# Help me decide



## flatmountain (Aug 14, 2010)

I am going to add one more dairy doe. I have one unregistered F1 mininubian doe who is an easy milker and I love her. I also have a registered Nigerian buck. SO
Should I get another registered Nigerian doe. Looking at one with little tots estate breeding who has not yet been bred and needs a few months of growing up.
Or
A registered Nubian doe who can maybe provide some more mini Nubians. Looking at one with some good milking and show lines with heavy KISMET breeding. She is older and has history of multiple kids and "good manners" 

Price is similar in both and Nigerian doe is a bit closer but both are a fair drive. Few hours away.

I am loving the Nigerian temperaments the more I meet them and the small size. The Nubians are a lot to feed but of course more milk for 1 doe. But sometimes loud and needy. My mini is quiet and super friendly but not pushy about it. Perfect for me. 

So thoughts?onder:


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## J-TRanch (Jan 31, 2014)

Are you wanting more milk? Or to sell at a higher price? If wanting to sell kids at a higher price I would get the nigerian so you can have completely purebred kids. 

If you're just looking for home milkers than the nubian would be good. 

Mini nubians have a higher butterfat than a Nubian but produce way more than a nigerian. 

I love my minis! 

I have mini Nubians and mini sables


Owner/operator
J-T Ranch Dairy Goats
NW KS
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## flatmountain (Aug 14, 2010)

Milk QUALITY and friendly easy to milk temperment are most important. I would like more for kids but I am not sure the local market will carry a fair registered price. But who knows. I will stay small scale so would be selling most of the kids. But I'd keep another mini Nubian or 2.


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## flatmountain (Aug 14, 2010)

The other thing is the Nubian is already bred and due in jan.


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## J-TRanch (Jan 31, 2014)

Nigerians are harder to milk I think since they're low set and have smaller teats. I think I would go with the nubian. Especially when she's due to kid when most people have kids anyways. 


Owner/operator
J-T Ranch Dairy Goats
NW KS


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We don't find the ND's that much harder to milk. If she is a quality doe she will have a nice udder and nice teats. With registered kids you can always charge just that little extra. I'd base my decision on udders and teats and then on price of doe.


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## J-TRanch (Jan 31, 2014)

Easier with a high set doe like a nubian. I think everyone would agree with that. Let us know what you decide!


Owner/operator
J-T Ranch Dairy Goats
NW KS


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## J-TRanch (Jan 31, 2014)

My nigis and minis are a dream to milk. However, a couple I got on a trade have the smallest teats and are low set. But still, she said she wanted milk quality and didn't think her area would go for a high priced nigerian but rather a very good milker. She likes the personalities of her minis. So, in her situation, I think she would be happier getting the nubian and making more miniature nubians. 



Owner/operator
J-T Ranch Dairy Goats
NW KS


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## J-TRanch (Jan 31, 2014)

flatmountain said:


> The other thing is the Nubian is already bred and due in jan.


Let me know what you decide! Best of luck!

Owner/operator
J-T Ranch Dairy Goats
NW KS


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I agree you will be happier with the Nubian most likely. Her already being bred is a nice additive. Also if you purchase the nigerian dwarf and you cant breed her you have to wait another year before getting any milk from her -- feeding a goat for a longer period of time before you get what you are looking for. And Do you know if her dam and sire's dam are high milk producers? do they have nice size teats and good strong udder attachments? I love my nigerians but if you want to go into mini nubians and you want milk, you will likely be happier with the nubian in the long run.


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## J-TRanch (Jan 31, 2014)

StaceyRosado said:


> I agree you will be happier with the Nubian most likely. Her already being bred is a nice additive. Also if you purchase the nigerian dwarf and you cant breed her you have to wait another year before getting any milk from her -- feeding a goat for a longer period of time before you get what you are looking for. And Do you know if her dam and sire's dam are high milk producers? do they have nice size teats and good strong udder attachments? I love my nigerians but if you want to go into mini nubians and you want milk, you will likely be happier with the nubian in the long run.


Thank you Stacey. I totally agree and her saying that she loved her minis personalities ... Nigerians are way different (in mine and other breeders I know at least) way more quirkier. 
I do think the nubian is the way to go. More milk production.. And you can have the best of both worlds with minis later.

A BYB nigerian I got as a stud fee have gave me acute athritis in my hand this year after just two months of milking :/

I would pick my minis and nubians ANYDAY. Love my Nigerians though. Don't get me wrong. If you do want the Nigi, make sure she is well bred, good teat size, and her dam scores high on the milk test. Getting a cup a day from a BYB doesn't cut having them in your herd and paying for their feed.

Owner/operator
J-T Ranch Dairy Goats
NW KS


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

flatmountain said:


> I am going to add one more dairy doe. I have one unregistered F1 mininubian doe who is an easy milker and I love her. I also have a registered Nigerian buck. SO
> Should I get another registered Nigerian doe. Looking at one with little tots estate breeding who has not yet been bred and needs a few months of growing up.
> Or
> A registered Nubian doe who can maybe provide some more mini Nubians. Looking at one with some good milking and show lines with heavy KISMET breeding. She is older
> ...





flatmountain said:


> Milk QUALITY and friendly easy to milk temperment are most important. But I'd keep another mini Nubian or 2.





flatmountain said:


> The other thing is the Nubian is already bred and due in jan.


I see pros and cons to both does. 
Nubian
Pros:- More milk 
-Already bred and will produce sooner
-You can breed for more F1 Mini Nubians BUT you will be feeding a full size doe for almost 2 years before you get the mini nubians
-You can actually SEE her udder and teats NOW
Cons: -Way more feed
-Need more space
-Nubians do tend to be noisy and needy, but not all are that way
-Already bred so it will still be a couple years before you can actually get your mini nubian (unless she is bred to a ND now?) 
- After you get your mini nubians from her, will you want to keep your current registered ND buck to rebreed his own daughters?

Nigerian 
Pros: -Smaller means less feed and space
-You can sell the babies and keep your current buck for longer
- Personality (you said yourself that you are really LIKING the ND personalities)
-Quality of milk is _suppose_ to be better
-You can keep the buck you have now and continue to breed to him for as long as you want
Cons:-Less milk
-You will have to wait to breed her so take longer to get production
-You cannot SEE what her udder and teats are going to be when she is milking....only what her dam has

I know several people on the forum that have Little Tot lines for ND and they LOVE them. From everything I have read and heard, that line is super for milking. We have a ND doe that isn't a purebred and is giving a quart a day at once daily milking (and picked right back up after we had to leave her for a few days without milking). That is low production and with a milking line like Little Tots you_ should_ be able to get more milk than that. I haven't heard anything about the Kismet nubian line (but since I don't breed for nubian, I wouldn't have paid much attention to those names)

As for your market supporting registered nigerians. There is nothing that says you have to put a "registered" nigerian price on them. Charge a few dollars more for the registered. There is never a guarantee that the market will support any breed of goats.


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