I absolutely love some of the dairy breeds like the Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Alpine, Toggs, Oberhasli, Saanen, etc. I like them, they've got nice personalities but I don't think dairy breeds are right for me.
I like Pygmies, Boers, Kikos, Fainters, etc because on dairy breeds it bugs me that you can see ribs and bones. I like my thicker goats much better. It also bugs me that dairy cattle are the same way. Thin animals just bug me too much.
And another reason. There's alot to judge on. The heads, ears, face shape, neck, brisket, legs, feet, rumps, and blending. I suppose it's the same for the Pygmies and Boers but the dairies also are judged on udders. Medials, orfice sizes, milking amounts. There are so many abbrev and *s and +'s and other symbols in their pedigree it gets a bit confusing.
They're also VERY expensive if you want top notch goats.
Not to mention the mane registries. AGS, ADGA, NDGA, NMGA, etc. I don't think I could handle each goat having 2-4 papers per goat.
Boers and Fainters and Silkies also have multiple registries. With Boers there are %, purebred (nearly fullblooded boers, but they'll never be fullblooded), and fullbloods (completely 100% Boer). It's also a bit confusing.
I also must say I've spent lots of time with the bigger dairy goats and I have to say... Of all the breeds I like, my favorites are the Pygmies. They're small, easy to handle, have great attitudes, and reg pygmies don't cost alot (even if they are GREAT in the showring).
Anyway, that's just my two cents worth about the various breeds. And why my herd will ALWAYS be mainly pygmies.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
My dairy girls slim and have dairy character, but they aren't bony. Also, most dairy goats are registered with either the ADGA or the AGS, a lot of people choose to just register with one.
ReplyDeletePygmies are great! We had two and they were fun little goats.
Really though, you should get a LaMancha, even if you just have a pet wether. :)