This is S'Mores. She is a third generation, registered, Miniature Nubian doeling. In a few weeks, she will be the newest member of our farm family. She comes from Winter's Moon Farm in Staley, NC. You can learn more about Winter's Moon at the following link:
Everyone loves the floppy ears of the Nubian, but Standard Nubians get SOOOOO big! The MiniNubians are smaller than the Nubian but larger than the Nigerian Dwarf. MiniNubian bucks are around 22-30 inches at the withers. Mini Nubian does range in height from 20-28 inches. Most of my does are about 24-25 inches with some as small as 21 ½. Their smaller size makes them a lot easier to handle than their larger relatives, so hoof trimming, clipping, showing and milking become much easier. They are just the right size for young, elderly or handicapped persons. The MiniNubian is bred to look like the Nubian with those adorable floppy ears and roman noses, but to stay small. Another advantage of the MiniNubian (especially for those who have small acreage) is that the Mini Nubian can produce 2/3rds the amount of milk as a Nubian on about half the feed. Talk about efficient! The Mini Nubian makes the perfect home milker as they give 1 quart (2 lbs) to 1 1/4 gallons (10 lbs) of rich milk daily. The average milk per day for a mature MiniNubian doe is about 4-6 pounds. The Mini Nubian also has a wonderful personality. They are very friendly, love attention and are very good with children. What is a MiniNubian? The MiniNubian is a cross between a Nigerian Dwarf and a Nubian. The goal in breeding Mini Nubians is to produce a mid-size dairy goat with good conformation, high milk production, and the pendulous ears and roman nose of the Nubian. The first generation of MiniNubians are usually created by breeding a Nigerian Dwarf buck to a Nubian doe. When you breed a first generation to another 1st generation Mini, the kids are second generation. When two second generations are bred, their kids are third generation and so on. Many first and second generation Mini Nubians have airplane ears. MiniNubians can be any color or combination of colors.
I am excited about the new breed of miniatures being introduced to our family and to our farm!
Photo Courtesy of Gloria Winters.