# The Great Breed Debate



## xxLavenderxDreamsxx (Apr 28, 2012)

onder: I've been milking Nubians for a few years now but I find myself curious about other breeds too. Mainly Sables and Alpines. I'd love any good advice or experiences that people have had with these breeds. What about crossbreeds with Nubians? The main factors I'm looking for are milk production and hardiness.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Well I havent had experience with sables but I have lots of experience with saanens, from which sables are derived. The saanens I feel have the best temperament of any goat breed I have worked with. They are extremely placid and easy going, a beautiful goat to handle. 

From what I understand of Alpines (we dont have french alpines here in australia, only british alpines) you will not be disappointed with milk production. The same can be said of saanens, who are very high producers


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

I have alpines and love them. They are quiet and friendly and give lots of milk. I raised nubians years ago and found them to be louder than my alpines. I have had a couple of Toggs but didn't care for the taste of the milk. I have had a couple of lamancha's and loved them, their mellow sweet way. I have never had a saanen but believe that I would like them as well.


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## xxLavenderxDreamsxx (Apr 28, 2012)

Thanks for the quick feedback! What about Alpine/Nubian crosses? I've heard some good things about them, but I'd like to know more.


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

The only thing I don't like about that cross is the airplane ears.... trivial but that is my preference. I actually have a grade doe that is a grade alpine but has nubian in her background and she has airplane ears and is also the loudest, bossiest one in the herd. But if you already have nubians then that wouldn't bother you. Usually with a cross you will get that hybrid vigor.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

I agree with peggy, you get hybrid vigour from the first cross which means your goat should be hardier and generally grow quicker and possibly bigger. I do like the nubian crosses but the draw back as peggy said is the ears - most of the time you dont get prick ears or floppy ears - you get something in the middle which sticks out horizontally. And the drawback for me is that I can register them as anything, and a big part of what I do is register and show my dairy goats. But just for home milk production, there is nothing wrong with them. 

I am actually expecting two litters of saanenxnubian babies this year - so I will have some airplane ear babies. They should be great milkers though.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Just an educated guess, but I think there are probably good quality and bad quality goats within every breed. I feel most crosses are for convenience rather than making a better goat. I'm sure the Kinder people would disagree. I keep two Saanens because they are very cool goats even though my breed of choice is Boers.


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## jaycee (Aug 3, 2011)

peggy said:


> The only thing I don't like about that cross is the airplane ears.... trivial but that is my preference. I actually have a grade doe that is a grade alpine but has nubian in her background and she has airplane ears and is also the loudest, bossiest one in the herd. But if you already have nubians then that wouldn't bother you. Usually with a cross you will get that hybrid vigor.


Haha I am laughing because I have all purebred Nubians, but also one little Nubian/Togg cross. Her name is Lucy and she has airplane ears as you describe. She is also SOOOO loud! Good grief she is yelling from the minute you wake up until you leave for work and the minute you pull in the drive way until after dinner. She wants fed or she wants let out to pasture or she wants attention or sometimes I have no idea what she wants. Well it doesn't bother me but for folks who don't like noisy goats she would drive them nuts!


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## rkl4570 (Nov 21, 2011)

Our mixed breeds are also the loudest!! They love to just SCREAM at you when you walk outside. The wether sounds like some kind of T-rex from the backard... :ROFL: 
I know that those crosses are definitely very hardy. They never get sick, our purebred nubians however always had one problem or another. We finally got tired of dealing with it and sold them, the mini-nubians are great.

A friend of ours keeps a few sanaans in her nubian herd, and they're just giant teddy bears! and quiet!


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

I LOVE airplane ears. LOVE THEM. I had a Boer/BoerxOberhasli doe with airplane ears, registered as 50% Boer... I sold her when I went more into dairy and away from meat breeds. I now have a mixed breed (LaMancha/BoerxAlpine) with airplane ears, and I named her after her airplane earred aunt that i sold, lol.

I love those huge ears that stick straight out so much, lol. I'm hoping for lots of airplane earred babies once I get my floppy earred buck, lol.


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## meluvgoats (Apr 19, 2012)

I would recommend Toggs,
They are pretty and produce lots of milk. 
They are also very placid and loyal.


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

My Nubian/Alpine grade girl is the most fantastic goat in the entire world (and I'm not a bit biased). Her mom is a great producing Alpine that's been milking through this year and is still producing very well. Georgia (my goat) is a yearling and won't be bred until this fall, but her udder is developing some already and I can't wait to see what she gives us for production. She's easy to handle, sweet as can be, and extremely easygoing with the other animals. She is definitely noisier than our other goat, but I just assumed that it was because she has the Nubian in her, and not that it was a common trait for grade animals in general. As for airplane ears, well, we're pretty sure that one day Georgia will lift off the ground when she's running, but we think that's kind of endearing.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

meluvgoats said:


> I would recommend Toggs,
> They are pretty and produce lots of milk.
> They are also very placid and loyal.


I adore my Toggs. And I got lucky because their milk is DELICIOUS. Well, I made sure and tasted their dam's milk before I bought them and wouldn't have if it had tasted bad, so it wasn't ENTIRELY luck, but still, I love my Toggs.

Though my true favourite is an Alpine/Boer doe, lol.


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