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I am new to goat packing. Starting from scratch with 4 little bottle babies. They are:
Telluride born March 18th. He is a Saanen (mom is a sable hence the color). The only thing he got from his father (225 Lbs at age 3) is that snow patch. He is a very agile climber and apparent alpha of the herd.
Durango born March 30th. He is a Nubian/Toggenburg cross. We bought him from a ranch in Peyton CO that had pure Toggenburgs' but this little guy crawled in our laps and made my wife and daughter melt. He is the most affectionate animal I've ever met. In true Nubian fashion, if you leave his sight, he cries like a child.
The Twins, Silverton and Ophir (facing camera) are Alpines born on April 2nd. They came to us at 6 weeks of age so they have not had the time to bond with us like the older two. They are friendly and very curious.
I am busy leash training, getting them used to the new electric fence and just having a blast spending as much time as I can with them. Looking forward to learning as much as I can on this forum.
Mike, Florissant CO
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Welcome Mike! I live in Rye, CO. My husband and I breed Alpine/Nubian crosses. I hope you have a great time with your cute little goatlings! Do you have any plans to go to the NAPgA Rendezvous this year?
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they are adorable. I'm particular to Alpines but would steal Durango any time :-)
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Sabine from Germany
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(05-18-2019, 08:30 PM)Nanno Wrote: Welcome Mike! I live in Rye, CO. My husband and I breed Alpine/Nubian crosses. I hope you have a great time with your cute little goatlings! Do you have any plans to go to the NAPgA Rendezvous this year?
I wish I could. I love that area of the Bighorns' but I work that weekend. I will try to plan for it next year with more notice.
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(05-18-2019, 08:31 PM)Sanhestar Wrote: they are adorable. I'm particular to Alpines but would steal Durango any time :-)
Durango has this way about him that the other goats don't. If you lay down he will crawl on your chest, put his cheek on yours and go to sleep. I had read several sources that state the Nubian makes a relatively poor packer due to laziness, loudness etc. but I have high hopes for him. He has heart. He loves to follow and be with his herd of goats and people.
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Sanhestarthey are adorable. I'm particular to Alpines but would steal Durango any time :-)
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(05-19-2019, 07:20 AM)misterburley Wrote: Durango has this way about him that the other goats don't. If you lay down he will crawl on your chest, put his cheek on yours and go to sleep. I had read several sources that state the Nubian makes a relatively poor packer due to laziness, loudness etc. but I have high hopes for him. He has heart. He loves to follow and be with his herd of goats and people.
The other Nubian trait that many people don't talk about and which most packers don't realize is that the breed is typically very affectionate toward people--far more so than other dairy breeds. It's one reason we breed Alpine/Nubian crosses. A purebred Nubian may be lazy, but he will probably follow you on the trail anyway because he's loyal to you even if he isn't very dedicated to the work. With the crossbreds at least, the loudness usually gets a lot less with age. Ours seem to stop vocalizing almost entirely by the time they're about 2-3 years old.
One reason I think Nubians can be "lazy" is because the wooden saddles that generally fit the Alpines very well do not fit the typically broad Nubian backs at all. People don't realize this and they saddle the goat and weigh him down with packs, but they don't realize that the saddle is pinching very painfully and that's why their goat is stopping, laying down, crying, and turning back toward the trailhead. I'm becoming more and more convinced that there are very few "lazy" goats in the world. When a goat isn't working well, it's probably because he's hurting somewhere but he doesn't have any way to tell you. Some goats will push through the pain and work anyway, but Nubians are definitely more sensitive than other breeds and they will usually tell you when something hurts.
Your babies are adorable. I hope you have many great adventures with them in the years to come!
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By the way, I love their names. They all come from southwest Colorado! I grew up in Lake City so that is the part of the state I'm most familiar with and most fond of. I hosted a NAPgA Rendezvous in Lake City two years ago. I'd love to host another one in Colorado in the next couple if years if the board agrees.
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05-19-2019, 03:00 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-19-2019, 03:01 PM by misterburley.)
(05-19-2019, 02:05 PM)Nanno Wrote: By the way, I love their names. They all come from southwest Colorado! I grew up in Lake City so that is the part of the state I'm most familiar with and most fond of. I hosted a NAPgA Rendezvous in Lake City two years ago. I'd love to host another one in Colorado in the next couple if years if the board agrees.
We love the San Juans. Next goat name in line is Ouray. I really enjoy Lake City a lot too but it doesn't have that goat name ring to it
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No, "Lake City" isn't a good goat name, but San Cristobal could be. Or how about Slumgullion?
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