M.L. McKnight
Overrun with beasties
I won't be able to give an answer that will fulfill all of the criteria of your inquiry because I don't deal with miniature breeds of goats. I can tell you about what I have.
I wanted Golden Guernseys but people can WANT a lot of things. I decided that it'd be a good idea to try and find a few good goats first and worry about the breed later. I brought home a Nubian doe, a Nubian x Alpine doe and a Nubian x Alpine buck (unrelated). Those three were the foundation of my goat herd. They all had nice temperament, loved grass/hay and required only a little feed in the evening. The Nubian had a really nice frame and gave a good bit of milk. The Nubian x Alpine was a little smaller but still had a nice frame and she gave a good bit of milk as well. A major difference that I noticed was that the Nubian x Alpine gave a richer milk than the Nubian did. This was important to me because I make cheese (hard cheeses, chevre is overrated).
Fast forward a few years and I have a nice sized herd. All are at least 1/2 Nubian because I like their frame size and growth rate and at least 1/4 Alpine because of their milking qualities. There is a touch of Boer here and there, a few have a tad of Kiko and two are Toggenburgs.
In a nutshell, my goats are mutts. I won't keep anything that is aggressive or doesn't meet my specifications and I have a nice herd because of it. If you are wanting to go the route of having a smaller breed then make sure you are getting what you want and not just little brush goats. Nothing against a brush goat, they just don't make good milkers.
I wanted Golden Guernseys but people can WANT a lot of things. I decided that it'd be a good idea to try and find a few good goats first and worry about the breed later. I brought home a Nubian doe, a Nubian x Alpine doe and a Nubian x Alpine buck (unrelated). Those three were the foundation of my goat herd. They all had nice temperament, loved grass/hay and required only a little feed in the evening. The Nubian had a really nice frame and gave a good bit of milk. The Nubian x Alpine was a little smaller but still had a nice frame and she gave a good bit of milk as well. A major difference that I noticed was that the Nubian x Alpine gave a richer milk than the Nubian did. This was important to me because I make cheese (hard cheeses, chevre is overrated).
Fast forward a few years and I have a nice sized herd. All are at least 1/2 Nubian because I like their frame size and growth rate and at least 1/4 Alpine because of their milking qualities. There is a touch of Boer here and there, a few have a tad of Kiko and two are Toggenburgs.
In a nutshell, my goats are mutts. I won't keep anything that is aggressive or doesn't meet my specifications and I have a nice herd because of it. If you are wanting to go the route of having a smaller breed then make sure you are getting what you want and not just little brush goats. Nothing against a brush goat, they just don't make good milkers.
