When we decided we wanted to add a dairy animal to our homestead, we wanted to make sure we chose the best goat breed possible. After much research, we decided on mini Nubians. Mini Nubians are a mix between Nigerian Dwarf goats and Nubian goats. Some call them the “goldilocks” goat because their traits aren’t too far in one direction or the other. Rather, the milk production, height, personality, etc., is “just right”. This post contains affiliate links which may lead to a commission if purchased. Thanks for your support!
What’s The Best Goat Breed?
Remember, there is not “best goat breed” overall. If you want the best goat breed for your homestead, first, you’ll need to narrow down your goals. Below are a few of the goals we had in mind for our herd of goats.
- Possibility for flexible breeding schedule
- Manageable size
- Delicious milk taste
- Solid milk production
- Fun color options
- “Cute” factor
Where Mini Nubians may be lacking.
- Overall hardiness
- Overall maintenance
If you’re getting goats, you might find this list helpful. Here are some of our most-used and favorite products for our goats. We went through a few duds before we landed on these, and life is so much easier.
Factors When Considering The Best Goat Breed
Determining the best goat breed for your homestead will always come down to your personal criteria. However, here are of the few criteria that we considered along the way.
Flexible Breeding Schedule
While most standard goat breeds only come into heat in the fall/early winter, Nigerian Dwarf goats are a bit different. Many of these goats cycle monthly, allowing for a very flexible breeding schedule. Mini Nubians appear to be a bit of a mystery card. Some cycle like standard goats, and some cycle year-round like Nigerian Dwarves. I really liked the possibility that I may be able to welcome goat kids on our farm year-round. While it’s not guarantee, if we have goats who cycle year-round, we can spread out the kidding schedule, rather than getting a ton of baby kids and all the milk at once.
Manageable Size
Goats tend to be more manageable than cows because of their smaller size. However, some standard size dairy goats are still quite large, and difficult to manage. My goal is to have goats that can be overpowered by me if they have to be. Now, they’re still large enough that overpowering them is difficult. I wouldn’t recommend it. But the ability to block and move these animals on my own if they’re not listening has come hugely in handy. If we ever move on to full size goats or cows, I’ll definitely want to devote a lot of time to their training and cooperation. But in this chapter of life, when spare time is very short, having the ability to pick up or hold a goat in place if I need to is extremely useful.
Delicious Milk Taste
There is a lot of buzz on the internet that certain goat breeds’ milk tastes better than others. However, one should remember that taste is subjective, and depends on the specific goat and even that goat’s current living circumstances. As a general trend, the more butterfat a goat’s milk has, the “better tasting” milk they will have, too. What this usually means is that it will taste more similar to cow’s milk, if not identical to it. (Our goats’ milk tastes exactly like cow milk to us!)
Nigerian Dwarves tend to have the highest butterfat % out of any goat breed, and Nubians usually come in second. Remember, each individual goat and each goat’s lines/genetics will come into play. However, I love that the Mini Nubians have extra high butterfat, while also creating more milk (and therefore typically more total butterfat as well) than the Nigerian Dwarves. This helps not only with milk taste, but means we can make more cream, butter, ice cream, sour cream… all the really good stuff!
Solid Milk Production
When I say “solid” milk production, I mean that mini Nubians create a good amount of milk. Every family or organization will be different with their milk requirements. However, we’ve found that even one mini Nubian doe from good milking lines keeps our family in milk. Our mini Nubian doe “Mama Goat” produces about 3/4 gallon per day on two milkings, and about 1/2 gallon per day on one milking. This is plenty for us. While breeds like Saanens produce much more milk, their butterfat tends to be much lower. We’re most interested in the cream, right now.
Now that we can collect milk along with eggs from our chickens, we’re very happy!
Fun Color Options
If you know me, you know I’m big on the “fun factor” of animals. I really enjoy the surprise of fun colors and patterns in animals, especially when planning to breed. Because Mini Nubains are a mix of two breeds with a fun variation of colors and patterns, it only makes sense that they carry this trait, too. There are so many beautiful ones!
“Cute” Factor When Determining Best Goat Breed
Besides fun colors, I can’t help but mention the cuteness of mini Nubians. They typically have those adorable, floppy, long ears, which are just fun to pet. The way they flop around when they run is so fun, too! Of course, all animals can be cute in their own way. But I find mini Nubains to be some of the cutest. (Of course, this is a matter of personal preference!)
Of course, only you can decide what will be the best goat breed for your homestead. But hopefully these considerations help you in your search! Don’t forget to check out our “Goat Must-Haves” list — we love that super cheap laundry basket wire as a hay feeder, especially!
We’re not experts, so we always recommend talking to the pros for the best advice. This post contains affiliate links which may lead to a commission if purchased. Thanks for your support!