Favorite goat breed and why

[ShrekDawg]

here is a list of butterfat content in "store milk"
United States
[COLOR=222222]
Butterfat content U.S. terminology
3.25% Whole milk or regular milk
about 2% 2% milk or reduced fat milk
about 1% 1% milk or low fat milk
0–0.5% Skim milk or nonfat milk
[/COLOR]

Thanks for the great info! I'm not sure I've ever even had whole milk before so goat milk would be quite a difference! Haha

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think we have had this discussion before. Boers will fit the bill of being pets and brush clearers. So will most larger dairy breeds, such as Saanens, Nubians, Alpines, Toggenburgs, and LaManchas. Pretty much all breeds of goats will be just fine pets and brush clearers, those are important yet very basic requiremenrs as far as goats go. The reason I was talking up boers so much is because they go above and beyond the basic "perks" of goats. It depends on your preferences honestly. Friendly? That depends on the individual goat. Quiet? That depends on the individual goat as well, with some exceptions being that Nubians are infamously loud. LaManchas and Oberhaslis are known for being calm and quiet and friendly. I can tell you from personal experiences that the personality of Boers could best be described as well mannered, calm, quiet, respectful, yet not overly friendly. All goats can be walked on a leash if trained.

Wethers serve no purpose outside of being pets. Does can be pets, and if they are needed, can be breeding animals or milking animals, or all of the above. If you are not yet sure about your intentions, does would be safe bets.

Butterfat is basically how rich the milk tastes. The higher the butterfat, the richer the taste. Nigerians have the highest butterfat.

Yeah, I feel like we have too. I've had a few threads on goats haha I think I had one asking for info or recommended breeds or something. I was debating making this one since I've had lots of other threads on goats but I figured this one could be different, fun and curiosity about favorites rather than necessarily asking a million questions or whatever

Anyway, I've been looking into all the above mentioned breeds and I think I especially like Oberhasli, Toggenburg, and Alpine, but Oberhasli and Toggenburg aren't as common, at least as far as being on Craigslist goes, so would probably need to go to a breeder. Though Craigslist is maybe not the best place to find goats anyway.

But those breeds seem like gentle sweet breeds.

But honestly with the way you're describing Boers, they sound like the perfect goat

And honestly it's fine if they're not overly friendly or are more independent, that may be better actually cause I'm assuming the really friendly ones can be pushy or rude? My dog is a fairly independent dog and I like that he's not always right on top of me. Although when he wants attention, he demands it haha kinda wish he'd want it when I wanna love him but ah well aha anyway, point being, it's fine if they wanna do their own thing, as long as they don't like totally hate and ignore me?

They really seem quite perfect and charming

Some people even use them for packing, right? I don't think I would but I've seen some sites on it I think.

That makes sense and I always forget that you can have does and just not breed them haha I have heard though does and bucks, basically unfixed I guess, can be a little bit different personality or temperamental/hormonal or something? Or that wethers are friedlier/better pets? I don't know if that's true or just another myth? Doesn't really matter either way cause would still be plenty friendly enough for my purposes I'm sure and the main thing is brush clearing and walks

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think we have had this discussion before. Boers will fit the bill of being pets and brush clearers. So will most larger dairy breeds, such as Saanens, Nubians, Alpines, Toggenburgs, and LaManchas. Pretty much all breeds of goats will be just fine pets and brush clearers, those are important yet very basic requiremenrs as far as goats go. The reason I was talking up boers so much is because they go above and beyond the basic "perks" of goats. It depends on your preferences honestly. Friendly? That depends on the individual goat. Quiet? That depends on the individual goat as well, with some exceptions being that Nubians are infamously loud. LaManchas and Oberhaslis are known for being calm and quiet and friendly. I can tell you from personal experiences that the personality of Boers could best be described as well mannered, calm, quiet, respectful, yet not overly friendly. All goats can be walked on a leash if trained.

Wethers serve no purpose outside of being pets. Does can be pets, and if they are needed, can be breeding animals or milking animals, or all of the above. If you are not yet sure about your intentions, does would be safe bets.

Butterfat is basically how rich the milk tastes. The higher the butterfat, the richer the taste. Nigerians have the highest butterfat.

Oh and thanks for the info about the butter fat.

 

[ShrekDawg]

So with that high butterfat content does goat milk even taste good I wonder?

And back to the original question of what people's favorite breed is, I hope some more people answer

 

[cassie]

So with that high butterfat content does goat milk even taste good I wonder?

And back to the original question of what people's favorite breed is, I hope some more people answer

Goat milk can be delicious or undrinkable depending on any number of factors. This includes, among other things, how the milk is handled, the breed of the goat, and how the animals are fed and cared for. Milking utensils must be kept very clean and the milk needs to be cooled quickly. Goats that have had mastitis often produce salty milk. Some mineral deficiencies cause off flavored milk. The breed of goat may make a difference too. Generally, milk with high butterfat has better flavor. Just like Jersey milk tastes better to most people than milk from Holsteins. Certain lines of Toggenburgs produce strong flavored and to me undrinkable milk.This is a hereditary problem. That said, some Toggs produce very good milk. Mine always did. In my experience Nubians consistently produce very good milk and I would guess the same could be said for Nigerians.

 

[Zoomie]

@cassie That taste is what sold me on Nubians when I was a child. I really loved the taste of their milk, and my own goat's milk tastes just as great as I remember it from when I was a child. That and those adorable ears and faces really sold me... Although Nubians have a reputation for being loud, mine are nearly silent. I have no idea why. It might be those particular bloodlines, it might be because they have plenty to eat and stuff to do... who knows?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Goat milk can be delicious or undrinkable depending on any number of factors.  This includes, among other things, how the milk is handled, the breed of the goat, and how the animals are fed and cared for.  Milking utensils must be kept very clean and the milk needs to be cooled quickly. Goats that have had mastitis often produce salty milk. Some mineral deficiencies cause off flavored milk. The breed of goat may make a difference too. Generally, milk with high butterfat has better flavor. Just like Jersey milk tastes better to most people than milk from Holsteins. Certain lines of Toggenburgs produce strong flavored and to me undrinkable milk.This is a hereditary problem.  That said, some Toggs produce very good milk. Mine always did. In my experience Nubians consistently produce very good milk and I would guess the same could be said for Nigerians.

This is really helpful, thanks a lot so how do you tell if they have good milk or not? Just have to trust the breeder or ask if you can taste it or something?

 

[ShrekDawg]

@cassie
 That taste is what sold me on Nubians when I was a child. I really loved the taste of their milk, and my own goat's milk tastes just as great as I remember it from when I was a child. That and those adorable ears and faces really sold me... Although Nubians have a reputation for being loud, mine are nearly silent. I have no idea why. It might be those particular bloodlines, it might be because they have plenty to eat and stuff to do... who knows? 

Nubians seem like a great breed