# Toying with idea of adding one large dairy doe



## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

I was thinking of getting one standard sized dairy doe. So what is your favorite big sized doe? Sorry you La Mancha owner, I need ears. :wink: 

I was wondering what breeds your have experience with and what you like and dislike about them. I have looked in to the different breeds and now I would like to hear some personal experience. 

Thanks!!


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

I have both a Nubian and a Toggenburg. I like my Nubian the best. Her personality is super and her milk is delicious. The Togg is great but shes not a people goat. I don't know if its the breed or just her. The Nubian is a great mom and very protective of her babies. I will find out how the Togg is when she delivers her kid sometime in the near future. I will also get to taste Togg milk at that time. Now some say Nubian's are loud and obnoxious but mine isn't, the togg is quiet and has a very soft voice.

I also have an obnoxious Boer buck and a heinz 57 doe who is absolutely the 'in your face' worst goat ever. The doe is not a bottle baby even though you would think she was. She is loud, in the way, and a royal PITA, but shes our Pickles and we love her.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

nubians are nice...... :wink:


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

I really want a Sanaan. :greengrin:


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## Bona Fide (Oct 9, 2007)

I'm a sucker for Toggs - would have liked to have been able to find more breeders a bit closer as that was the original breed of choice.

Not big on Nubians - love Saanens, but they all look quite alike to me and all the ones I have seen are MONSTERS ---- just H U G E, lol. Alpines are nice, but not quite the breed for me. 

Alpines have tons of colors! Obes are nice, the colors are too strict for my taste.

Find a breed you like and run with it .


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

My Saanens aren't monsters. The monster is Demi who is 1/2 Nubian 1/2 Saanen. I must say that my 2 Saanens (*sniffs* not 3 any more) are incredibly gentle and sweet. Demi is somewhat similar to a demon... but I am hoping she calms down when she has kidded. Whisper my 4 year old Saanen (time flies!!) was fairly batty before she freshened the first time, but now she's really calm.

And all of them are incredibly friendly. On saying that, I had a togg kid too a couple of years ago and he was soooo adorable and cuddly. The thing is, as with any goat, is that it is going to be stand-offish if it hasnt had lots of human contact growing up. You can't just say 1 breed isn't friendly, etc. - it's the individual goats.

If I were you I'd buy one as a kid... and raise it yourself with lots of hugs and kisses and it will be really friendly to you. Just mind you don't teach them to do a Demi or you might find yourself biting the dust with a biig dairy goat standing on your face :greengrin:


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## Dover Farms (Oct 16, 2007)

I have Nubians...and I love 'em! Now people say they are noisey...and I'll admit _some_ can be, but so can any other breed. Most of my girls are quite...with the exception of one doe. I love their milk more than cows...I've never tried any other breeds, though. I have showed LaMancha's before...none of them ever liked me. Oberhaslis....handled ones...are a joy to show. I really like them, very calm and easy going, but I did get a flighty one once. Oh and we have had Snubians(Nubian/Saanen cross) and we didn't really like those guys...very pushy and obnoxious. Other than that...I haven't had any experience with the other breeds.


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

I love Lamanchas (I know, the ears...lol!) and that's what I have now. 

But I also really love Alpines. If I was going to raise two breeds, I would get some Alpines...I grew up with them and they were a joy to have. Generally good temperment, good production, and they are hardy! I rarely had health problems of any kind with that breed.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I had oberhaslis and I really liked their temperment. They are more to the medium size then say a nubian which is bigger. Their udders usualy take a couple freshionings to really get the capcity to rival other breeds but once they do they are really nice.


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## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

I have both Alpines and Nubians. I've only had them for about 8 months though so it's not really a long enough time to give a real opinion.

But... I will.... 

My Nubians have not been loud at all (except for when the sister gets out of the brothers sight - he just bawls!) and they are very sweet. They are the bottom of the totem pole, staying out of the way of the Alpines.

My Alpines are also very sweet and are more demanding of my attention than my Nubians. None of mine were bottle raised but all love being petted and follow me around when free ranging or just in the barn with me.

Knowing the different personalities of my goats I'm sure there are goats in some breeds that are just nasty and others that are just wonderful - so I wouldn't say no to a certain breed (necessarily) because someone has a nasty goat. 

I love all mine and am looking to add another Nubian to my herd this spring.

I'd like a LaMancha for the milk also .. but I can't get past the no ears thing either  Although one of my Nubian does may have been bred to a LaMancha buck before I got her so I may get some kids without ears in a few weeks and fall in love.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

i have had several different breeds over the years, my nubians were loud, and in all reality sort of dumb. I only had a couple of them so i cant say that holds true for the breed. but i work at a dairy that has all nubians. I cant say i have heard a quiet one. I dont think they maa any more then any other breed its just the sound they make, its more of a small foghorn type maa. 
Saanens tend the be calm and easy going and great producers. One of the most mellow goats i have ever had, she was sweet and easy to handle. But i got tired of just white kids. I was given an alpine and it stuck, i love the upright ears as aposed to pendulous, i love the dished faces and the small refined muzzle and of course the color. Alpines tend to be a lot pushier then other breeds. What they have is never good enough for them, and they want what their friend has even though she has the exact same thing in her bucket. I had never heard a goat growl until i got an alpine. If theres a way out they will find it. if theres something they can get into they will find it. If theres something they can get hurt on they will find it. 
I just love the alpine itself as a breed. 
beth


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

If a bred a Sanaan to a Nigerian Dwarf buck, what would it be? :? :greengrin:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

mini saanan 

I love the alpine breed -- but i like the smaller ears of the oberhalis. down fall of the obherhasli is the strict coloring.


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

If I come across a young Sanaan doe for sell I'll be hard pressed to say no. I like toggs a lot too, especially since getting to see some at the Houston show.

They were being shown by tiny little girls and it was so cute


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## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

Wow thank you for all your input. I know that LaMancha's have great milk production. If they could just have ears too 

I had ruled out Saanan because I like color, but if I breed her to my colored buck I would not have a all white goats. 

Maybe I should not get so hung up on looks huh?

There is an oberhaslis I have my eye on, so maybe. I have not contacted the owner, but I liked all the nice things you guys have said about them.

Since I am into ears, I do have a soft spot for a Nubian, but keep one with a bunch of nigis I am not sure about... I also wonder how Maz would manage?

There are not many Alpine around that I have seen. I should look into them more

Sorry I am just thinking aloud. 

Thanks again :shades:


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

Saanens have a habit of breeding white even when crossed with another breed, quite often. I was lucky that Demi turned out brown rather than white!

I must say that my Demi who is 1/2 Nubian isn't loud at all and is extremely intelligent. My most "thick" goat is Harmony, who is kind of dim... and my loudest goat was Isa who had the tendency of screaming 24/7 for no apparent reason, and she was Saanen. DANGIT I hate using the past tense!!! :angry:


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## Dover Farms (Oct 16, 2007)

The Snubians we had were white, even though both dams were brown. The kids came out white or very light cream, so yeah..I wouldn't get my hopes up with breeding a Saanen to a colored buck. :wink: LW..you are lucky Demi is colored! I'm jealous! :ROFL:



> Maybe I should not get so hung up on looks huh?


I have to disagree with you there! If your going to be raising these goats you better like the looks of them! :greengrin:


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## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

I love the Nubians but they're a little too big for me to handle so that is one reason why we went with the Mini-Nubians.


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## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

I have thought of mini nubies. I don't mind the size of the big guys, but I don't want anything too big with my lil ones. Although if I sell my big horse my whole farm set up will change and I will have more room for the goats. 

I am bummed that Saanans are just white. That sucks. Darn it.


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

Dover Farms said:


> The Snubians we had were white, even though both dams were brown. The kids came out white or very light cream, so yeah..I wouldn't get my hopes up with breeding a Saanen to a colored buck. :wink: LW..you are lucky Demi is colored! I'm jealous! :ROFL:


yeah, Demi's twin sister was cream coloured! I was given the option of either one... so of course, as a Saanen owner I picked Demi!

Her name, Demi, is short for Demerara which is a type of brown sugar which is pretty much exactly the same colour as she is :greengrin:


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

rebelshope said:


> I have thought of mini nubies. I don't mind the size of the big guys, but I don't want anything too big with my lil ones. Although if I sell my big horse my whole farm set up will change and I will have more room for the goats.
> 
> I am bummed that Saanans are just white. That sucks. Darn it.


The white babies are really cute though! I must say I dont think having a big goat with a little goat should be an issue. A woman I know has a pygmy buck and a Nubian buck and when they're together the pygmy is quite able to hold his own!


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

you could always go with a sable saanen. harder to find as not many people have them. but they are a saanen thats colored. and they have there own herdbook now.
beth


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## Dreamchaser (Oct 30, 2008)

I have both a nubian and an alpine. Even though I adore the look of nubians, I like alpines much better hands down. They have a better personality, I think. Nubians are much too whiny and skittish for my tastes.


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