Mini-Nubians are a cross between a Nigerian Dwarf buck and a standard Nubian doe. Mini Nubians are bred to look exactly like a standard Nubian, but at a smaller size.
When we started out with goats, we honestly didn’t even do much research on the breeds we wanted. We visited our friend who had these adorable little babies and a doe in milk, and well, a couple of weeks later, we owned goats. Since we have had them, we’ve come to realize that we got really lucky and found the perfect goats from the start! I didn’t even want goats before we saw them which is why I hadn’t researched them as thoroughly and now, I don’t ever want to be without them, they are my favorite animal.
The look
I don’t know about you, but I can’t deny those gorgeous roman noses and ears for days. That is what drew me to the Nubians as well as their sleek and long bodies. There is nothing cuter than a little Nubian kid looking at you with those big eyes and ears, it’s love at first sight.
The size
While they get you with those adorable faces, have you seen a standard Nubian? They are very tall, averaging about 30-35″ at the withers and 150 to over 200lbs. It’s quite intimidating for a new owner to imagine handling a goat this size, especially the bucks. Mini Nubians average height of 24-26″ at the withers and a weight of about 80-100lbs at a mature age. This makes Mini Nubians much easier to handle by the average goat owner as well as the elderly and children.
The milk
Mini-Nubians are perfect for small acreage homesteads. Mini-Nubians can produce about 2/3rds the milk of a standard Nubian doe, yet eat less than half the amount of their standard counterpart. Their milk is rich due to the high butterfat of the Nigerians, but they are much easier to milk and produce more than Nigerians; enough to give you milk to drink, cheese, and yogurt to make, soap to create…so many uses for it! You can expect first fresheners to give you about 2-5lbs (1 -2.5 quarts) per day and more mature does can give up to 8lbs (1 gallon) a day, sometimes more if you have an amazing doe!
The personality
Mini Nubians have fun and loving personalities. They bond with their owners quickly and love all ages of people. They are easy for kids to handle and love to be petted and scratched.
If you are looking for an animal that will give you high amounts of rich and delicious milk on lower amounts of feed, doesn’t take up much space, is friendly and nice to look at, Mini-Nubians are the perfect breed. They are excellent animals to provide for the needs of a small homestead.