# Nubian X Ober: what are your thoughts?



## Coyotl Viejo (May 22, 2010)

Newbie here! I really like this forum.

We have 4 Nubian X Oberhausli cross (2 does, 1 buck, 1 wether). We got them originally for milking and butchering, but we're interested in learning to pack.

As I read this forum I see that Nubians are not a favored breed. What would be the possible problems I might encounter if I use them to pack?

we also have one Saanen X Nubian wether. His larger frame tells me he might make a great pack goat, but he's also stupid so he might end up on the BBQ.

Thanks for any feedback. My family is looking forward to the fun of training and then hiking with our animals. This will be a great addition to our homeschool curriculum!

Dan


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

Hi Dan, welcome to the forum!

Almost any goat will accompany you on a day hike or easy overnighter carrying your coat and a light load. The rub comes when you load them with a substantial amount of weight and ask them to climb the mountain. This is where the trouble will start with goats who really aren't into goat packing. At first you'll see them lagging behind. Even when you slow way down for them they never seem to want to catch up. They just keep going slower so they can keep lagging. Then they'll stop and call for you hoping you will stop. If you keep trying to encourage them to go a little farther they will eventually just give up and quit following you. Its not a matter of them being overly worked or too tired, they simply don't want to put out the effort to pack your gear up the hill.

A good pack goat on the other hand will keep right on coming. Lungs heaving muscles straining and still keep putting one foot in front of the other. They all need regular breaks on the trail when working so make sure to watch and stop when they need it. A goat that puts out the effort will get in better shape every trip out and will become faster and tougher on the trail while the lazy lagger will never get better.


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## Shelly Borg (Nov 2, 2009)

Not all Nubians will be bad packers. I have seen some full Nubians that where just as gunho as the Alpines. You see lots of Nubian cross pics when you go looking around at packgoat pictures. Give yours a try and see what happens.


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## miloandcooper (Aug 2, 2012)

it may not be an option but i know the Nubians can be stubborn so they are hard to train, however Lamancha goats are easy to train and very friendly and loyal, so a cross breed would have a fairly balanced personality, and maybe even keep the Nubians big size!


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Am going to totally agree with Rex... and even go a bit further having spent years raising Nubians. Nubians for the most part are dumb... Not dumb in the way sheep are but more Forest Gump dumb. They are lazy and stubborn. So you can only guess how that would translate to the trail. Now before any Nubian pack goat owners (if there are any) circle the wagons, you should know, my first and third goats were nubians. The first was raised with the wolves (Alpines). In doing so, she acted nearly 100% Alpine. Even in the fighting area were very few Nubians are willing to go. I also spent years on a commercial sized dairy that started out at over 50% Nubian. By the time I left, there were fewer then 12 nubians outta 300+ animals. We phased them out.

Nubians are sweet, friendly and silly but as stated they are also stubborn, lazy and... slow witted. Not to mention often NOISY! I would never suggest to invest time / money / effort into a Nubian for packing. Now as with all things goat, you may very well find a diamond in the rough. But it takes years getting a goat ready to really pack. Are you willing to risk that much time on a maybe?


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Dave: He might if he is going to eat the failures.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

LOL ^^^ on now thats good  Instead of packing in food, just let it walk in on its own lol.


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

I don't know anything about purebred Nubians, but my Cuzco is half Nubian and is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. He's smart, hard working, super-quiet, funny, charismatic, goes everywhere, does everything, and looks good doing it. There's a reason I went and dedicated a whole thread in the forums to his awesomeness.  

Note: Cuzco's mother was the Alpine, and most of the other goats he was raised with were of Alpine or other straight-eared dairy type. I think the breeder just wanted to introduce higher quality to her milk production so she bred some of her does to a Nubian buck. We saw her herd a few years later, and while it was quite the motley crew of mixed breeds (lots of airplane ears), it was obviously a herd that was designed for functionality over type. But I do wonder if being raised by an Alpine doe would give the kid a more Alpine personality.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

lol of course Cuzco is exempt from my last post  And Id guess the half alpine and raised by alpines did influence him. BUT I will also say, that my first goat, a purebred Nubian (the one raise with alpines) was very quite and very very smart. She actually lived inside the house for the first 6 months of her life. She was trained to go outside to potty and even slept on my bed. She got a bath 2 times a week and even enjoyed it. The only thing we could never teach her not to do was to chew on paper. It didnt mater what kind, she loved to chew it up into soggy little balls and spit it out.


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