Kinder Goats

[scrambledmess]

I am on the search to pick the right breed of goat for my own small herd. I want a meat goat, but I also want one or two dairy goats for my families own supply of milk. My children after going to a small country school for a year and listening to their friends brag about selling their animals at the fair are now itching to be in 4H. My oldest really wants a steer, but I know we don't have enough room for that and he is a bit intimidated by their size anyway. From the fair this year, most of the goats there were meat goats of the Boar variety. We only have 1.5 acres at the most of pasture. So I think boars or any combination of them will be too large for our acreage. I considered dwarfs, but I think they really are just too small for any kind of return the money. I know few people make money off their goats. Not expecting to make a fortune, but would like to cut the outpouring of money as much as possible by the sale of goats, meat, etc.

I saw someone posted about the Kinder goats in another thread. I looked around a little online and am very interested. They seem more of a medium size goat since they are a cross with a Nubian and a dwarf, with good meat return for size. One site quoted 60% meat from live weight. They also can give good milk with a high butterfat ratio?

Those with experience in this breed, can you give me any other info other then stats? How are they at kidding in general? Do they make good mothers? How do they do in shows/4H? Are they average at fencing breaking when compared to other goats, worse? What has the market been like in your area for this breed? Anything else you can think of?

TIA

 

[scrambledmess]

Bump

Just hoping to get a couple responses Thanks!

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

When I did research to get a couple goats, I too considered kinder goats. They were first developed here in Washington State in the 80's for their size, dual purpose, great milk production. However, when I went to the huge fair there weren't any.

I ended up getting a couple nubians but still considering kinders. I hang out at Yahoo Groups - Kinder goats: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/KinderGoats/?yguid=332655207

Great information, pics, questions and answers, goats for sale, etc. You have to join and await approval before you can post.

Good luck. Sounds to me the kinder would be a great goat for you.

 

[scrambledmess]

Thanks!

 

[Illia]

I got my Kinders directly from the lady who started the breed.

So, I probably was the one who mentioned the stuff previously, so I'll again confirm to it.

Are they good meat goats? Far as I read, yes. I've yet to try mine, as I only have does and a buck to use as parents, but from other owners and from my own goat's meat ratio, I'd say yes. I'm honestly very excited for next year's kids, can't wait to try them.

Are they a good sized animal? In terms of wanting something smaller, yes. They're smaller than Nubians, LaManchas, Saanans, etc. But, they're also meaty, too. And their docile nature just adds to the pros.

Are they good milkers? What is their milk like? I've tried many different goat breeds' milk, and the Kinders were by FAR my favorite. The milk is very creamy and sweet. They are indeed very high in butterfat (ranging from 6-10 percent) which is excellent for soap and cheese making. My oldest doe has the highest content, and she gives me 2 Pounds of cheese on ONE gallon of milk. She also gives one gallon of milk per day.

Are they good with fencing? Yes. In fact, I've certainly decided on only Kinders to have, as any other goats I've tried on our rather cheap "field" fencing are extremely "goat-like" in that they're destructive escape artists who will try and do anything for any reason. . . My Kinders, at any age, have yet to show such disrespect for the fencing. They're still playful animals, but very calm and laidback most of the time. They're also very friendly and social.

Are they good for 4H/Showing? I've never shown mine, but yes, they are. They're a recognized breed, and the lady I got mine from used to show (and I think still does) her does all the time. They're especially good with kids and showing.

Are they good ad kidding? Yes! In good lines, they're bred to have a decently angled canal so that they can and will spit out numerous babies without any health or physical problems. None of our does have given birth yet, though, so we cannot say from personal experience. They're also very good mothers, and even pretty accepting of kids that are not theirs.


Kinders are also a varying animal in terms of color. We have some solid blacks, some "roan" type colors (both red and blue) some pinto-like colors, and of course my personal favorite - we have spotted Kinders. Our oldest doe is especially unique in that she's a gorgeous terra-cotta orange with titanium grey spots that change to a sandy brown as the seasons change. She's known to throw a lot of beautifully spotted kids, too.

Another big plus I find with Kinders is that they don't have as bad of eating habits as other goat breeds. I'm talking of eating things that aren't actually "edible." - They've never tried playing with or eating the feathers of our chickens, they've never severely chewed on any nearby trees, and they don't eat anything quizzical (often) As for eating in general, I've never actually measured out how much they eat per day or week, but they're not pigs. For how rich of milk they give and meaty of bodies (especially the bucks) they have, they don't eat as much as one would think.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

If your daughter wants to seriously show, go with a regular ADGA breed. Kinders are not ADGA and so she'll mostly be stuck in 4-H. The bigger shows and championships won't be open to her, and the type of the Kinder is not yet set/consistent/good. The huge benefit of being involved in ADGA/DHIR is that you really learn how to understand the goat as a serious production animal. You can go as far with them as you want, all the way to some very serious national competition and scholarships and so on.

As an aside, I remember well when the Kinders came on the scene (I was showing Saanens at the time) and there were some definite bad words said, because we ALL knew a million Nubian/Pygmy crosses but evidently didn't have the marketing savvy to call it a breed. Just being blunt and honest, I think for most serious breeders Kinders are still considered a novelty/pet cross, and that will affect her ability to go far with her goats.

If she just wants some cute pets, or she genuinely does want to butcher her own goats and get a little milk, the Kinder might be a good compromise between large and small. If she wants serious milk, go for a Swiss breed. Serious cheese, Nubian. Serious meat, Boer or Kiko depending on your climate and range.

 

[eenie114]

For milk, my favorite is a LaMancha-Nubian cross.

Never done meat.

 

[scrambledmess]

Thank everyone. My kids will only show in 4H. We do too many other things to expand out from there. So we should be okay. I am thinking this may be the breed for our family. Now to get the fence up, shelter built and find a breeder. Not the easiest thing to do in Ohio.