Goat Question: Is it safe to breed a miniature goat doe to a larger breed buck?
Question From Subscriber:
Is it safe to breed a Nigerian Dwarf goat to a Nubian or a LaMancha
buck? - Richele D.
Answer:
With a Nigerian and a Nubian, what you're referring to would produce what's known as a Mini-Nubian goat, and many people like to breed Mini-Nubians.
However, you do NOT normally want to breed a Nigerian doe with a Nubian buck. The reason is that Nigerians are a miniature goat breed while Nubians are a standard sized breed.
Therefore, if you bred a Nigerian doe to a Nubian buck, you'll end up
with a miniature goat trying to deliver standard sized babies. The
outcome is often not good, and sometimes fatal to both the doe and her new kids.
Baby goats getting stuck in the birth canal due to being too big is
already somewhat of a problem even when you're not cross-breeding different sized goats. If you cross-breed a mini-goat doe with a larger buck, you'll just be increasing the risks of those problems.
Instead, you'll want to breed the other way around. In other words,
breed a Nigerian buck with a Nubian doe.
The same kind of logic applies to breeding Nigerians and LaManchas.
Another issue you'll run into is - how do you get a short buck to breed a taller doe?
Many times he can't reach high enough to get the job done.
It can be humorous. But it's do-able. Breeders get it done all the time.
Some people try to provide a pallet for the buck to stand on.
But pallets have spaces where the buck's feet can drop through, so
that's not a perfect solution.
Some people watch for the doe in heat, and then try to drop an old tire with a board on top, so the buck can stand on it.
And sometimes you may have to hold the doe in place so the buck can take care of business.
There are all kinds of creative ways people find to make it happen.
You can tell they're successful because there are lots of Mini-Nubians and Mini-Lamanchas around, as well as mini crosses with other breeds as well.
Thanks again for contacting us.
Feel free to ask any other questions you may have from time to time.
Take care!
Thanks,
Rebecca and Steve
GoatFarmers.com
P.S. - For more info on breeding, check out our article here...
https://www.goatfarmers.com/bl
