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I am wondering if there are any other Toggenburg fans out there? I have been breeding and working with them the past couple years. I think they're great, and underrated as pack goats. I use a Toggenburg stud, Andre, who is actually very big, and produces awesome, mellow babies. The moms are various crosses of Toggenburg, Nubian, and Alpine, and after two years of training these babies, here are my thoughts:
1/2 Togg/1/2 Alpine makes goats that have the Toggenburg sturdiness but the Alpine long legs, athleticism and energy. They are quiet, and good for someone who really wants to work them, and will hike for miles. But be sure to have high fences, and not let them out in your yard where there are nice cars around. Also make sure to have a spray bottle during the head butting baby stage so you can train them out of that.
3/4 Togg, 1/8 Alpine, 1/8 Nubian makes a mellower goat who still has the same Alpine energy as the previous cross. But the Nubian voice is a dominant trait, and you will have to be okay with that. It does come in handy to have one or two of them in your herd, because if you ever lose the goats you can call and they will give a yell and lead the rest of the herd to you. Too many, and it might get noisy around the farm, but you can mitigate this by not babying them too much when they are little.
3/4 Togg or more: sturdy, mellowest of all, and I personally like these the best, but they seem to be a little less athletic than the ones with more Alpine traits and it's important to keep them in shape. They also may have a little less work ethic, so it seems important to bottle feed them or at least not let them bond to their moms too much. Quiet, don't head butt much, don't jump on things or jump fences. The yearling I have is the nicest goat I've ever met, friendly but not at all obnoxious, I can even keep him with the milk goat herd and he behaves. He does seem to be getting pretty big, he's my biggest one at this point but is the least dominant of the three big boys. Best for less strenuous backpackers who like to stop and smell the flowers and not have to deal with a bunch of goat drama.
So in conclusion, I'd say that it's worth it to consider Toggenburgs or crosses when buying a pack goat. Also, the moms are the best milk goats - Cricket is tiny but makes about 1 1/2 gallons a day of the best tasting milk, larger Toggs can make up to 3 gallons a day- and the girls are also mellow and don't jump on things. I like to have a breed that is good for both milkers and packers, so all my babies get good homes and don't get eaten. And the babies that seem like they may be too mellow for packing, those are the ones that will be most valuable to sell as breeders.
1/2 Togg/1/2 Alpine makes goats that have the Toggenburg sturdiness but the Alpine long legs, athleticism and energy. They are quiet, and good for someone who really wants to work them, and will hike for miles. But be sure to have high fences, and not let them out in your yard where there are nice cars around. Also make sure to have a spray bottle during the head butting baby stage so you can train them out of that.
3/4 Togg, 1/8 Alpine, 1/8 Nubian makes a mellower goat who still has the same Alpine energy as the previous cross. But the Nubian voice is a dominant trait, and you will have to be okay with that. It does come in handy to have one or two of them in your herd, because if you ever lose the goats you can call and they will give a yell and lead the rest of the herd to you. Too many, and it might get noisy around the farm, but you can mitigate this by not babying them too much when they are little.
3/4 Togg or more: sturdy, mellowest of all, and I personally like these the best, but they seem to be a little less athletic than the ones with more Alpine traits and it's important to keep them in shape. They also may have a little less work ethic, so it seems important to bottle feed them or at least not let them bond to their moms too much. Quiet, don't head butt much, don't jump on things or jump fences. The yearling I have is the nicest goat I've ever met, friendly but not at all obnoxious, I can even keep him with the milk goat herd and he behaves. He does seem to be getting pretty big, he's my biggest one at this point but is the least dominant of the three big boys. Best for less strenuous backpackers who like to stop and smell the flowers and not have to deal with a bunch of goat drama.
So in conclusion, I'd say that it's worth it to consider Toggenburgs or crosses when buying a pack goat. Also, the moms are the best milk goats - Cricket is tiny but makes about 1 1/2 gallons a day of the best tasting milk, larger Toggs can make up to 3 gallons a day- and the girls are also mellow and don't jump on things. I like to have a breed that is good for both milkers and packers, so all my babies get good homes and don't get eaten. And the babies that seem like they may be too mellow for packing, those are the ones that will be most valuable to sell as breeders.
