Purchasing a goat is as rewarding as it is daunting! So many choices! So, What breed is right for you? What Breed of Goat is Right for YOU: Answer: The Breed you are most drawn to. What? Really!? Yup, that's it. Sounds like a silly answer to a question, but you really ought to consider this answer before you run off and purchase the first goat you can afford, or a breed that someone else raves about. Start with a breed you feel most drawn to. And further-more, ask yourself what do you intend to use your goat for? Will it be strictly for dairy? Will you want meat? Do you need large amounts of milk, or just a little? In other words how much space in your fridge do you have for milk? Do you want five or six gallons of milk hogging all your fridge space? Does your family consume two or more gallons a day? Do you have a plan for how you will use excess milk? The answers you give to these additional questions will help you determine ultimately if a breed of interest will really fit in with your needs. Here is a list of the Dairy Goat Breeds in the US, and a brief description of each to help you decide: Nubian Likely one of the first breeds to be recommended for beginners. The Nubian, also known as the "Anglo-Nubian" is a large, proud, and graceful-looking goat with long pendulous ears and a characteristic "Roman nose". They were developed in England by crossing British goats with bucks of African and Indian origin. They are not heavy producers, but they shine out with a high amount of butterfat in their milk. Nubians come in a variety of colors and patterns. They are very vocal, can be bullies, and while they are very popular they are not quite as hardy as some other breeds. Drawbacks you will be faced with: G6S disorder is a genetic disorder linked to dairy goats, but more prominently found in Nubians. It is a crippling disease that leads to birth defects, and premature kid death. The disorder is spread by breeding carriers of the disorder to clear animals. Weak Kids: Nubian kids tend to need more 'personalized' care. Breeders lovingly call their animals 'drama queens', but on a serious note: for a first-time goat owner are you up for the challenge of needing to pull a kid from a doe, revive a weak kid, or stomach tube a kid with a weak suckling response? If so, this breed will definitely keep you on your toes! SaanenThe classic looking white Dairy goat, Saanens are a Swiss breed that have rightfully earned their place as the N0. 1 goat used in large scale dairies for their heavy milk production. Saanens have a clean refined look about them, and are well suited for any environment. They have a generally calm temperament, gentile disposition, and willingness to please that makes them an excellent choice for both commercial, and small homestead operations alike. And their large size makes them ideally suited for meat on the homestead. *Sables are Saanens that are born any color other than white. Toggenburg 'Toggs' are a medium sized breed, and sadly are not as popular in the United States for family dairy making them rather difficult to find in some areas. This breed hails from the cool rolling mountains of Switzerland, but is equally well suited to warmer regions as well. They are characterized by their light brown to tan color and white markings. They are one of the oldest known goat breeds, and their sometimes strong 'goaty' flavored milk was (and still is) primarily used for cheese making. Especially in France, where they are still considered the No.1 Breed of Choice for Cheese manufacture! Toggs, beside their elegant physic, have a sweet yet active personality. It is not uncommon to see wethers used as pack animals. AlpineHighly sought after, the Alpine, AKA ‘ French Alpine’ hails its origins from the French Alps. As a breed they are athletic, mischievous, curious, and come in a variety of colors. They are also one of the primary breeds found in large scale dairies. Able to crank-out a little over a gallon a day on average, with good balanced butter fat and protein levels. Alpines are finding new paths off the dairy these days, due to their large size and athletic ability are growing in demand as prized packing and dual purpose meat animals on homesteads across the US. OberhasliThe Oberhasli, 'Ober', or sometimes called the "Swiss Alpine" are characterized (and easily recognized) by their strikingly unique coloring; known as "Chamoisee." Oberhasli goats are rich red-bay in color with distinctive and specific black markings. Does may sometimes be black, but chamoisee is preferred. Oberhasli are another difficult to-find breed of good quality in Arizona, due to the fact that most do not register or breed to the standard, producing small sized or mixed breed goats. Obers are another large breed, and like the Alpine is highly prized for their dual purpose milk/meat abilities, as well as athleticism that makes them a top contender for pack-goat outfitters. They have are active, curious, with plenty of personality to back them up! Possibly one of the more underrated dairy goats in the US today. LaManchaUndoubtedly the most unique looking Dairy goat breed! Did you know that the LaMancha is actually the ONLY dairy goat breed that is native to the US?! This is because they were actually created in the United States, and NOT imported as all the other breeds of dairy goats. Their name implies a more ‘exotic’ origin, a possible link to the now extinct Spanish goats in their ancestry, but they humbly draw their lineage back to a small Saanen dairy in Oregon. A somewhat rare breed, they are often found in large commercial operations alongside Saanens for their ability to produce large volumes of top quality milk, with a good balance of butter fat, and protein content!. LaManchas are a medium sized breed characterized by their lack of ear cartilage, making them appear ‘earless’. Like their Saanen cousins, the LaMancha is a very hardy, intelligent, quiet, calm, social, and willing to please breed of goat; making them more popular on small family farms and homesteads than most other dairy goat breeds. *Personal Note* With as little bias as possible of course.. Whether they are a standard size, or Mini; LaManchas can be handled easily by children, elderly adults, and inexperienced goat owners with little fuss. And are the most affectionate, intelligent, dog like, goat breed we have ever dealt with! But the best part, is the ease of caring for this breed… which is why we chose to focus our breeding program on them! **This breed, due to the lack of ears (a cooling system) does best in cool climates. Nigerian DwarfOriginally from Africa, the Nigerian dwarf goat was originally imported into the US to be used as feeder animals for the large cats and predators in US Zoos. Now they are rapidly becoming the most popular dual purpose dairy goat in the country due to the range of colors, milk production, and small manageable size! The Nigerian Dwarf is a boisterous, active, confident goat with TONS of personality. Plus they are small enough for the elderly and small children alike to handle. Nigerian Dwarfs are currently being bred to produce more milk than what they were capable of historically. Modern Nigerian Dwarfs, from reputable breeding lines, are more than capable of giving a quart to a half gallon of milk a day on average; with exceptional animals producing up to a gallon a day at peak! These little goats are easily keeping pace with larger breeds, and require far less space and feed! Golden GuernseyRARE in the US, the Golden Guernsey is still a developing breed, and only 1 herd in the entire US has pure 'British Guernseys'. Guernseys hail from the channel islands in Britain, and imports to the US are heavily restricted. So in order to bring them in, some farms were able to obtain permits to import semen and embryos in the 1970s. They are not yet accepted by ADGA, but do have a registry all their own. Guernsey goats are a medium sized breed, and are reported to produce a good volume of milk put with butterfat and proteins content that is not exceptionally high. OTHER OPTIONSMini Dairy Goats- "The stable Hybrid" or ''Grade/Experimental.'' Originally considered ‘mutts’ worthy only of being an accompaniment to gravy have dairies to thank for their creation. Nigerian dwarf goat bucks were often used to breed to young/ small sized standard dairy goat does on dairy farms in order to get their does to freshen sooner, and begin putting milk in the pail. Their hybrid offspring were small enough for a young doe to pass without issue or damage, and were often sold on the cheap for use as meat goats. Now minis are slowly becoming breeds of their own, as more and more people are finding value in owning a miniaturized dairy breed. Minis, through their generations, are bred to the same breed standards as their larger counter parts, but of course on a smaller scale. Miniature breeds are ONLY produced by breeding a registered Standard Dairy Breed Doe to a registered Dairy Nigerian Buck. Only registerable Miniature Dairy goats are able to be called a "Miniature Dairy Goat". And since they are so popular and easy to start breeding, quality varies wildly between farms so watch out! Not all minis are made equal, some are just lawn ornaments and really dont do well in terms of dairy production! As of today, there are only two Miniature Dairy Goat Registries (TMGR & MDGA). Purchasing registered miniatures ensures the buyer of the quality animal they are purchasing; registration is a good indicator that the breeder is breeding toward a breed standard, thus desiring to increase the quality of their animals. Miniature Dairy goats are the successful blending of two very dairy qualified breeds, with traceable lineage to dairy animals in their pedigree. Mini-dairy goats are fast growing into a homesteaders delight! They are half the size of a standard dairy goat, require half the space, half the feed, and produce about the same amount of milk of a larger breed. Miniature dairy goats can easily be expected to produce between 1/2-1 gallon a day, and unlike their Nigerian dwarf cousins are tall enough to stay out of the milk pail! Dual Purpose Boer, Kiko, Savanna, Myotonic, or Pygmy Hybrid- Often purchased with the sometimes unrewarding expense of having a proclaimed "meat goat that ‘milks.’" Honestly, many “Dual-purpose” breeds simply do not stack up to their repertoire of being perfect for both dairy and meat. Sadly for many unsuspecting buyers, they soon find out this breed combination is more often than not only well enough suited for the latter. These ‘perfect’ Hybrids are created by breeding a dairy goat breed to a meat goat breed (Boer, Savanna, Myotonic, or Kiko), and are sold to many unwitting homesteaders who believe (or are told) they will get good to excellent quality milk... And that they will get consistent breeding results i.e. the Offspring will be just as 'good' as the parents, or have great udders for milking. This however is not the case. Breeding goats is not as simple as 1+1=2. And hybridizing animals of opposing qualities to get a 'perfect' mix is not that easy folks. The problem with these 'dual-purpose' goats is that A) They are a unstable-hybrid—not a breed of their own. Hybridization by definition is a gamble. in this mix, you are attempting to exploit the best qualities of two very different breeds by blending them into one goat.. The trouble with this is that there are too many variables called GENES. How many years did it take science to map the human genome?? All those little CGCCGGA's? Do not be fooled thinking you are going to get a 'perfect' animal the first time around or even the hundreth when breeding two breeds with opposing qualities/traits together! Dairy goats have been selected through years or even centuries of breeding to perfect and limit the influence of other genetics to make them suitable for dairy. Meat goats were bred in the opposite direction for MEAT. Both goats have strongly opposing genetics that simply make this blending unfavorable. Because you are introducing very poor genetics into a very select set of dairy genetics. The result is that you will have a goat that is no longer suitable for dairy, and too small/ skinny to be used as a meat goat! As you breed your hybrid goats together, you will need to develop a breeding goal in order to keep you on track. Some (and I stress this word) of the dairy traits will continue to be passed on to a much lesser extent, but honestly these genetics will be so diluted as breeding continues, that you will find yourself quickly with an animal expressing the more dominant Meat goat traits, or falling short on all counts. Breeding a top quality milk goat from basically scratch takes YEARS …ask any dairy goat breeder that has been around 10+ years if they have had 100% success on producing a champion milker (heck even a good milker) on a risky breeding with animals that have opposing qualities (good genetics for producing top quality dairy x poorer quality dairy genetics). I can guarantee they will all say NO. Why? Because genetics is a gamble, but starting out with poor quality genetics is a certain guarantee of failure. Its very hard to breed good traits back into a line or sometimes even fix a bad trait in a good line. Just because 1 person had a doe with a sagging udder and bred her to a good buck and has a daughter of those goats with passable dairiness doesn't mean the poor genetics isn't hiding in there waiting for a poor breeding mistake to happen. Boers are not bred for dairy. Simply put. Neither are Angora, Cashmere, Savanna, Kiko, Spanish, Pygmy, or Myotonic goats. All these breeds were bred for putting meat (or fiber) on the table. Meat feeds people quickly. Fiber keeps people warm. Milk takes a long time, effort, and abundant resources to get food seasonally and in limited supply compared. Additionally. There is no advantage to having a meat goat with a well attached udder, or with only 2 teats over any other doe as long as she can feed her kids, and raise them with minimal effort on behalf of the producer. For this reason, meat breeds do not have the mammary stability and structure of a dairy goat. They often have extra teats which can lead to increased risk of infection during hand milking. Meat goats are bred to put on muscle, not milk. Yes you can milk a Boer, Yes you can milk a boer-hybrid, you can also milk a beef cow (I have done it, and would never want to do it again!). But you simply will not get the same quality milk, nor will you get the QUANTITY required to make many of the dairy products your household is familiar with; and quickly find yourself wishing that you had chosen to milk a dairy goat/cow instead. If you do not have a use for large amounts of milk, or do not see yourself making larger amounts of yogurt, cheese, cream, or butter-- a Boer/ Boer hybrid may be up your alley. But I would strongly advise being cautious in whom you buy from! Dairy goats from reputable breeders sell their animals for $300-$1000 because they ARE DAIRY GOATS. Not uncle Bobs backyard-rainbow mix special! Boer goat breeders match this pricing also because their animals ARE MEAT producing machines! I would never advise purchasing a Boer-Dairy goat Hybrid, especially for any price equal to a premium quality dairy or meat goat! But they are out there, and some people like having them. So, if its something you are drawn to, go for it. You may be pleasantly surprised! ~Are there other ‘Dual Purpose’ goats that are not Boers? Yes! ANY BREED OF DAIRY GOAT can be an excellent homesteading animal; that's what they were created for! But if you are in an urban environment, or just want to conserve space, Miniature Dairy Breeds (TMGR/MDGA approved) and Nigerian dwarfs are both amazing little breeds that excel at both dairy, and producing meat. -Kinders, (nubian x pygmy hybrids), and I am sure there are others... should be researched HEAVILY as again, some of these breeds are either still in development, or are being advertised as the 'Perfect' goat simply to make money off of uninformed consumers. Simply put; what's new is not always what is best! -Spanish and Kiko Goats-- Look similar, but have 2 different origins. These goats are prized for their size, meat ability, and hardiness. Developed from feral goats, their dairiness varies from animal to animal, but they can still provide milk for your small family. -Angora- Angoras are a fiber breed. They are thrifty, produce a small amount of milk, and are often crossed with other goat breeds like pygmies (Pygora) or Nigerian Dwarfs (Nigora) to produce chashmere and sometimes 'improve' their dual purpose qualities. Not heavy milk producers, but could be a fun farm project for people who want to dabble in fiber arts and get some milk to sweeten the deal. Ultimately--
If you want a goat for dairy, and perhaps meat, get a Dairy Goat. If you want lots of meat, and occasionally a couple cups of milk for your coffee or soap making project, get a Meat Goat. If you really don’t care to eat your goats, nor drink their milk, But love hand spinning.. get a Fiber Goat. As you become more and more familiar with your goats, and your own needs you can then adjust your herd to suit. And perhaps even try to make a ‘hybrid’ that may bring a more rounded aspect to your needs. But as a beginner to goats, don’t over complicate the equation. And don’t assume that what is being advertised as the ‘perfect goat’ will be that perfect goat for YOU.
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