all great information, thanks everyone for helping. I had no idea Nubians were that loud. They sure are cute though.

**mygoat** · #17 03/31/08, 10:47 PM

I wouldn't really say any certain breed is for beginners, though certain breeds have personality generalities that you may base your decision on. I do know they all have different personalities, so perhaps going and visiting a few breeders during chores may be a good idea.

Do you want milk, meat, fiber? Some of all three? Figure out what you want goats for, what you'd like to do with them - show, milk/meat/fiber production - and research care, housing, pastures, feeds, medications, diseases, breeding, conformation, etc.

Goats won't 'mow your lawn'. They are browsers and need access to more shrubby/wooded areas for grazing, not grasses. Well, they will graze grass if they have no other browse source, but they don't garner as much nutritional value from it.

My main suggestion is to look into quality breeders with healthy animals. Start with disease free (CL, CAE, Johne's) animals with good bloodlines, good conformation and you can take your herd in any direction you please - But starting with diseased animals or animals with poor conformation, pedigrees, or milking ability easily starts you towards disaster. Be willing to pay for quality, IMO, it takes money to make money off a venture. (Or, in my case, STILL isn't making money but is supplying me with lots of excellent meat and milk!)

I personally love my alpines which are quiet, excellent milk producers, come in lovely colors, and have a loving but sassy attitude about things. My French alpines seem a little more aloof while my Americans seem more needy. You'll notice quick that your herd multiplies awful quick, and that you get attached to your ladies awful quick, too.

Freeholder · #18 04/01/08, 01:52 AM

Unless you are just going to keep them for eating brush and being pets, you will eventually need to breed (can't have milk or meat without having kids first). And unless you want to keep a buck, which I don't recommend if you have any options unless you are really getting into breeding, you need to have a good quality buck available nearby. So find out what goats are being raised in your area, and choose from them. If you want to, after you get some experience and decide what you want to do with them, you can switch to, or add, different breeds later on. With the price of gas as high as it is, and likely to keep going up, you really don't want to have to drive two or three hours each way with a doe in heat in your vehicle, to get her to a buck (for an encounter that lasts all of about five minutes, if that, LOL!). Much better to buy your animals from a reputable breeder as close to you as possible -- you'll have someone nearby to give advice when needed, and possibly to help you with some of the learning curve that goes along with getting a new type of animal. And you should be able to take your does back to the breeder to be bred.

Kathleen

cjb · #19 04/01/08, 03:13 AM

I echo most of what has been said but really, really stress buying animals from CAE, CL and Johne's negative herds. I did not know any of this and have been lucky to have negative animals.

The more fundamental factors, IMO, are your intended useage for the goats and the availability and suitability of the breed near you, for both procurement of your own goats and access to a buck for breeding.

That said, the fun in a thread like this is talking about the breeds you like, right?

We have a 1/2 Nubian and have had 3/4 Nubian kids. My fav tends to be the Nube crosses. I don't love the Roman nose personally of the full Nube and I do love the airplane ears of the cross. Nubes have great personalities but the purebred ones are just too loud for me. I like the soft bleating of my obers and Nigerian Dwarfs but the blood curdling constant yelling of a Nube can make you crazy.

We have our first Nigerian and I think she is the cutest animal on our farm. We are breeding all of our standard does (Nube/ober and obers) to an ND buck this year so are hoping for mini's.

I think that my absolutely fav would be a mini-nube - Nigerian and Nube cross and/or some cross of Nube/Ober/ND, which I should get this year. I also love LaMancha personalities but I hate the lack of ears. Love the Saanen personality but don't think the white faces, pink lips etc. are all that attractive.

Goat Servant · #20 04/01/08, 08:23 PM

Hi Frontporch..its the beginning of show season..go to fairs and look around. talk to different breeders. Pick their brains.
Cull is not a bad word, it is necessary. We all cull one way or another..whether its the freezer or sales. We cant keep everyone.Plain & simple. It does not mean the animal is unhealthy. (tho you might find this true at auctions)

I was fortunate when looking for Boer (meat) goats. The breeder I found has become over the years a friend & mentor as well as doing business with her.