There are many breeds of dairy, meat, and fiber goats that farmers keep. We raise Alpines, Lamanchas, Nubians, and Boer goats here at Maranatha Farm. Most of our goats are for milk which we use to feed our calves and goat kids, drink and make into cheese, yogurt, ice cream and Kefir. Below are pictures and information about the types of goats we have here at our farm.
The Alpine:
Alpines are a very colorful breed. They come in so many color patterns and varieties that it can get confusing to beginner goat breeders. The colors that they come in are given French names because the first Alpines brought to America came from France. They are good milk producers and lovely, elegant goats with erect ears and dish faces.
The Lamancha:
The Lamancha is an American breed. It was developed by breeding short eared goats that the Spanish explorers brought to America with various dairy breeds. Lamanchas look as if they have no ears but they do. The ears are just very tiny and curled tightly to the head. Lamancha goats are good milkers and have sweet temperaments.
The Nubian:
Nubian goats have long ears that hang down like a hound dog's. They originally came from England where they were developed by breeding native English dairy goats with breeds brought from Africa and India that had long ears. Nubians are known for their rich creamy milk. They also have a very loud voice and "talk" a lot. We just have a few here on our farm.
The Saanen:
Saanens are considered the "Holstein" of the goat world. They make lots of milk. They originally came from Switzerland. Saanens are all white or cream colored. They have erect ears like Alpines and tend to be bigger goats than the other dairy breeds.
The Nigerian Dwarf:
Nigerian Dwarf goats are a miniature breed that comes from Africa. People keep them for milk, showing, and as pets. This is Bilbo and he is the special pet goat of our daughter Rebecca.
The Boer Goat:
Boer goats are a meat breed of goats. They come from South Africa and have long floppy ears like the Nubian. They are usually white with a red head and neck and black skin on the under side of their tails. But they can have red spots or be solid red or even have black heads instead of red. Like beef cattle they are stockier built and more muscular than the dairy breeds. We have a small herd here at Maranatha Farm that are mainly kept for showing.