# Mini-Mancha or Mini-Nubian



## supermom (Feb 24, 2009)

If you were going to have a Mini, would you pick a Mini-Nubian or a Mini-Mancha? 

And why?

Thanks!
Monica


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## laughter777 (Jun 16, 2008)

I would go with a Mini Mancha, but only because my first dairy goat was a Mini Mancha...I loved her and miss her every day!! I don't know anything about the Mini Nubians so can't offer any advice on them!


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

I'm seriously thinking about getting into mini-Nubians, but I love Nubians. It's the ears.  Which full sized breed do you like better?


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## supermom (Feb 24, 2009)

Well, that is the thing. I only had Nigies until recently. I bought 2 Nubians and 1 LM. I will soon have babies from all of them (one just kidded, one in Feb. and one in March). I have TOO many goats. I don't know who to get rid of. The LM doeling I have will be a year in February and due to kid in March. She is aggravating, but sweet. I think she is aggravating because she is still a child herself. A friend said LM milk was not real tasty compared to the Nubian or Nigie. Is that true of all LM's? I have just started milking my FF Nubian and she's being difficult, but her milk tastes good. I would want to keep her if I can get her to behave. I'm trying to figure out which moms to keep and which kids to keep. I still have 3 Nigie does, too. I like the size of the Nigies. They are manageable to me, but I need more production which is why I thought I'd breed for some Mini's. But now I am feeling overwhelmed! AHHh!!!


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## Dana (Dec 7, 2009)

I would definitely get one of each!!! :biggrinI love Nubians and LaManchas. But if forced to choose, I guess I'd go with the mini-mancha. They are so super sweet!


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

LM milk is wonderful. The butterfat is only sl behind nubians and the volume is greater. for me teh best reason to go with MM is the temperament of the LM rather than the nubians.


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## supermom (Feb 24, 2009)

Thanks Quiverfull. That is exactly what I was looking for. I just wish they had ears!  Now....will she give me a doeling? :yes


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

AAaawww try both breeds ! I have big LM's with puppy dog ears (elf ears) and their milk taste like half/half ,I dont need the fat and cholesterol :nooo so LM milk works for me to drink but for cheese I need richer milk ,however you have your N they produce rich milk and the blend would work great for cheese. Now those "Long EARS" ... on N just cant be beat ... you could sit and hold the N doe and stroke her long velvet ears to relax and ponder things :biggrin and her milk would be heavenly .. just couldn't ask for anything more :biggrin

doeling :yes


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## Natural Beauty Farm (Feb 10, 2009)

Mini Nubian here. The ears have so much character and I don't think there is any difference in sweetness between the breeds, just personality differences. There is nothing like watching 50 goats come flying down the mountain when I wake up and walk out in the morning.


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## Daniel Babcock (May 28, 2008)

For me . . . I love the MM's. Nigerians and Nubians are too loud, mix them and in my experience get the worst of both worlds. My MM's produce great tasting milk, they are so sweet, well behaved and quiet!


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

The MM has the best of both worlds temperment and milk in the pail also nice rich milk. 
You have a long road to hoe in getting correctness with the MN not so much with the MM. 
Believe me I have been down both roads. and sold out my MN.


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## supermom (Feb 24, 2009)

Sondra, I'm not doing this to get correctness in appearance, but for my own personal milker. You said I have a long ways to go. Is that to look like a true Mini Nubian or to be a good little milker? She has airplane ears, but does that indicate at all how she will be as a milker? I'm sure there is no way for you to predict with certainty how this little girl will turn out in the milk pail, but what exactly do you mean by I have a long ways to go? If I can get this Nubian to behave on the milk stand, then I will probably keep her. But do I want to keep her doeling??? I thought I did. I mean the Nigie buck she is bred to has fabulous genetics, so even if she takes 100% after he dad, she will likely be a good producer (for a Nigie). Hmmmm.........


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

She said a long ways to go with correctness, meaning, I believe, conforming with a mini-nubian breed standard...ie roman nose, pendulous ears. It's easier to do with a mini-mancha because the ears are the big issue and the lack of ear seems to be a dominant trait. As far as milking, that's a totally different thing. How much milk are you looking for? My kinders (nubianXpygmy...and therefore, not that different from a mini-nubian, genetics-wise, just less dairy in build, and probably not as much milk in the pail and maybe not as nice in the udder/teat dept.) milk better than 4#/day at peak.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You'll not like my answer either...but as a Nubian breeder even calling most of the mini-nubians, Nubians......well they aren't. They are nigerian dwarfs with airplane ears  For myself like Sondra, breed standard is part of breeding goats, cause you can milk anything. If you really were doing this just for the milk and not cause of the breed than you would milk Saanens or Alpines 

So I picked mini-lamancha's mostly because I love their voices, I missed having one when my daughter sold her show herd when she graduated high school in 2001. I now milk 4 of them and have said many times if the economy crashes we will be eating Nubians and milking mini-lamanchas. But with all breeds of minis it's about teat length and udder, and just like there are those who don't breed for breed character, there are those who breed only for pets and you don't want that cup of milk they produce or those itty bitty teats to milk twice a day to get out that cup of milk!

And yes it bugs me in my mini-lamanchas that they really don't have a correct head..... YET! Vicki


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## supermom (Feb 24, 2009)

Well, I want something small with rich milk, so that is why I want something bred to a Nigie. I don't want to ever have a large buck, and I have 2 very nice Nigie bucks, so.....I want to cross them with a bigger dairy breed. I've done what you said....milked 4 Nigies last year to get less than a gallon of milk at our peak. I was expecting so much more, and was so disappointed. I heard a MM could give you more milk for your feed, so that is what got me interested in moving to a Mini. I can call them Nubian/Nigie crosses if that would sound better to you ;o). One has airplane ears and one has Nubian ears...so far.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

I've found, too, that if the crosses start with more nubian looking ears but not necessarily as long as they would be on a PB nubian, that they are looking less nubian by the time the goats are fully grown. The goat in my profile is a kinder buckling. He is now 1 year old and his ears, while not entirely airplane, are really good nubian ears, either...though they are not unlike some ears that I have seen on nubian bucks.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

It is all in what you personally want Monica. I personally believe you will have more milk in the bucket with a MM but that is IMO. you will get good rich milk with either. I just have a problem with getting a goodd Nubian confirmation knowing full well I still had a ways to go with the LaMancha confirmation but way way better in less time than the MN plus more milk and much better personality.


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## supermom (Feb 24, 2009)

Thanks Sondra. I hope we get a doeling from the LM in March!


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