# Do blue-eyed goats have poorer dairy qualities?



## MachoCabrío (Feb 4, 2009)

Hello!

I've recently heard from a Nigerian Dwarf Goat breeder that blue-eyed goats have poorer dairy qualities than their darker eyed counterparts. What's your take? Is this a case of style vs. substance?

What about polled goats...does being genetically hornless affect dairy production?

Thank you for your thoughts!
Hecky


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I have never heard that either of them can contribute to less dairy quality. I would ask for "proof" - as blue eyes have no effect on dairy quality UNLESS the line was bred for the eyes and not the udder - which sometimes will happen, where brown eyes are more common and so the concentration is on the udder then on looks.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Kelebek is right. Many people just breed for blue eyes and breeders who are more for quality/conformation over looks will look down on that type of breeding.

Blue eyes will not effect the quality of the goat - the Blue eyed gene has nothing to do with their dairy character - conformation or udder.

Polled gene is the same - it doesnt change how well they produce or how well they are put together. But if breeding for only that specific quality then other parts of the goat may suffer if the breeder isnt being particular about it.


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

yep.. broken record here

the blue eyes and polled characteristics shouldn't affect the dairy character or production UNLESS the line was bred for blue eyes or polled


I'm not into blue eyes or polled goats that much myself.. i don't mind dehorning and if blue eyes come up ( in the nigies) then that's cool


i really don't like moonspots ( at least heavy ones) ( NO ONE HIT ME!) i've had them.. and i've noticed that the heavy spotting detracts from me looking at the actual animal.. a couple are ok.. buddy has three.. but my old buck loki.. he was plastered with them and i kept him way longer than i should have.. he wasn't anything nice at all.. and i was favoring him over my other two bucks who were dairyier and more of what i wanted in my herd..



but.. i would pick nigierians based on conformation and merit before colors win you over


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## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

My boy comes from good milking lines and he is blue eyed. I didn't get him because he was blue eyes, I actually am not all into blue eyes but his sire is CH/MCH/PGCH Little Tot's Estate Tsuga, whose dam is PGCH Woodhaven Farms Cowgirl
4 x Grand Champion Senior Doe and 8x best udder.










Look down a bit on the page and you will see Little Tots Estate Sugar Cookie and Little Tots Estate Acanthus both blue eyes. http://thegoatspot.net/phpbb/posting.php?mode=reply&f=2&t=8918

or here at Little Tots Estate Crocosmia http://www.littletotsestate.com/srdoes2.html

I agree with Stacy that most breeder that are breeding for milk production are not going to be looking for blue eyes, they just become icing on the cake of an already good line of milkers.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

That's just a myth...eye color isn't going to effect the goats dairy production, but the goats on the pedigree will. The breeder might have had bad genetics in a blue eyed buck(s)/Doe(s) she used giving them the idea that it goes along with eye color.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

I actually have some super nice does that are blue eyed!  So, that is really awesome. We don't breed for blue eyes, polled traits, or coloring - with Nigerians, the color is just a given though!  

I actually favor brown-eyed goats over blue eyes. . .


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## redneck_acres (Oct 18, 2007)

Well, all though I myself do not care for the blue eyes-blue eyed goats can have both really nice qualities and poor qualities just the same as their brown eyed relatives. I do not agree on folks who are breeding for only polled and blue eyed goats when you can have a disbudded brown eyed goat who looks just as nice or even better. Now, my folks breed for color because anything other than a white Saanen isn't a good thing for them  .


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## MachoCabrío (Feb 4, 2009)

Thank you, folks! What you a saying definitely makes sense. Dairy genetics are the ace in the hole!


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## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

I've never heard that before either, our blue-eyed Mini-Nubian does have given us about a gallon of milk a day though!


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Nope not at all. Just like others said, blue eyes have been sought after so people have lost the the big picture. The confirmation of the goat, they have carelessly bred to get blue eyes, therefore losing the good qualities of the confirmaion.
beth


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