Mixing it up - goat breeds

[cjb]

Ok, since it is September, my goats need to get their "breed on". I will be breeding: Oberhasli/Saanen mix, Ober/Saanen/Nubian mix, mini Ober/Saanen/Nuvian and 2 ND's. The latter three will obviously be bred to an ND.

In the past, I have bred my standard does to: Nubian, Ober and ND bucks. Just up the block, our neighbors have colored angoras and I am tempted to breed one of the standards to an Angora buck that they have, just for the heck of it.

What might the babies be like? I assume that they may be like large pygoras? I also assume that does may not produce a lot of milk?

Other options are: ober, ND and a Saanen that a friend has.

What votest thou?

[Alice In TX/MO]

If you want BIG goats, go with the Saanen. I bred a largish LaMancha doe to a Saanen, and her yearling daughter is MUCH bigger than mom. Huge.

I'd be tempted to do the Angora thing, too, just for the entertainment factor.

[cjb]

Thanks Alice! I thought I might be chided for "the entertainment factor" but that is exactly what I'm thinking. Because I'm not a serious breeder, most of my babies are sold as pets. I have sold a few doelings with hopes that they will turn out to be decent milkers (and have kept a few for the same reasons), but most go to pet homes.

It would be fun to breed the ober/saanen/nubian to the angora so I'd have an Obersaanianora.

[cjb]

... besides, the Ober/Sannen is kind of a dull color so wouldn't be as cute as the ober/saan/nubian. The latter is ober colored with a white spot on her head. That coloring and curly locks would be dang cute.

[Goat Servant]

Go for it cjb!

[CarolynRenee]

I've bred a purebred Saanen doe to a Nigerian buck two years in a row. Last year's kid looks just like a Saanen, but about 1/2 the size, and she gives a quart of milk every day with the kid on her 1/2 the day (we milk once a day & lock kids up at night). This year's kid looks the same as last year's (like a mini-Saanen).

The first year's kid I bred back to the Nigerian buck, and she threw a black kid with a white hat and white tail, just like the dad, and of course, she was even smaller than her mom, she's also a little stockier, like the dad. So I guess you can only breed Saanen/Nigerian once before they stop looking like minature Saanens.

Although I'll eventually breed my Saanen doe to another Saanen buck to replace her, I kind'a like my Mini-Saanens.

[Oat Bucket Farm]

We are breeding our Nubian/LaMancha cross to a Saanen and our PB LaMancha to a Saanen.

[RedSonja]

Go for the entertainment value, definitely. The milk and meat are a bonus to us, our goats are absolutely part of the family and highly entertaining.

Besides, this way we all get to see pictures and be entertained as well

-Sonja

[Backfourty,MI.]

I would try the Ober/Saneen/Nubian to the Angora & see what you get, I bet it will be adorable!
The rest other than the mini's of course that are going to be bred by the ND buck. I guess it all depends on what you want out of the babies? Milk, Meat or Adorable! Well they will all be adorable who ever there daddy is!

[cjb]

I actually miss using a Nubian buck because I love the ears. That's how we got the Ober/Saanen/Nube. However, she is large, mischievious and LOUD. Took after the Nube, after all.

I wondered what people do with first generation mini's. I don't know anyone that has a mini-buck so have to breed my only mini to a Nigerian. The offspring will pretty much be Nigerians, I guess.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I've run into the "what do you do with them" problem with Mini's, too. If you keep going, breeding the Mini's to the Mini's, they get smaller!

I got a 3/4 Lamancha, 1/4 Mini-Mancha buckling to breed my current Mini-LaMancha doe. Her last kids were just awfully small to keep going with the full Mini line.

If you are raising pets, it's not a problem. If you want milk, you have to have room for the bucket!

Some of the Mini-Mancha breeders are going back with full size LaMancha bucks over their Mini-Mancha does, but I'm a bit hesitant to to that right now.

[PotBellyPigs]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

If you want BIG goats, go with the Saanen. I bred a largish LaMancha doe to a Saanen, and her yearling daughter is MUCH bigger than mom. Huge.

I'd be tempted to do the Angora thing, too, just for the entertainment factor.

I agree with you Alice. In Fact, I'm going for MONSTER sized goats(Saanen does X Kiko/Boer buck).
I hope to have the best of both worlds, meat and milk!
However, for sales to the pet market, one could breed any breed to any breed.

Question: How small are your min-manchas? Perhaps you could start a new pet craze. Folks are NOW paying top dollar for Mini cattle.....
Just a thought
Greg
Alger,Ohio

[thaiblue12]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I've run into the "what do you do with them" problem with Mini's, too. If you keep going, breeding the Mini's to the Mini's, they get smaller!

Send all your tiny ones to me FedEx The tiny ones are too cute and alot of my goats get sold for to kids for 4H or pets so none of us would mind, lol.


CJB do you have sheep or any animals you shear? That is the one thing I would wonder about putting that mix in there. I would have to learn to shear or pay someone to do it and for pet value it might not be worth it.

Also in your case I would wonder about his fertility :baby04: and possibly all that hair getting in the way, lol

[CarolynRenee]

Originally Posted by cjb

I wondered what people do with first generation mini's. I don't know anyone that has a mini-buck so have to breed my only mini to a Nigerian. The offspring will pretty much be Nigerians, I guess.

As much as I'd like to keep a mini-saanen buck, we just don't have the room for him now. Maybe when we get more land cleared & fenced in, because I'd like to know if the mini-buck bred back to the mini-doe would produce another mini-saanen or if the Nigerian would come out.

[Freeholder]

The 'what do I breed them to' question is why I sold the two nice mini-Oberhasli doe kids that were born here this year. I'd gotten rid of their ND father because he was a screamer -- I like that the Obers are normally pretty quiet, and even when they talk to me they don't scream. I'm just going to stick to my Oberhaslis from now on -- they meet my needs, they are beautiful goats, good producers with good milk....can't ask for anything more than that.

Kathleen

[Pony]

Originally Posted by cjb

I actually miss using a Nubian buck because I love the ears. That's how we got the Ober/Saanen/Nube. However, she is large, mischievous and LOUD. Took after the Nube, after all.

Hey! She may have picked up a loud recessive gene from the Ober or Saanen, you know...

[Heritagefarm]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

If you want BIG goats, go with the Saanen. I bred a largish LaMancha doe to a Saanen, and her yearling daughter is MUCH bigger than mom. Huge.

I'd be tempted to do the Angora thing, too, just for the entertainment factor.

Our LaManchas outweight everyone else. Although it may just be in width. Some look like walking watermelons. A couple watermelons. The one doe makes a loud noise when her hooves land on the porch after exiting the stanchion.

[cjb]

I love Obers.