which is the best goat for me?

LittleRedHen · #1 02/01/11, 08:29 AM

I have raised Nubians in the past and I dont know if I just had some bad examples of Nubians but I didn't get much milk from them. Peak production was maybe a quart per milking. I had a Mini Nubian who gave me 1 1/2 gallons!! I should never have sold that girl! But anyways she is long gone now and I really want to find some good milkers to replace her. So I am watching craigslist for kids to be sold this year and I am wondering which breed to go for. I LOVE Nubians but I need more than a quart of milk. I have 7 children and a husband who wants milk so it would take me several goats to make that happen. I'd rather have two really good goats instead of 6 average ones. What breed of goat is going to give me the higher amount of milk? Are first generation mini nubians known for better quanities or was I lucky? I see a lot of alpine kids for sale on craigslist which are being offered at half of the price of Nubians. Is this because of Supply and Demand or are nubians generally better milkers and I just had some poor production out of my other girls? I don't really have money to buy $250 registered goat kids as money is tight around here. I can feed a goat the way it needs to be fed, give it shelter, give it treats and give it a lot of love but I cannot pay the high amounts for a registered goat. I do understand the benefits of following the genetics in a registered goat though but I just cannot do it. A registered alpine is a whole lot cheaper than a Nubian. But Nubians are sooo much cuter! i love the floppy ears! I have thought about Saanens but those are a bit harder to find and I have never seen toggenburgs for sale around here.

So I know I am rambling but if you just want the summary of my question. I need some great producers with friendly personalities that will be good mamas. What breed should I invest my money into? I would have 2-4 girls so i can rotate pregnancies/milking. I have a friend with 5 bucks I can choose from who will let me breed for free. He only has bucks and he says his boys would gladly help me out so I dont have to worry about having a buck around here. (he has a Nubian, some Dwarves and an angora... maybe an Alpine)

Kshobbit · #2 02/01/11, 08:46 AM

I can't help you except to tell you that all the Nubians I ever had the pleasure to own gave at least 3 quarts a day, most gave a gallon or more, I think you had a worthless doe. If you buy one from a herd that is on milk tests you will know how much milk to expect.

julieq · #3 02/01/11, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kshobbit

I can't help you except to tell you that all the Nubians I ever had the pleasure to own gave at least 3 quarts a day, most gave a gallon or more, I think you had a worthless doe. If you buy one from a herd that is on milk tests you will know how much milk to expect.

We've found the same thing with our nubians in the past, i.e. they were great milkers. I totally agree with purchasing from a quality, clean herd that is on milk test. Also, be sure and feed top quality hay, grain and mineral supplements as that has a lot to do with milk production.

LittleRedHen · #4 02/01/11, 09:14 AM

is there any difference in the milk consistency between alpine and nubian?

Kshobbit · #5 02/01/11, 09:45 AM

Not really Nubians have a higher butterfat usually, Alpines might give more milk or they did in the past but lots of heavy producing Nubians now.
As julieq posted, the type and quality of the hay, the amount and protein count of the feed makes a difference, plus regular milking times keeps production up too. There will always be goats and other milking animals that give a small amount of milk.
There was a local man years ago that had a Nubian that gave over 6 quarts a day. When someone offered to buy her for a good amount of money, the man refused saying he needed all that milk for his family.
Take your time, look around, talk to area dairy goat raisers. There are lots and lots of all breeds of goats that give a gallon a day or more.

CraterCove · #6 02/01/11, 09:55 AM

I would contact people with show herds in your area. If they are showing then they are always trying to 'breed up' but they might have some girls that just didn't appraise to their standards to remain in the show herd and yet still have great milking potential.

The amount of milk you get from one can be in your technique too, so I have found. The man I bought my doe from was able to fill a bucket in no time. Me? I got like a pint before my hands were tired and she decided I was done. I started milking multiple times a day to condition my hands and keep her supply up during the curve of my learning. And she didn't mind because she got a handful of grain each time I popped her up on the stand.

I have three boys and we go through a gallon a day-- she is dry now because of a move and hopefully we'll be getting little ones before too long, and boy do I miss her milk!

Good luck!

Alice In TX/MO · #7 02/01/11, 10:05 AM

Saanens and Saanen cross.

http://caprikornfarms.com/

LittleRedHen · #8 02/01/11, 10:08 AM

Well I think I have decided on getting 2-3 Alpines and then one Nubian. I found a nice commericial goat dairy that sells off all their goat kids. With them having a dairy im sure the does are decent producing so i'd expect their babies to eventually be decent producers too. Course I canno pass up a pair of floppy ears so I will my daughter a Nubian for her 13th birthday (just getting it a little early) thanks for your answers! I want the high levels of milk so we can work on saving money in our budget from buying store bought dairy products. THough by the time i buy them i will probably end up with a 2nd Nubian :P

Kshobbit · #9 02/01/11, 10:10 AM

Great! A commercial dairy keeps good records of their milk production so ask to see it and pick some good ones.

LittleRedHen · #10 02/01/11, 10:12 AM

good point! i will be sure to get the best of what I can get.