Nigerian Dwarf Goats
Right now we are trying to decide which kind of goat breed we should raise. I like everything I read about the Nigerian Dwarf. There are many pros to this breed, a few of them being that they breed year round, are known for having multiples at birth, they are gentle, well-mannered, small, have a high butterfat content, and eat less than a full size breed. However, there are cons as well. They are difficult to milk, produce only a quart and a half a day, on average, and there's not much meat to them if we wanted to butcher them.
LaMancha
Our other choice is the LaMancha breed. These goats produce quite a bit of milk with high butterfat content, which is what we want.
Saanen
I've also looked at the Saanen breed, which is extremely docile, they have great milk production, and they are just so darn cute with their whole billy goat gruff thing going on. But, Saanen's butterfat content is pretty low. We want to make butter, cheese, and soap, so we need a higher fat content in our milk.
Nubians
Then I come back to the Nubian. I was hesitant about this goat only because I've heard they are a nuisance to raise. However, they are amazing milk producers with a high butterfat content. They are bigger than most dairy breeds and therefore are a great dual purpose breed for both dairy and meat production. And they are super cute...They also have a longer breeding season, which means that we could increase our herd in a very short time.
My husband doesn't really care. He wants lots of milk and meat so he's not too keen on the Nigerian Dwarf, but the fact that they can breed all year long is a major plus.
So, now we set off to pray and wait. After getting my thoughts out on "paper" I am leaning more towards the Nubian. It just makes more sense for a family that not only wants to produce their own milk, but also their own meat...and those EARS!!! So cute. :-)
Along with goats here is a list of other goals we have for our new adventure:
*Chickens- for eggs and meat...trying to find a good meat breed
*Bees- for honey and wax
*medicinal and culinary herb gardens
*veg and berry gardens
*fruit trees
*digging a root cellar
*building a cordwood chicken coop and goat barn
*building a green house for cold weather gardening
*some sort of fiber animal...angora rabbits perhaps (although Sophie wants a llama...)
*vermiculture
SO much more, but those are the goals we have set for the first year.
Can you feel my excitement?
Ok...prep day and I still have mass packing to do!
Well I am still casting my vote for the LaMancha and Saanen, my mother had Nubians when I was younger and well...I loved the LaMancha milk the best. You totally need to read the book called 'The Goat Lady'...you'll think of me. ;0)
ReplyDeleteI am teetering between LaMancha and Nubian at this point. Nubians butterfat content is 4.6% and LaManchas have 4.2%. It's not really that big of a difference. However, the Nigerian Dwarf has a butterfat content of 6.1%. I am loving that number. There are so many pros and cons to each breed...well, most of the breeds. I am trying to put together a comparison chart so I can easily see which would be the better breed for us. Nubians can also be year round breeders, to me that is a plus. That way we can stagger the breeding so we have year round milk.
ReplyDelete4 Nubians, rotating them so that only one is dry at a time,. Thats where my vote is. Sell goat shares to cover the cost of the feed. Not that I care all that much, but it seems like the best bang for the buck. (No pun intended)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea on the comparison chart, to bad there wasn't a way to taste their milk first, because the flavor changes somewhat between breeds and food intake...just my thoughts and many Yah guide you for what is best for you.
ReplyDeleteLet me elaborate a bit on your goat list. Nigerian Dwarves are extremely annoying in their noise. They are the noisiest breed. Their teats for milking will be approx 3/4th of an inch. If you go with a full sized breed you will have anywhere around 2-3 inches. (length is slightly about individual and also wether or not any kids nursed off her) I didn't see Alpine on your list but my experience has been they do fairly well on milking quanities. All goats are a nuisance btw... lol.. At least Nubians have a lower pitched yell. I have friends who just had some Nubian kids if you are interested. I have no idea what their asking price is but they aren't officially for sale yet. I think they are waiting til the kids are weaned which will be a couple of weeks yet. Non registered but have several to choose from. You need an excellent fence with many supports and nothing within feet of the edges. I highly recommend cattle panels and t posts.
ReplyDelete