Nubian/Alpine Cross

[Bubbas Boys]

Anyone have this cross? Opinions?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Yes. Love airplane ears.

Genetics is a funny thing. No predictions on milk production. Alpines are slightly higher producers than Nubians, but Nubians have higher butter fat content in their milk.

Teats and udders are more important than anything. If you are looking to purchase one, look at and/or milk the dam. Look at pics of the sire's dam's udder and teats.

Love airplane ears, but if the teats aren't good, and the udder isn't well attached, all the ears in the world won't fix it.

[Kasidy]

I have several right now. From Nubian does crossed on an Alpine buck. Both sides good producers and good quality animals. The crossbred does produce more milk than their pure Nubian mothers, but not quite as much as the pure bred Alpines. (I hand milked for years and weighed every drop, so I know what everybody produced) But when arthritis forced me to stop milking a couple of years ago I got a Boer buck and let the "girls" raise their own kids. The kids with Nubian in them are quite a bit larger than the kids that are Alpine/Boer.
But you do need to start with good quality animals. Be sure to get Nubian does with good udders, sometimes they can have attachment problems and get rather "saggy baggy" as they age.

[Woolieface]

I have one. She's quite a character. She's not my greatest milk producer... but that is likely due to her individual genetics. I would assume that the cross, in general, has pretty good milk output, but she is the only one I've had. I should probably cull her for her less than stellar milk production but she's just so darn charming.

[mygoat]

You'll get a toss up in genetics, it is a total outcross. That being said, they should be hardy animals.

[Agriculture]

I don't care for them. Airplane ears scream mongrel, and I just don't care for mongrel animals. There is no reliably consistent benefit for making that particular cross. Sure, you'll get some hybrid vigor, but it won't even be all that noticeable compared to a well bred and cared for pure animal.

[V-NH]

All of my does are this cross. They seem fine to me. My buck is a pure bred, registered nubian [from Pruitville bloodlines no less] so I expect their kids to be even more interesting than they are. When I was initially shopping around for goats, I viewed some $300-500 pure bred, registered alpines from smaller farms. Then I went to a local goat dairy with over 800 head of milking does and viewed their purebred, day old kids that they were letting for for as little as $30-40. Then I went to a small farm that had purchased about 20 alpine/nubian cross kids and then decided they were in over their heads. They let me take three eight month or so doelings home for $100/ea. Perfect fit for me... I couldn't care less what they look like, because they'll never leave my property.

[V-NH]

PS: I know this isn't what you all mean, but when you mention the udder not being attached well I imagine going to milk it and having the whole thing just fall off.

[mygoat]

I've seen some pretty beautiful 'mongrel' experimentals that can milk, milk, milk. :P I didn't mind the airplane ears on my myotonic/boer crosses, though I prefer my upright Alpine ears any day. The airplane and lop ears are easier to tattoo though... :P