# Going to the dark side.....a little lol



## AndersonRanch (Oct 18, 2020)

Well after loosing my jersey cow and throwing in the towel on having one I have been causally looking for a few dairy girls to add to the herd so I have some extra milk for bottle babies (and I stop looking like the crazy milk lady when I pick up a weeks worth of whole milk lol) No one seems to be really parting with their dairy goats and the ones that are are wanting a arm and a leg for them, which is probably worth it but not to me and my boer herd. I finally found these two 11 month old alpines. I called and talked to the girl that is selling them. She is a teenager and got them at a week old to show them. With all the fairs being canceled and unknown what is going to happen this year the girl decided to sell them and save up money for more competitive does for when she can show. They are registered but she is waiting to get them back. I dont usually won't buy a animal without the papers but I honestly don't care if they have papers or not, it's not like I have alpine bucks around here lol but I will be calling the lab and finding out what day they run the tests for the big 3s and as long as they pass these girls will be my new milk goats. So meet Ellie May and Maybelle. They are the sweetest things ever and hopefully make me a ton of milk lol


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

(woot)(woot)


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Wow congratulations!


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

Yay! Another initiated to the dark side! Congrats on the new girls.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Yay! Welcome to the dark side! They’re adorable. I’m so excited for you...


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Ohhh great idea for all those triplets 
You have! Those bottle babies will have a great start!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Oooo you lucky duck! Those girls look so pretty. I hope they work out for you. :neat:


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Are you going to breed them to your boer bucks?


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Nice does! Congratulations!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Very nice! Congratulations!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Well arent you special! (highfive) doing BOTH sides of the fence...like 007...a super person! :heehee::heehee:


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## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

Dark side, my eye! You've finally come to your senses!  Pretty does!


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## AndersonRanch (Oct 18, 2020)

Thank you guys, I don’t know much about dairy goats but they were sweet so they won me over even if they are terrible looking girls by alpine standards. I really liked the alpine doe I had before and she could hold her own against the Boers so I’m hoping these girls are just like her.
Lol ranger1 you made me laugh so hard! But I probably won’t go too deep and hopefully will add just a few more does and call that good. 
MellonFriend I’m kinda debating the plan here. I think what I will try to do is AI them and use a boer if they don’t take. I have heard that virgin does are hard to settle with AI so I might just toss to the Boers the first go. I really wouldn’t need the cross kids if I’m set with the dairy does so I might pull the cross kids and sell as bottle babies. That is a huge might because I don’t know if I would have the heart to do that (not at ALL saying anything bad about those that do pull all the kids). So we will just see. It might just totally depend on how much milk they do make. I have a year right figure that out


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Nice looking Alpines! They might need a bit of copper- with the fish tail, but they are really good looking!


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

They are cuties! I may be getting an adult Alpine here in a couple of months. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do about that yet.

I have never tried crossing Boers and dairy goats. I know that some people do. Most of the alpines that I have seen have been fairly small, and finer boned. I would be careful crossing them with a heftier goat like a Boer. But I'm sure you will do whatever is best!


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## AndersonRanch (Oct 18, 2020)

They are going to get some copper when I pull their blood, might as well get all the joyful mean things done at once so they can forgive me.
I have crossed them before, as well as lamanchas and Nubians, this isn't the first time I've had dairy does, just the first time they haven't been total crap by dairy standards. They do just fine but I don't have bucks that throw super large kids, I would cull over that, and I don't over feed BUT they are a absolute hideous cross and I'm not sure what went wrong with that cross but they were always very flighty. But here's the alpine I had and a alpine oberhasli alpine and their kids with a boer, I never once had a kidding issue with them, even when once one was breech and snuggles (alpine) pushed it out butt first and all


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

AndersonRanch said:


> They are going to get some copper when I pull their blood, might as well get all the joyful mean things done at once so they can forgive me.
> I have crossed them before, as well as lamanchas and Nubians, this isn't the first time I've had dairy does, just the first time they haven't been total crap by dairy standards. They do just fine but I don't have bucks that throw super large kids, I would cull over that, and I don't over feed BUT they are a absolute hideous cross and I'm not sure what went wrong with that cross but they were always very flighty. But here's the alpine I had and a alpine oberhasli alpine and their kids with a boer, I never once had a kidding issue with them, even when once one was breech and snuggles (alpine) pushed it out butt first and all
> View attachment 194561
> View attachment 194563
> View attachment 194565


Sounds like you know more about it than I do. 
I think those babies are cute! If I buy the Alpine I'm considering, I will be breeding her to my Nubian buck, so I know I'll have some funky ears going on. I think that could be a really nice cross, from a dairy perspective, though, and hopefully hardy.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

AndersonRanch said:


> might as well get all the joyful mean things done at once so they can forgive me.


  
That's a good way of putting it!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Congrats.


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

Ah, I don't think those babies look hideous. Do they grow up to look worse? I did laugh though because they look nothing like mom and specially in the last picture it looks like the mom kidnapped the kid somewhere, lol. Pretty alpine in the first picture, nice shiny auburn coat.


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## Tall Pines Ranch (Aug 20, 2018)

Caileigh Jane Smith said:


> Sounds like you know more about it than I do.
> I think those babies are cute! If I buy the Alpine I'm considering, I will be breeding her to my Nubian buck, so I know I'll have some funky ears going on. I think that could be a really nice cross, from a dairy perspective, though, and hopefully hardy.


I have bred my Obers with my Nubian buck and they were some really nice looking little does by dairy standards. I thought about registering them as experimental since they were so nice but the girl that bought them just wanted home milkers. Their ears weren't nearly as pendulous as I thought they would be either.


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## NDinKY (Aug 3, 2019)

Congrats on your new additions! They’re pretty girls.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Tall Pines Ranch said:


> I have bred my Obers with my Nubian buck and they were some really nice looking little does by dairy standards. I thought about registering them as experimental since they were so nice but the girl that bought them just wanted home milkers. Their ears weren't nearly as pendulous as I thought they would be either.
> View attachment 194643


Those are some pretty doelings!


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Oh, Alpines, my very favorite breed of goat. I so love them, my original herd were all Alpines with a Nubian and Lamancha thrown in later on. And I don't have any now. Sigh

I did get a few Boers to add to my dairy herd, I used the buck on the Alpines and Nubians as well as the Boer does. The kids grew like weeds and did great at the shows. My Alpine/Boer wether won champion wether against Boer wethers his age!


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Tall Pines, the color on your Obie/Nubian kids is amazing! What color was the sire?


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## Tall Pines Ranch (Aug 20, 2018)

Caileigh Jane Smith said:


> Those are some pretty doelings!


Thank you. We actually repeated the breeding this year because the does were so nice. I'm plus my Ober buck is too young to breed. Hopefully next year.


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## Tall Pines Ranch (Aug 20, 2018)

lottsagoats1 said:


> Tall Pines, the color on your Obie/Nubian kids is amazing! What color was the sire?


He's got a very similar coloring to the Sundgau minus the facial stripes. He's honestly kind of a wonky buck IMO but throws some nice kids so I keep him around lol.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Tall Pines Ranch said:


> He's got a very similar coloring to the Sundgau minus the facial stripes. He's honestly kind of a wonky buck IMO but throws some nice kids so I keep him around lol.
> View attachment 194719


So, now I'm curious, what makes him wonky? He looks great to me!


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Tall Pines Ranch said:


> Thank you. We actually repeated the breeding this year because the does were so nice. I'm plus my Ober buck is too young to breed. Hopefully next year.


I'd love crosses like that someday!


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## AndersonRanch (Oct 18, 2020)

The boer alpines do grow like crazy! Actual meat goat wise they always sold very well on top of being huge babies. Private sale wise not so good lol my nephew has that white kid and she is a brat but he loves her. I let my niece and nephews bring their goats over to be bred to my bucks (since they were all mine to start with and no other goats) and most of their ears are longer but but they are always tubed. We have bred her to two different bucks now and she has had 6 kids and all tubed


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## Tall Pines Ranch (Aug 20, 2018)

MadHouse said:


> So, now I'm curious, what makes him wonky? He looks great to me!


He has SUPER long legs which I think makes him look wonky to me since the majority of my goats are NDs. His front end assembly is nice and he's flat of bone but I'd like to see a stronger brisket and some more width on him. Chine is a little weak IMO as well.
I wish all my goats had pasterns like him though.


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## Tall Pines Ranch (Aug 20, 2018)

Caileigh Jane Smith said:


> I'd love crosses like that someday!


If you ever find yourself in NorCal we're here


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Tall Pines Ranch said:


> If you ever find yourself in NorCal we're here


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## NephriteLamanchas (Jan 20, 2021)

Congratulations! Cuties!


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