The Herd

At Diamond D Ranch, we keep a smaller herd, which makes requires us to only keep the best dairy goats.

For more info, click each photo.

Let's talk about something..

What is a Mini Nubian Goat?

The Mini-Nubian is a mid-sized goat being of mixed Nigerian Dwarf and Nubian origin. It is known for being a graceful, elegant animal standing between 23-31 inches and comes in any color or pattern of short, fine, glossy hair. This mid-sized goat is known for its ease of milking; producing a high quantity and quality of milk whose butterfat yield is similar to that of the standard Nubian.

Emphasis is placed on a structurally correct animal with a well-attached mammary that milks with ease. This breed was originally designed for small farms and homesteaders who milk by hand and needed a smaller animal for handling and feeding purposes.

The breed character that sets the Mini-Nubian apart from other Mini breeds, is a nose that is never dished, but slightly to strongly convex (with the strongly convex being more desirable), as well as distinctive, long, wide, and pendulous ears that when held along the face reach the end of the nose.

No part of the Mini-Nubian should be coarse, but instead dairy and refined (with masculinity for bucks); with soft supple skin and mammary, strong correct legs, wide flat bone throughout, sharp shoulder blending into a long and graceful neck, and ample width and depth for kidding and milking purposes.

What's with all the F's?

Understanding Mini Dairy Goat Generations

Mini-Dairy goats are a group of new dairy breeds that are being created by taking a full-size dairy doe and breeding it to a Nigerian Dwarf buck. The goal is to produce a mid-size dairy goat that looks like the standard size breed. One of the things that have been confusing to many people is the percentages listed on the pedigree. This is the amount of standard-sized goat and Nigerian blood that is in the Mini-Dairy goat. This article will attempt to explain where those numbers come from. The other thing that is often misunderstood is the generation of a mini-dairy goat.

Understanding Generations: A first-generation (F1) is when one of the parents is a Nigerian Dwarf (ND) or a Standard sized doe (one of the recognized dairy breeds). Usually, the first cross is an ND buck x Standard doe rather than the other way around. Then if you breed an F1 to another F1 you have a second-generation (F2). F2xF2 = F3 and so on. The generation of the kid is always one generation higher than the lowest generation parent with the foundation animals (ND or Standard breed) being considered 0 generations. So, if you breed an F3 to an F1 it is an F2. Even if you bred an F6 to an F1 you would only have an F2.

*Information on this page courtesy of The Miniature Dairy Goat Association.