Nubian goats

[449piglady]

Hello, I am new here and I am considering getting a couple of Nubian Goats. I am not new to animals and have lived on farms and ranches my whole life. I raise pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, guineas, horses, dogs, cats, ect. I have had goats before, although I did not milk them. I used to milk a cow everyday. I do not know a lot about that praticular breed. I am looking for pro's and con's. I live in a very cold climate, but the breeder is local, so I am assuming that is ok. Our animals are pasture based in the spring, summer and fall and feed alfalfa and corn mix in winter. The breeder I am looking at, does not pasture his goats and has them on hay and grain year around. Do nubian's have any troubles on pasture? We have a mixture of brome, orchard, blue grass, clover. Of course I wouldn't change their diet over night and it would be a gradual thing. Also wondering about their personalities? Everything on our place is gentle and a pet. I know how to work with animals but just generally want to know their dispositions. Thank-you in advance.

[deineria]

They are happier on pasture! I think they are the most friendly and gentle of all goats I've dealt with - I've only personally owned Nubians and Pygmys. They have a sweet and funny disposition. They remind me of smart dogs
We live in WV, and we have cold winters, but nothing like some areas - they say they are best in milder winters and the swiss breeds are best in harsh winters, but I know they are raised all over the US, so if they have a nice warm shelter, they will probably do well.

[angelsprite]

449piglady,
I think Nubians would be a wonderful breed for you. Nubians are so hardy and they do great on pasture. They are really a tough dairy breed and give so much milk for their size. They're also great mothers and have a very high resistence to parasites. That has been my experience with Nubians and Nubian crosses.

[susanne]

i love my nubians and would not want to trade for another breed.
it is so rewarding to get a hug after milking ( just came in from milking and got a hug )
so funny to see them running and the looong ears going in the wind.
or when they have their special walk where they swing the head very slightly and the ears start moving from side to side like a pendent.
the milk is just the best too and if you wan to have cream, just let the fresh milk sit in the fridge for a day or two and take a spoon to get cream off the top. yummy.

[dezeeuwgoats]

If you are planning on having goats for milk production purposes I would plan on having them on alfalfa year around. Not familiar with pasture situations - but mine are on pasture and browse and still need alfalfa plus grain to fulfill their milking potential. I think that is just about ANY dairy goat breed though, not just nubians.

I LOVE mine! (somehow ended up with a whole HERD of 'em)

[Madfarmer]

Like all goats, Nubies are happier with browse--brush, vines, poison ivy, blackberries, etc. than with grass. Brome and the coarser grasses are preferable to bermuda. Mine totally ignore white clover, except for the flowers. For milkers, alfalfa hay or pellets should form the basis of the ration. They don't need grain unless they're milking or late in pregnancy. Correct minerals are vital. Nubians may be a bit more vocal than other breeds. You'll find the best personalities in goats you buy as babies & bottle-raise.

Madfarmer

[449piglady]

Thank-you, all your responses have helped me out alot. Now to get hubby on board and we'll be off to milk the goats!

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Make sure and read up on CL and CAE. Simply don't purchase goats from someone who doesn't test. You just don't want to start out with diseased goats. You'll love nubians. Vicki

[chamoisee]

If you are in a very cold climate, I recommend that you reconsider getting Nubians. They can be wonderful goats, especially if you have a lot of free time and like an animal that needs personal attention, but very cold weather doesn't suit them as well as it does some of the other breeds. They are more likely to get frostbitten ears, and those large noses get nose colds and drip snot half the winter. That's been my experience with them anyway.

[susanne]

maybe if you live in the thundra?
here in michigan it can get very cold in winter but i have to see frost bitten ears yet.
draft free shelter and hay to fill the belly to keep the furnace going and a nubian will be fine.

[Bricheze]

There's always manchas, they don't have ears to get frost bitten

[goatkid]

I raise Nubians in Montana and they do well for me here. There are other well known Nubian breeders in the northern US. They do just fine in frigid weather so long as they have shelter bedded with straw. I have never had any adult Nubians freeze their ears off. You do have to be sure any babies born in freezing weather have their ears thoroughly dried before leaving them outside - you have to do that with Swiss breed newborns, too. Pasture is good for them, but when they are in milk or late pregnancy, they also require alfalfa either in hay or pelleted form to keep their calcium levels up and they are always fed grain on the milk stand.

[Carolyn]

I am in NW North Dakota, I have Nubians and Mini Nubians--last winter we had -35 and -40 with 35 mph winds and my goats do just fine. Well fed and healthy with shelters, they are fine. About 5 or 6 years ago though, I did make ear muffs and matching goat coats--that winter was a real bad one. When I started with goats 15 yrs ago, I had a variety of goats and mixed breeds with the exception of a LaMancha, they all did fine, you run into individual goats that are the exception to the rule, but well fed, healthy animals with shelters and good bedding do well. In my 15 yrs, never had a Nubian with frostbite on ears, snotty noses mean sick animals and the other breeds had just as many problems as Nubians- Just my experience. Attention wise-everyone wanted attention, had a Saanan that would be milked, turned out and butt into line to be milked again. Had an Alpine-Saanan that was an absolute doll, but what a pest, when she was done on the milk stand would lay at my side until all milking was done. I did enjoy all my goats, but I like my Nubians the best. My goats are half feed lot, but have large pens to rotate them. I have alfalfa available to them at all time. Have had bossy Nubians, but also gentle Nubians--have a 4 yr old DGS that milks and does chores and the goats love him, he can put 200 lb Dyna on the milkstand without a problem.