# What's wrong with Nubians?



## billmac (Sep 8, 2008)

It is my understanding that Nubians were the number one goat choice for years, but at least in my area (northern NY), nubians are becoming as scarce as hen's teeth. People are getting out of them, opting for breeds they think are hardier or with higher milk volume.

Does anyone else see this?

Although I have a pygmy and a few boers, I can't imagine having anything but Nubians.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

If that is the case, it sounds to me like they weren't working on breeding the Nubians to improve the breed including hardiness and worm resistance and milk production. I think things go in cycles anyway. Nubians are hot today, then Alpines will be the hot goat to own tomorrow (just an example).


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I love Nubians, around here there are more Boers than anything followed closely bypygmys. I think dairy goats just arent as popular here. Of the dairy goats though Nubians and Lamanchas are the most common here. You see a few nigerian dwarfs, rarely see Alpines or saanans or toggs. Although right now there are somw nice toggs for sale on craigslist.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

Nubians are super popular around me. If you go on the ADGA site and look up breeders, just search for Nubian breeders in OK, the list is about a mile long. Then search for Saanen breeders in OK and there are only about 10-15 of them. There are some Alpines, but not a lot, very few Oberhasli's and Toggenburgs and a ton of Nigerians.


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

I LOVE MY NUBIAN. I can't say more than that! She is SO perfect! She is pushy, sweet, awesome, and colorful! And she isn't loud!


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

I love my nubian too! I wish I had more. Nigerians are the most plentiful in my area. Most standard dairy goats around here are mix breeds. I have only really ever heard 2 complaints about Nubians 1. they have bad reputation for being loud(Arabella is NOTHING compared to my nigies) 2. the roman nose is a turn off. I guess I can understand you have to like the way they look I don't have lamanchas because of their ears.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nubians, I don't think will fade out. They are beautiful animals and are very friendly.

If properly cared for, they are really nice goats to have.


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## OutdoorDreamer (Mar 29, 2012)

It's the opposite here. Nubians and Oberhaslis dominate around here


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## quinngrasmid (Jul 29, 2013)

If I'm right i think Nubians have higher fat in the milk great for cheese


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Ok I will share what I feel has been happening a lot with Nubians in general. I have seen a lot of individuals breeding for breeding and not breeding for milk. In my opinion (I am a Nubian person mind you) you can not beat a Nubian for milk. I love the taste and amount of milk produced but if the goats are randomly being bred then lower producing does are going to make them appear as a lower level breed. Once again breeding for breeding will give you smaller teats and poor udders that make it not very enjoyable for hand milking. That being said a good Nubian will be a pleasure to milk and can produce for a good length of time. I am very lucky to have one doe that produces about 2 gallons a day and she has produced for almost a full year before when I decided to dry her off before her next breeding. Now some Nubians can not produce that amount or anywhere near that duration any more due to poor breeding practice. 

If you find a good breeder with quality Nubians then that doe will steal your heart by filling your pail full beyond your wildest dreams.

Now Nubians can be on the loud side. They love to talk and tell you what they want/need. If they are hungry they will ask for food. If they are lonely they will ask for attention or company. If they are not happy they will let you know. Weaning time can be a very heartbreaking/ear-bleeding time if you are not set up or prepared for it. I think Nubians may be the loudest breed known around my part of the woods. I try to wean small groups together and let their mothers learn to hang out together before weaning the kids when time is right. Placing them far apart so they can not hear each other shouting. Providing plenty of hay, snacks and general TLC (extra loven's). 

I would not trade my Nubians for any other breed. I had a LaMancha for a short time and she was nice but all my other girls beat her up non-stop (she had to go for her own well-being). The LaMancha was quite (I really thought it was odd being use to Nubians), polite, not pushy and really could have cared less if she got any attention. I have one Boer and she is a sweet heart but then again she thinks she is a Nubian (long story).

I guess for me Nubians are the best breed for my personality and farm desires. I live far enough away no one cares about them making a loud fit when weaning kids. I have 5 goats in milk now and two refrigs full of milk (not to mention freezers full of frozen milk). I have more milk then most people can shake a stick at, but I use most of it for myself and the rest my family uses. I really enjoy the sound of my goats calling for my attention and their friendly personalities they bring to the farm.


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

quinngrasmid said:


> If I'm right i think Nubians have higher fat in the milk great for cheese


They do have a higher butter fat content.


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## billmac (Sep 8, 2008)

I love my nubians because I love the roman nose and the ears, and I really don't care for wattles or beards.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

I love them all, but Nubians have those ears. i'm a sucker for those big, droopy ears!!


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## Pixie13 (Mar 2, 2013)

This is just my personal observation, but it seems like all of the Nubian cross goats that we have are our most healthiest goats. I have a Nubian/lamancha cross that has never had to be wormed. She always has perfect eye color and is no maintenance whatsoever.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

My first two goats where Nubians. But they were both raised with Alpines and Lamanchas. Saying that one of them still acted like a normal Nubian while the other acted like an Alpine.

Nubians (for the most part but not all) are loud, dumb and dont milk a lot. Now I know there are Nubian owners who will disagree but as a breed in whole, the above is true. But they sure are cute!


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

It doesn't seem that way to me. I go to several shows here in NY and nubians still are always the top breed with the most. Nigerians usually tie them for numbers.Every other breed seems to be slacking to me. Nubian numbers have never been better here. I see a ton of people always getting and buying new nubians to start their herds.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I dont think Daffodil is loud or dumb. I think she is very intelligent. The only time she is ever loud was right after I got her (taken from her herd and by herself for the first time) and when the last of the bucklings died (alone again) She rarely bleats and when she does she has a reason. She is VERY quiet at dusk. I think she doesnt want to alert predators that she is there. I dont know what she milks but know many nubians that give a gallon and a half a day. That is plenty for me.


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## peachpatch143 (Jul 23, 2013)

Vincek, I didn't know that you had goats!! Our families have intermingled over the years, we went to st. Clements and my father David englehart always spoke so highly of your father and Dave wood bless his soul. But anyways I saw someone standing by your veggie stand and the goat was there too sooooooo cute!!!!


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

NubianFan, I didnt say Daffodil was loud or dumb. I say most Nubians are. The key word being most. And like I said, one of mine was not a typical Nubian at all. She was very smart. In fact maybe even the smartest goat I have ever owned.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I just wonder how many you are basing the observation of most. The two you owned or more? Because 2 individuals does not make a very good sample for the entire population.


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## peachpatch143 (Jul 23, 2013)

I agree with you on that nubianfan, I have never ha a Nubian or goats before 2 months ago a my friend who had goats in the past told me that Nubians are louder than others, so maybe that just a general opinion of the breed, true or not true it's not the first time I've heard that, it's like stereotyping for goats 101


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

Oh as a breed they probably are louder. I have heard a lot of people say that. Funny thing is the ones I have had experience with havent really been loud. I doubt that as a breed they are dumber. I just have a hard time believing that and think it boils down to preference.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I am currently looking I to getting 2 Nubian bottle babies. I would like to breed them to my oberhasli buck. I also have kinders which is Nubian/Pygmy mix, and one of my girls definitely has the the Nubian cry... She's loud....  I like the big long ears


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## AmyBoogie (May 20, 2013)

Everyone has a favorite breed right?

I think each breed has some stereotypes about it. Ones I've heard about Nubians are that they are loud and large and a little lazy. I have no basis for any of this and I am willing to be there is no typical goat. They all have their own personalities and will behave as they damn well please 

As for the original post's comment, I also think favored goats run in phases and have regional popularity. Just for those that are curious; around here I see more ads for Nigerians than anything else. It's almost for each ad of a full size goat, there is 1 for a ND. Next most frequent would be the homesteader blend (mix breeds of all kinds). The least seen dairy breed for me would be the Togg. I also rarely see ads for pure Boers here. I see them in a homesteader blend and they're featured at the fairs but very few ads. hmm....


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

Yeah the poor toggs, I really like their looks but I want the higher butterfat that the Nubian has to offer. I am too old to want to milk a Nigerian Dwarf. I can't bend that low, I would have to have an awfully tall milk stand to make that work.


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

They are a dime a dozen in my state. Ppeople are getting out of them because with all the back yard breeders, finding good, well bred, clean, disease free, disbudded breeding stock was getting hard to find. Showing was a nightmare because of the huge, never ending classes. 

Personally, I am getting out of them because mine are too stupid to deal with. The other breeds catch onto things quickly, but every Nubian I have owned (many, many of them) as been dumber than dumb. Sweet. Loud. Annoying. Thick headed. Stubborn. And stupid. 

Their milk is good. They, like the non-Nubians, are flooding my house with milk. They come in some cool colors and the ears are adorable.

But, I can't deal with stupidity. I open the stall door, same as I have for the past 2 years. All other does run to the tether line to await their turn on the stand. The 3 Nubians? They run around screaming in a panic because they don't know where to go, after 2 years? Then, after they are tied on the line and ready to be turned loose to go to the milk stand what do they do? Stand there like fools because they don't know they are unhooked! Even when I pull them out of the line, they stand there and stare around. I have to lead them the 4 foot distance to the milk stand and grain. Once milking is done, I open the stall door for them to run back in. All the others do because their hay is waiting to be eaten. What do the Nubs do? Stand there looking around, dazed and confused! I have to lead them back to the stall door. AGH!

I leased out my Saada bred buck. I have 3 does left that I will either haul to him or breed to the Lamancha and sell all the kids. I love these 3 morons, so they will stay here, but any of their Nubian kids will be long gone at weaning or sooner as bottle kids.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I don't think I have enough experience to say too much, but what I can tell you is my 5 yo nubian is not dumb, or loud, but she is kinda lazy 

My yearling nubian is a dingbat, not dumb, but FUNNY  and she is loud at times but there is always a reason. She is a very sweet goat too, she has an awesome personality.

Around here it's ND, Nubian and Boer mostly....it's harder to find a standard dairy breed than a mini...they are as commonplace as robins here


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

lottsagoats said:


> They are a dime a dozen in my state. Ppeople are getting out of them because with all the back yard breeders, finding good, well bred, clean, disease free, disbudded breeding stock was getting hard to find. Showing was a nightmare because of the huge, never ending classes.
> 
> Personally, I am getting out of them because mine are too stupid to deal with. The other breeds catch onto things quickly, but every Nubian I have owned (many, many of them) as been dumber than dumb. Sweet. Loud. Annoying. Thick headed. Stubborn. And stupid.
> 
> ...


That explains my kinders, they are half nubian I've wondered about them at times... I'm sorry but I'm still laughing.. At least I'll know what to expect.... My Nubian Lamancha girls are the same way, but I also have sheep, so hey I'm doing good when I get them all to their pastures in the morning and in the barn at night..


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

The commercial farm I started out on was 90% Nubians. So somewhere around 250 Nubians at any one time. So I think I have a pretty good idea about Nubian characteristics. When I left the farm 12 years later, the Nubian herd had been reduced to about 10%. Most commercial sized dairys (600-2000+ head) do not take Nubians or Toggenburgs. A growing trend now are the Lamanchas as they have higher butter fat then most of the other dairy breeds (cept Nubians) but have just as good of production as the other breeds.

There are few things that most long time dairy breeders know. We are talking about the breeds in general. Not blood lines. Nubians dont milk and are dumb, Saanans have lower butter fat. Obers have terrible udders. Toggenburg milk taste nasty. These things are just known. I am not talking about anyones animals in particular. A good Nubian breeder is or has focused on upping their milk production and leveling the top line. And many many breeders have succeeded. Granted they generally breed out one of the characteristics I like best about the Nubian breed. Depth of barrel. Nubians from just 10 years ago where huge, deep and powerful animals that didnt milk for chit. So they have improved and maybe in another 10 years no one will be able to say Nubians dont milk or that they are dumb. Heck I often thought they were not really that dumb just STUBBORN as hell! When they didint want to get up on the milk stand, you had to fight them. When they didnt wanna be dewormed, you would have to fight em. When they didnt wanna walk, you had to fight em... Its just the way they are


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

See I think you hit the nail on the head in that last paragraph. I don't think they are dumb, I think they are stubborn and self preserving. Humans tend to think when an animal doesn't do what we think it should do it is dumb. I think it shows more intelligence in the animal to resist at times. Easily trained to me doesn't equate with intelligence, it only equates with easy to manage. I will probably have to agree to disagree with some of you on this point however. 
I just see so often certain animals labeled as dumb because heaven forbid they have a mind of their own.


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## Rev144 (Jan 22, 2011)

I have 3 Nubian does, a 1/4 lamancha 3/4 nub and a full blood lamancha. A few weeks ago, I turned the milk stand around in the milk room. Before, the goats had to walk to the back of the room and jump up on the stand. The lead ropes hanging off the hooks freaked the goats out and They tracked dirt/ mud to the back of the milk room, so I turned the milk stand around and all they have to do it come in the door and jump on the milk stand. It took two weeks before the Nubs could get on the stand by them self. Here I am trying to lift these huge nubians on the stand. Its been about 5 weeks , one jumps up just fine, one stops and prances and really has to think about it. Once she is up there, she side steps over to the side of the milk stand so I can milk her. Since the milk stand is turned around, she side steps to the wrong side, she cant get it in her head to step to the other side that I am sitting at. The last one always jumps up right in the front of the stand then rams her head into the metal bars.... The Cross bred and the Lamancha can handle it pretty good and jump right up. My nubians remind me of some big dufas who onlyhas one thing on his mind... food food food where is the food!! I had to sell one of my Nubians this year because her voice was so loud, it was like one of those air horns going off. She was really stupid too. She had a really hard time being led on a rope. When she was little she would just sit there and scream in the metal shed, which made it echo. We named her Janine, after a stupid woman on the show Dead Wood. I had been calling her stupid, but thought I would be nice and call her Stupids name - Janine. For the most part the three girls I have now are good on the stand. One has really nice udders and teat with big orifice. She just doesn't put out a lot of milk! My Lamancha is a little TWIT!! She is the hardest of all my goats to milk... She comes from show lines, and I did not realize that with show lines they dont judge for tiny orifices Or how hard it is to squeeze the milk out. She is by far my most trying goat. About two weeks ago, she was on one. Three days in a row, she put her foot in the milk bucket. Then a few days later, when I am done milking her, she starts pawing the milk stand like " GET ME OUT OF THIS CONTRAPTION" Then a few days later, she shows total disrespect and starts crapping on the milk stand. That dont fly at my house!!!!! The sad thing is, at the current time, she is my best milking goat, compared to my horse Nubians.. THe Lamancha is half the size and is doing about 10 cups a day and the nubian is about 6 cups a day. Her milk does not taste as good as the Nubians. I use hers mostly to make my husbands Kefir and I take the Nubians ( I am so nice! ) to make kefir for me! THe Lamanchas milk tends to go bad faster than the Nubians and her milk taste like what powdered milk taste like. If her milk is fresh, I also use it in the cheese. I am going to be breeding all my girls to a LaMancha Buck this year.... I am hoping the cross will improve the milk production and put some smarts in the babies!


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Well I have 50/50 nubian/lamancha I can't say they are dumb, stubborn yes. Now I have some Kinders, and yeah, they have more of the nubian characteristics, and they are not the brightest... I'm still planning to get the little nubian doe, and breed her with my oberhasli buck...


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

OH make no mistake. My comment about them being more stubborn then dumb was directed only at the smarter ones. But stubborn takes a back seat to stupid when being stubborn gets you beat at least twice a day. You can discipline/punish a Nubian everyday, multiple times a day and they will never get it. So in that regard, being stubborn doesnt make them more intelligent.

Fan, I think you are taking what people are saying about Nubians to personal. Every breed has its pros and cons. For me and my Alpines I know that they are all pretty much cranky teenagers from the time they are 3 months old till the time they are dead. They fight and bite and ram and cheap shot and think their poo doesnt stink. They look down on all other breeds and if given the chance, will beat the crap outta em. Cept Lamanchas. My theory is sense Lamanchas done have ears, they cant bite and pull on em so that kinda throws em off.... Alpines are like Mean Girls 

There are some good things about Nubians. They are pretty cute no matter how old they are. They have the nicest temperament out of all the dairy breeds. They are much more laid back and relaxed. They dont tend to fight with other goats. Hell, I can hardly recall many Nubians on the farm ever fighting. And they never worried about being herd boss. They have great tasting milk and if you have never heard a barn full content Nubians laying down for sleep, you are totally missing out! Nubians tend to hum as they breath and it can get pretty funny the more there are humming


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

Personally, I will NEVER, and I mean EEEVVVEER, get anything besides a Nubian. I don't like my NDs... like at all.... I can't stand _mine._ I don't like how their built, I don't like small udders, I don't like how pushy, rude, insane, and loud they are. They take forever to warm up to me. I just want them completely gone. I mean, I don't want them dead but you know what I mean.

I suppose I can't actually speak very much for the very very Nubians. My "Nubian" is also 1/4 Lamancha. I would prefer her to be purebred, but she was my first goat. I absolutely love her. She has so many things bad about her. She has scurs (not bad, but one horn points the wrong way and grows slower), she has absolutely terrible conformation, and she is suseptible to worms. But that is about all. But there is something about her that I just completely love. She is so colorful, she is very very very sweet, and she never tries to be pushy, unless it is her best friend. 

I will NEVER in my life have another Alpine. She was very pushy, would never get on the milkstand, wouldn't listen or lead like she was taught her whole life, had a small udder, was hard to milk out, wasn't sweet, and was SO annoying and stubborn. I have had a bad experience.

Now, I promise you I am not speaking for everyone's goats.


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## enchantedgoats (Jun 2, 2013)

Well, we have 20+ nigerians, 1 nubian, and 2 alpines. I think nd milk is by far the best tasting, but i am a cream lover from way back. We are drinking nubian-alpine milk at the moment because we dried off our nd's. It is ok and there is plenty of it, but pound for pound it doesnt produce the amount of yogurt or cheese that the nd milk does, but to just drink it's fine, and when we get flooded with milk every few days we make yogurt. We feed the whey to the chickens, and or the dogs.
Anyway back to the subject of nubians, arabella is the quietest sweetest, easy to handle, people loving of the bunch. We were a little skeptical at first because we have seen nubians that are extremely needy, and loud. We had even seen one that had to be on tranquilizers to be shown!! Yikes! But when it was decided that my grandchildren needed bigger goats to show we bought the nubian and the 2 alpines. They still like the nd's more, but now they can show all three breeds. As an observation though there are hardly any nd's being shown in 4-h, but the open shows are packed with nd's.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I can see each breed has their own bad rap....must be a little something to it. I would think they all have their benefits as well as cons.

I think i'll judge by individual goat myself though, and not the breed reputation 

As for my least favorite breed? It'd have to be any of the mini's...I am just all about big goats, lots o' milk!


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## Nubian_Nut (Dec 21, 2012)

I'd kind of like to put in my two cents, if that's okay. If you couldn't tell my my user name and my little picture under that, I'm a huge Nubian fan. I've only had goats since December of 2012 and I knew I wanted Nubians. I think too many people want to put the 'loud, dumb and stubborn' label on them before they give them a chance, just like most people say all goat milk tastes goaty. Once you try it, whether it be goat milk or owning Nubians, you'll quickly realize you were way wrong. I've got two purebred Nubian does and their kids are all Mini-Nubians. The kids make so much more noise than my does. My girls are so quite until they start hollering to let me know it feeding time, but it isn't obnoxious to me and none of my neighbors complain. They are far from stupid and can quickly pick up on a trick or fall into a regular schedule. My girls needed a lot of TLC when I bought them, I know, stupid first time goat owner  , and they would only let you touch their face (barely) and they could be drug around the yard if needed. Now, they have amazing manners and do quite well on the milk stand. My older doe does get pushy sometimes, but not too bad. My first freshener has been giving me nearly a quart a day with only one milking a day, kids are off of her and my older doe was giving nearly two quarts a day with one milking (with kids on her, too) but for some reason she's decided to dry up on me, not sure why. I've never had much experience with other breeds, besides seeing them at the fair, so I can't say too much on how they compare to other breeds, but I can tell you that I'm sold on Nubians, floppy ears, roman noses and all!


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

I have literally raised well over 1000 goats. So when it comes to breed characteristics, I am pretty knowledgeable with most breeds having raised every dairy breed except Obers. But had 2 other breeder friends who raised em. I can pretty much guarantee if you raised both Nubians and any other dairy breed side by side you would see a drastic difference in the two breeds. You would then understand why Nubians have the stereo types they do. Nubians are great animals but if you want concrete evidence/proof of their... short comings. Think of this. 

The pinnacle of dairy goats are high grade commercial dairies. Meaning no where else is a dairy goat put more to the test and used for what they were bred for then on a large scale dairy. Most of these dairies do not want or will not take Nubians. This is not to say there are not dairies out there that not only take em but love or are even strictly a Nubian breed dairy, but the over whelming percentage of them dont.

The pinnacle for a wether is life as a pack goat. You will rarely see a full blooded Nubian pack goat and you will have an ever hard time finding a Nubian pack goat owned by a serious hunter, which if you think about it, is the pinnacle of pack goat owners. Most of the half Nubian pack goats I know of were not chosen but were bought because that was what was available to the buyer. Nubians tire quickly, cant or wont pack as much weight and tend to bawl when their owners get outta sight.

The pinnacle of a back yard milker, is a Nubian. They are friendlier then any other breed, they give a higher butter fat so there are many more things that can be done with their milk while also milking less and not flooding their owners with gallons upon gallons of milk. They are less destructive on barns / fences and are more content to just lye around relaxing and less likely to fight with their pen mates or at the very least a much more subdued fighting style.

So its easy to see why most new or smaller back yard farms would choose Nubians first and be perfectly happy and proud of them. But they are labeled for good reason. As a previous Nubian owner, I never defended their faults cause it was clear to see they were true. But that never stopped me from loving or thinking of them any less. Its like my pack goat Legion. He is a PACK GOAT! You know, sure footed, agile and graceful. Nope, he is like a bull in a china shop and I am constantly telling him "Ouch, Legion you're on my foot again" To which he wags his tail, looks up at me and smiles cause I said his name. If other pack goat owners remarked on how clumsy he was, Id say "Yep" with a big smile. Cause he is mine and I wouldnt change him for anything.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside....


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

LOL oh that honestly made me bust out laughing. Just be happy that your goats are yours and nothing else will matter. You're not planning on sending them to a large dairy or sending the wethers off to be a master hunters pack goats so anything negative that is said about your chosen breed, doesnt hold any importance.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

Good I am glad you have a sense of humor, because you seemed to be spoiling for a fight to me. And I and Nubian_Nut are two different people, just in case you missed that little detail.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I think it was well put TDG~ and you have a lot of valid points...I will always love Nubians, dumb or no, lazy or no, great milker or no, bawling or no (ok, maybe not the bawlers....LOL)
Doesn't matter what the stereotype is....my goats are _my_ goats and I love 'em 

Oh, and they happen to be one of the best looking breeds  Hahaha


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

TDG-Farms said:


> You're not planning on sending them to a large dairy or sending the wethers off to be a master hunters pack goats so anything negative that is said about your chosen breed, doesnt hold any importance.


Honestly I will just be glad if I can keep them alive. Anything else is just gravy.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Nubian_Nut said:


> I'd kind of like to put in my two cents, if that's okay. If you couldn't tell my my user name and my little picture under that, I'm a huge Nubian fan. I've only had goats since December of 2012 and I knew I wanted Nubians. I think too many people want to put the 'loud, dumb and stubborn' label on them before they give them a chance, just like most people say all goat milk tastes goaty. Once you try it, whether it be goat milk or owning Nubians, you'll quickly realize you were way wrong. I've got two purebred Nubian does and their kids are all Mini-Nubians. The kids make so much more noise than my does. My girls are so quite until they start hollering to let me know it feeding time, but it isn't obnoxious to me and none of my neighbors complain. They are far from stupid and can quickly pick up on a trick or fall into a regular schedule. My girls needed a lot of TLC when I bought them, I know, stupid first time goat owner  , and they would only let you touch their face (barely) and they could be drug around the yard if needed. Now, they have amazing manners and do quite well on the milk stand. My older doe does get pushy sometimes, but not too bad. My first freshener has been giving me nearly a quart a day with only one milking a day, kids are off of her and my older doe was giving nearly two quarts a day with one milking (with kids on her, too) but for some reason she's decided to dry up on me, not sure why. I've never had much experience with other breeds, besides seeing them at the fair, so I can't say too much on how they compare to other breeds, but I can tell you that I'm sold on Nubians, floppy ears, roman noses and all!


The only thing I could say about your 2 cents is this: 
You are obviously passionate about your goats, that's great  ...I am new too having only had goats for a year and a half or so, and even though i have spent more time on them (between research, care,milking,kidding,playing,etc.)
I try to keep in mind that a lot of the people on here have formed opinions that are much more grounded with experience than I have, so I greatly value their opinions and assume they have solid grounding to say what they do.
I, too, will always love Nubians  I dare say so far out of what i have (see siggy), they are my favorite overall..._so far_ but 30 years in ,I may have a totally different viewpoint.

When I first got chickens, I swore up and down I would not get bantams....yeah,right, I have a bunch of those cute lil buggers! 
I also said I was a _BIG_dog person...well, I still am ...but I also have a POM 
And...I also said I'd never get geese...but ya know what? I have a pair of pet geese I love to death!

My point is...as you get experience, you form opinions based on that and in turn it creates life changes


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Well not to start anything but I think with any breed if you breed one with lets say a lower level of intelligence to another with a lower level then yes you will be turning out goats that would not be the sharpest tool in the shed. Now with this being said right now I have about 20+ Nubians and all of mine and all of the ones I have had over the many years of owning them have never been what people are referring to as stupid. I love my Nubians and would never get out of them for any reason in the world! They are the perfect breed for me and my farm. I have one that is stubborn, but she is the herd queen and likes things her way. I have one older girl that came from a big farm that they had so many she didn't get handled much before we got her. She is my sweet heart and she will never leave this farm. She was shy, scared and her front hooves were pretty bad (so bad we are still working on them and my farrier even helps too). She will let us handle her just fine but when strangers are around she gets scared and doesn't like to be around new people. She's not stupid, I actually think she is the smartest one of the bunch. She doesn't like the milk stand, but you can work on her just by putting a lead rope on her collar (she will stand right there and not go anywhere even without being tied). 

I am head over heels in love with Nubians and that will never change. I do get a little heart broken with people that have bad experiences with Nubians and think that all Nubians are like that. I have one I have been starting to drive and she is doing great. I had one that we used to pull a sled one year during a big snow. I have one that is trained to jump a mini jumpers course and she does better then the mini stallion. There are three that I normally take jogging with me. I have never had to put a lead on them to go either. They learned the routine and just go along for fun. I really think they can learn and do anything you take the time to teach them. As with children, goats learn from their parents (human parents too) and if we don't teach them what is right and wrong then they will not know what we would like to see them do.

Now I love to hear my goats talk and I can tell you which voice belongs to each goat. I do have two half sisters that I really have to listen to closely to hear the difference. When it comes to time for weaning I feel horrible for the first two days. Moms and kids cry so much and they sometimes sound like you are trying to kill them. My neighbor came up once thinking a dog or coyote had attacked one of the kids. 

Ok now that I rambled on for a bit


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

LOL Nubianfan, you really are taking this to serious. Not once did I target you. This is a forum. Forums are for discussing. You posted a topic asking "Whats wrong with Nubians" Alls I did was reply with my experiences and the general opinion as I know it about the Nubian breed. I even went outta my way not to focus on anyone persons goats and even suggested that the breed could be getting better, there are smart Nubians out there and maybe they would someday prove the stereo types wrong. I am sorry if you now think you have dumb goats. That was not my intention.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I didn't post this topic, billmac was the original poster. I only have one intelligent goat and two dead ones buried on my property.


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

NubianFan said:


> I didn't post this topic, billmac was the original poster. I only have one intelligent goat and two dead ones buried on my property.


 That must have broken your heart. I will be crushed when my nubian dies.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Sorry for the mistake on the original poster. And I am done discussing this with you as you have no intention of trying to understand. You focus on the "bad" and ignore the "good" of every one of my posts:

Me: "Nubians (for the most part but not all) are loud, dumb and dont milk a lot. Now I know there are Nubian owners who will disagree but as a breed in whole, the above is true. But they sure are cute!"

You: "I dont think Daffodil is loud or dumb"

Me: "NubianFan, I didnt say Daffodil was loud or dumb"

You: "I just wonder how many you are basing the observation of most. The two you owned or more? Because 2 individuals does not make a very good sample for the entire population"

You: "Oh as a breed they probably are louder. I have heard a lot of people say that. Funny thing is the ones I have had experience with havent really been loud. I doubt that as a breed they are dumber. I just have a hard time believing that and think it boils down to preference

Me: "So somewhere around 250 Nubians at any one time. So I think I have a pretty good idea about Nubian characteristics. We are talking about the breeds in general. Not blood lines. Nubians dont milk and are dumb. So they have improved and maybe in another 10 years no one will be able to say Nubians dont milk or that they are dumb. Heck I often thought they were not really that dumb just STUBBORN as hell"

You: "I don't think they are dumb, I think they are stubborn and self preserving. Humans tend to think when an animal doesn't do what we think it should do it is dumb. I think it shows more intelligence in the animal to resist at times."

Me: "My comment about them being more stubborn then dumb was directed only at the smarter ones. But stubborn takes a back seat to stupid when being stubborn gets you beat at least twice a day. Fan, I think you are taking what people are saying about Nubians to personal. Every breed has its pros and cons. There are some good things about Nubians. They are pretty cute no matter how old they are. They have the nicest temperament out of all the dairy breeds. They are much more laid back and relaxed. They dont tend to fight with other goats. Hell, I can hardly recall many Nubians on the farm ever fighting. And they never worried about being herd boss. They have great tasting milk and if you have never heard a barn full content Nubians laying down for sleep, you are totally missing out! Nubians tend to hum as they breath and it can get pretty funny the more there are humming. So its easy to see why most new or smaller back yard farms would choose Nubians first and be perfectly happy and proud of them. But they are labeled for good reason. As a previous Nubian owner, I never defended their faults cause it was clear to see they were true. But that never stopped me from loving or thinking of them any less."

You: "Just when you thought it was safe to go outside.... "

Me: "LOL oh that honestly made me bust out laughing. Just be happy that your goats are yours and nothing else will matter. You're not planning on sending them to a large dairy or sending the wethers off to be a master hunters pack goats so anything negative that is said about your chosen breed, doesnt hold any importance."

You: "Good I am glad you have a sense of humor, because you seemed to be spoiling for a fight to me. Honestly I will just be glad if I can keep them alive. Anything else is just gravy."

Me: "LOL Nubianfan, you really are taking this to serious. Not once did I target you"

You: "I didn't post this topic, billmac was the original poster. I only have one intelligent goat and two dead ones buried on my property. "

So to preserve some sort of sanity, I think Ill just leave this thread alone from now on. Have a good day.


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## Nubian_Nut (Dec 21, 2012)

NyGoatMom said:


> The only thing I could say about your 2 cents is this:
> You are obviously passionate about your goats, that's great  ...I am new too having only had goats for a year and a half or so, and even though i have spent more time on them (between research, care,milking,kidding,playing,etc.)
> I try to keep in mind that a lot of the people on here have formed opinions that are much more grounded with experience than I have, so I greatly value their opinions and assume they have solid grounding to say what they do.
> I, too, will always love Nubians  I dare say so far out of what i have (see siggy), they are my favorite overall..._so far_ but 30 years in ,I may have a totally different viewpoint.
> ...


I totally agree! And to anyone else, what I said was just my opinion, so it's nothing more than an opinion. I haven't had any issues with my girls, but I've only had goats since Dec 2012, so my experience is limited. I've done lots of research and to me, no breed is better than a Nubian, but it's just because it's the breed I like. Someone close near where I live swears she'll never have another Nubian and sticks to Lamanchas and I can respect that.

Sorry if my post sounded rude or anything to anyone, wasn't my intention.


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## Nubian_Nut (Dec 21, 2012)

TDG-Farms said:


> LOL oh that honestly made me bust out laughing. Just be happy that your goats are yours and nothing else will matter. You're not planning on sending them to a large dairy or sending the wethers off to be a master hunters pack goats so anything negative that is said about your chosen breed, doesnt hold any importance.


Couldn't agree more. I wouldn't change my girls because I love them. Their personalities are what matter more to me, just like your Legion. I'm not planning on trying to produce award winning Nubians, I just want/need a backyard milker to do the trick, and my girls do great. And everyone has their own opinion and that's just fine


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Nubian_Nut....No, you did not sound rude! I was just laughing because I got thinking how many things I have said I would NEVER have...and got  And I have had some animals long enough to see things I didn't think would be true....so i can relate to how you feel about yours and also how TDG's opinion was formed...that was all


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

I love my Nubians, to me this entire conversation reminds me of people opinions of Arabian horses. They think they are high strung and stupid, BUT from everything I have experienced, some can be a bit high strung but are in no way stupid. They are smarter than the owner plain and simple. They are thinkers. Now with the Nubians, I have a couple of those backyard milk goats, they are not stupid, maybe a bit more timid than my Guernsey's, but they picked up on the routine very easy. Discipline???? a goat???

I think this entire conversation got out of hand, and some people just have to keep beating a dead horse. Just stating I have Nubians and love them, some don't, but don't be arguing with those of us who do.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

HerdQueen said:


> That must have broken your heart. I will be crushed when my nubian dies.


It did break my heart. It brought me even that much closer to Daffodil too. It also made me question my ability to keep goats. Even now I am very afraid to bring another one in so Daffodil wont be alone, because I am afraid of buying and bringing illness to my farm. I imagine when I finally do buy it will be registered stock from a breeder who tests, which means probably.spring.


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

We all go through struggles as goat owners, this year has been tough for us, but part of what I love about goats you are always learning. Sometimes its a tough lesson, but you will never forget it. No wonder you are so passonate about your nubian!


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## OakHollowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

I love my Nubians! They are so friendly and comical at the same time. Our doe kidded triplets as an FF, and we are still getting 1 gallon a day after 4.5 months. Her milk is so creamy and delicious too. I will admit, they can be very loud. At least they are calling for me! My Alpine behaved like an angel from the first time we took her into the show ring, and I cannot say the same for any of our Nubians. They all need to go through showing boot camp before show season. My Alpine is sweet towards people, but not overly obsessed with people, like my Nubians. However, she is a real bully towards new goats and goat kids, which I really don't like. Our Nubians are all nice and accepting of new goats after some fair head-butting. We are getting a Lamancha soon, and I am excited to see what kind of personality she will have. 

In our fairs, Nubians are definitely the #1 beed, with an occasional Lamancha and Alpine. However, at our club shows, Nigerians cover every square inch of that place!


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## OutdoorDreamer (Mar 29, 2012)

I adore my Nubians. The milk is so tasty and makes great cheese  and I love the looks of their ears and roman noses. But I can't lie, they are much noisier than my Swiss breeds. They are very vocal when they want their food.


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

Mine don't resist, I have to show them each day what to do. If I don't they panic and freak out or they stand in the middle of the barn with a totally blank look on their face until I either show then the milk stand with grain or the stall door with hay. Thats not stubborn, thats stupid. Once they find the hay or grain, they chow down. I've had, and still do have, goats with a mind of their own. The breeds of dogs I have are bred to be independant, self thinkers who do what they have to do rather than what the humasn want. These Nubians are not like that. They really don't seem to think about anything, it's like a herd of dumb blonde jokes in goat costumes.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

lottsagoats said:


> Mine don't resist, I have to show them each day what to do. If I don't they panic and freak out or they stand in the middle of the barn with a totally blank look on their face until I either show then the milk stand with grain or the stall door with hay. Thats not stubborn, thats stupid. Once they find the hay or grain, they chow down. I've had, and still do have, goats with a mind of their own. The breeds of dogs I have are bred to be independant, self thinkers who do what they have to do rather than what the humasn want. These Nubians are not like that. They really don't seem to think about anything, it's like a herd of dumb blonde jokes in goat costumes.


Why do you keep them? Sounds like they frustrate you, and that's not enjoyable  Maybe get some more of a breed you like better?


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## Violetmoon (Nov 14, 2013)

I love the roman nose. That's one of the things that I love about nubians. I also love horses and mules with a roman nose or bow head as some call them. I also own a bull terrier, he really has a bow head!!


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## CAjerseychick (Sep 21, 2013)

OutdoorDreamer said:


> It's the opposite here. Nubians and Oberhaslis dominate around here


Ha those are Opposites for sure ( very curious about Nubians myself).. this thread is certainly a riot!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I only kinda scanned the replys but I'll give my thoughts on Nubians. I love Nubians. Yes they can be loud when unhappy or scared or looking for me lol. My first goat was a Nubian and she was more of a dog and totally laid back. I remember my at the time 5 and 3 year old trying to milk her and she stood there like a good girl. She is gone but I have 2 others now. One is just like her. They all have good hoofs and cross with my Boer great. What I dislike is them being up my butt all the time. I kinda like my personal space but they are so kind hearted. 
As for them not being popular there. It might just be your area and what thrives there. I have a mostly Boer herd. I hear people talk about how junk they are so many times. Issues with hoofs and worms and mother ability on and on. I do not have any of these issues and everyone this side of the states doesn't have this issue. I know this is a Nubian discussion but am using that as a example. So maybe the Nubians don't thrive well in your area or maybe people have found what they think is better.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Well, I now have 1 purebred Nubian Mitzi, she is bred to my ober buck. She is by far my loudest, but honestly she is one of my sweetest goats, she's pretty smart too Can't wait to see how much she milks


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