# Opinions on boer and nubian mixes??



## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Hello fellow goat lovers!! Just wanting to hear some opinions on mixing boers and Nubians? We currently have about 11 nubian does (a few will be sold after they kid) and 2 nubian bucks. We really would like to keep a few wethers each year to use for meat, but the Nubians just don't have much meat on them. So was wondering if we got a couple of boer does to breed with our Nubian bucks if that would give us meatier boys? And would the boer does be big enough to breed with the taller Nubians and would their kids be ok and not to big for them to birth? Thank for input and advice!!


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

I love nubian/Boer crosses! The kids gain weight fast and some grow up to be nice milkers. If you breed your nubian does to a boer buck, the kids will make great market goats with plenty of milk to fatten up on.


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Yes that makes sense, was just wanting to avoid getting another buck cause we don't really have a place for 3 bucks and as of now not willing to get rid of one of our Nubian bucks, lol.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

I have mostly Nubian/boer crosses and they are my favorite compared to the couple savanna/boer and alpine/boer crosses I have.

I believe the Nubian crosses I have are 50/50 with a Nubian doe and boer buck. The cross makes huge does that have a decent supply of milk, easily taking care of triplets. My kids last year were crossed with a Spanish buck over the Nubian/cross does, and weren't as large as a I would have liked but this year they were crossed with a fullblood boer...anxiously awaiting the results!


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

These are a couple of my Nubian/boer does, the second one raised the triplets.


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

My profile pic is a nubian Boer  Many of these crosses seem to have facial stripes...


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## TraderCreekCaprine (Feb 3, 2015)

My does (Nubian) are bred to a boer Nubian cross, he was very good looking so I'll have 1/4 boer kids, really excited to see them!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I've read and talked to people in the past that say it's actually better to have Nubian does bred to Boer Bucks, but I don't know how accurate that info is 

Our eldest doe is a Nubian/boer cross, we've had her for almost 5 years <she's at least 7yo>, and she is a great mom, and has very fast growing kids.
She has plenty of milk to raise triplets, and one of 2 does we own that I'd even allow to raise triplets.
Sadly, out of around 16 kids, she's only given us 3 does, and last doe was in 2012  So we know we can look forward to her giving my kids a 4-H wether or wethers to sell.
My oldest daughter has a grand daughter of this doe who is 75% ABGA, and now has a yearling doe out of her, and a new baby doe & buck that are 1 1/2 weeks old. We're very happy 
with the results the further we breed into this particular line.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

I had a bunch of cross breed kids in 2013, they were 50% alpine and 50% boer kids, and my gosh they were fat. The doeling I pretty much was forced to keep was such a butterball, I wish I had a picture of her when she was a kid! She looked like a giant rollie pollie blob when she ran :ROFL: 
So the dairy meat crosses can be pretty darn fat, I'd say. She's bred to a boer buck for 75% boer kids, and I'm really interested in seeing how she milks, even though her dad is boer he comes from some really high producing boer lines. 
Oh and as far as the kidding size question. I had a teeny 105lb alpine doe kid a 13lb buck with minimal help on my end, and boers frequently have larger kids, so it shouldn't be a problem


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Thanks so much everyone for the input! It sounds like Nubians and boer crosses make great kids! It also sounds like everyone uses nubian does and then a boer buck, anyone out there have the opposite? Boer doe with a nubian buck? I think that's what we will have to use cause for now we aren't getting another buck and definitely aren't ready to sell our excellent registered Nubian bucks we have. As soon as I have some money from selling our kids I will be searching for a few boer doelings to purchase! Anyone in Arizona who has boer kids for sale???


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I use to have nubian/ boer/crosses, with my FB boer buck, really nice combination.
I loved how they grew fast, their beautiful look. milk and spotted ears.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I have a commercial herd of boer and boer crosses for meat production and have used a Nubian/Boer buck for the last two years. The buck is from a dappled Nubian doe and fullblood ennobled boer buck. The buck is definitely taller than his boer sire - my boer/Nubian crosses always seem to have more legs! I notice that on his kids - they are born taller! Growth has been great - over 0.5 lbs per day when I track it. Most of the kids I now have of his are 25% Nubian, 75% boer. I am partial to the "wide load" boer look so I can't say that I absolutely love the height he adds as you don't see as much chest width and butt on the kids. My main goal for getting a Nubian cross was to clean up some ugly boer teat structures and increase milk production. None of his daughters are kidding yet, so I can't tell you how the milk production compares - but the teat structures are still iffy. On the plus side - he puts color all over everything - even the most traditional boer does. From a meat production standpoint, I think the cross works well. And I wouldn't worry about the Nubian bucks over boer does versus boer buck over Nubian does - I think it will work out fine that way.


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Thanks so much Salteylove!! Such good info!! I love all the feedback and knowledge everyone has on here!! I will keep y'all posted if or when I say when I get a couple boer does, hopefully soon


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Ok everyone with boer goat herds....if I am looking to buy 2 boer does or doelings what do I need to look for and if I am planning on just breeding to my nubian bucks should I worry about registered ones or not?? 


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Our Nubian/boer doe that kidded 3 weeks ago tomorrow... her twin boys are huge compared to all the other babies that are 4 days younger up to a week younger. I am very impressed as always with how fast her babies grow. They were 10lbs each at birth, and will weigh them tomorrow.



lameacres said:


> Ok everyone with boer goat herds....if I am looking to buy 2 boer does or doelings what do I need to look for and if I am planning on just breeding to my nubian bucks should I worry about registered ones or not??
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


If you buy 100% ABGA registered Boer does, and breed to a Nubian Buck you can register any doelings as 50% Boer, which is something fairly new, as it used to be you could only use a 100% Boer buck on a % doe to get 50% doe kids.

Totally up to you, what would you do with them if they are registered? IMO, if you want registered %'s, then you'd need to consider getting good quality/meaty/beefy/correct boer does, otherwise, I wouldn't waste your $$. Registering isn't cheap, especially these days...

If I were shopping for some does to have some decent meat/dairy cross kids, I'd look for good width, and length, good pasterns, good boer traits <head, horns, overall Boer look>, if they've kidded before - how many kids, good udder/bad udder, good mother/bad mother, any pictures of them & kids/or if they have their kids take a look to see what they produce. A lot of things go into it, and just depends on how picky you want to be 
If you decide to get registered does, make sure you have paperwork in hand before you leave. I've heard so many issues lately about people not getting their paperwork before leaving, and then never getting them...


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Thanks so much for all the great advice HoosierShadow! Really appreciate all the info! Idk but I'm thinking maybe we should spend the $ on 2 good quality registered boer does now and then if we decide to expand our boer goat operation a few years from now we can get a registered boer buck and expand from there. 


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