# Oberhaslis, Alpines, or Saanens?



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Hi! I am wondering what breed of dairy goat to get. I've had Nubians, didn't like them. Too sassy, big, pushy, and dramatic. I have Nigerians. Not great for milking. I am not going to get rid of my 4 NDs but want to eventually switch to a large dairy breed. I currently have a Saanen / Alpine cross doe I love! I don't want Toggenburgs (they just don't appeal to me) and I don't want LaManchas (I really can't stand their ears). Iv'e also wondered about Miniature Oberhaslis, Alpines, and Saanens. So, I'd love to hear any tips or advice on any of these breeds (or the mini variety) and also which one you would choose. Thank you so much!

PS- I do have another question on dairy breeds. I've read a lot and narrowed it down to these 3 breeds.


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## Emzi00 (May 3, 2013)

Where are you located? That can play a factor in what's available near you. Generally, it's easier to find better quality Alpines and Saanens. I would stick to full size goats personally. I have alpines myself and I'm very happy with them. They're very friendly and smart, milk well, and I like that all don't look the same.


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## brigadoonfarmgal (Jul 14, 2016)

GoatCrazy01 said:


> Hi! I am wondering what breed of dairy goat to get. I've had Nubians, didn't like them. Too sassy, big, pushy, and dramatic. I have Nigerians. Not great for milking. I am not going to get rid of my 4 NDs but want to eventually switch to a large dairy breed. I currently have a Saanen / Alpine cross doe I love! I don't want Toggenburgs (they just don't appeal to me) and I don't want LaManchas (I really can't stand their ears). Iv'e also wondered about Miniature Oberhaslis, Alpines, and Saanens. So, I'd love to hear any tips or advice on any of these breeds (or the mini variety) and also which one you would choose. Thank you so much!
> 
> PS- I do have another question on dairy breeds. I've read a lot and narrowed it down to these 3 breeds.


Hi I wish there was a easy answer to this but I have had wonderful goats in several different breeds and I have had horrible goats in those same breeds lolol You have to take look at what you are wanting to do with your goats and what type characteristics you want in them Ie: Milk quantity, butterfat, ease of care, calmness, quietness (I like this one) lol cold and heat hardiness, dual purpose, etc.... I love the Alpines my matriarch doe is now over 13 years old and still going strong and she will lay at my feet when I sit out with them at nights. I loved the cross of the Mini Alpine for quantity and better creaminess of the milk, but was hit and miss which genetics the doe kids inherited in the udder teat department Alpine or ND. and I hated that the darn smaller goats could find a way out of my farm fencing no matter what I did and I also was not happy with the ND's smaller birthing proportions (if my big girls needed my help during birth I could go in and manipulate the kid, but in many of the smaller breeds your working/adjusting room is much more tight (if you can gat a hand in at all) .... I have found that the larger breeds bring more money when I am saddled with an over abundance of bucklings as sometimes happens. I like the Nubians but as another poster stated they are very...dramatic and loud so I use them to cross with my Alpine and even some of my meat goats, I love the Sanaans sweet personality but they are really the lowest of the low on the goat hierarchy here (it makes me frustrated with her getting butted around like she does), anyway the only way to pick a breed is to base it on what your needs are and what you think you could be happy with in the long run  Good Luck


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## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

I'm an Alpine girl all the way, so I'm probably not going to be much help :lol: I have dealt with all the breeds mentioned, though Obers not as extensively. 

If you're going purely for attitude, you're going to want to hand-pick an animal no matter what breed it's in. If you want milk, I'd go for an Alpine or a Saanen. No offense to the Ober breeders out there, of course.  My biggest problem with Saanens is the fact that, here in TX, you get a lot of skin cancer problems, and they just don't seem to thrive as well. Plus, when you get enough, they are super hard to tell apart. :lol:
Obers are absolutely gorgeous animals. They're pretty high up there on my list of favorite breeds. The breed has really seemed to develop in the past few years.  If you do go that way, I highly recommend the Buttin'Head herd. 

Alpines are super sweet to people, but I've dealt with a lot of brats who hate their herdmates and do their best to make their life miserable. A lot of color variety and an excellent range of typey bloodlines to choose from within the breed. If you get them, I would recommend culling for attitude problems. 

Like Emzi00, I'd stick with full-size animals, but each to their own, of course.  In the end, it's going to come down to what you like best and what works for you in your particular situation.


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Thank you all! I would like one that is calm, gives somewhat of a lot of milk, preferably on the quieter side, but not as important. We are in Michigan, so winters here are pretty cold. I don't LOVE how the Saanens are all white, lol, for my own personal reasons. I may end up trying Mini Alpines, that way I have medium sized goats with a (hopefully) a big higher butterfat content than just plain Alpines. For now I'm going to cross my Saanen/Alpine doe with my Nigerian Dwarf buck and cross my fingers for a doeling to keep!


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## Emzi00 (May 3, 2013)

Funny you should say that, I'm in Michigan too


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Really? That's cool! I'll check out your website!


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## Melinda29 (Apr 19, 2016)

I think your plan sounds good. I have a mini Sable that I really love. You mix the higher production and calm personality of the Saanen/Sable with the creamy milk, hardiness/thriftiness, and year-round breeding of a Nigerian and (hopefully) get a perfect homestead goat. This kind of sums up how I feel about mini Sables/Saanens: http://www.nigerianmeadows.com/whyminisaanens.htm


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Oberhaslis!!!


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

For now, I'm going to keep a small herd of Nigerian Dwarfs as well as experiment with some dairy/ND crosses and figure out what I like the best. I have a really good ND buck- so going to breed him to my Saanen/Alpine and see what happens. Thank you for all of the answers!!!


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