Nubian goat breed: description and breeding

Nubian goats are distinguished by their large, drooping ears, like those of spaniels. The type is one of the oldest in the world – similar goats are found in many countries that have long been engaged in goat breeding.

But the modern type of Nubian goats was bred in England, so they are correctly called Anglo-Nubian. The breed combines good milk and meat qualities.

Although Nubians are inferior to other animals in milk yield, they are distinguished by a high content of fat and protein. The difficulty of breeding Nubian goats is the lack of breeding material in our country.

Characteristics and description of the breed

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Nubian goats were bred in Africa. Their fame and popularity began in the 19th century, when the English learned about their productive qualities.

Later in England they began improving and adapting the Nubian breed of goats to European conditions. Nowadays, Nubians are usually understood to mean the Anglo-Nubian breed of goats and similar crossbreeds.

The Anglo-Nubian goat is a large dairy breed known for its high-quality, tasty milk without the characteristic goat odor. The high fat and protein content is highly prized by cheese makers.

The Anglo-Nubian goat was developed in the British Isles in the 19th century by crossing breeds of English, Middle Eastern and North African origin.

Anglo-Nubian goats are characterized by their heads with a Roman profile and wide, drooping, long ears. The main thing is that they meet the breed standard, i.e. have a Roman nose and long, bell-shaped, drooping ears.

The breed is characterized by a large, solidly built body, high legs, a typical beak-shaped head and wide, drooping ears. Horns are not a typical characteristic.

The back is straight and long, at the sacrum it may be slightly higher than at the withers. The udder is round with a wide base. The division into lobes is not expressed.

Description of the breed:

• ears – a typical characteristic of the Anglo-Nubian goat is long, wide ears hanging down, the length of the auricles is 15-25 cm;
• head shape – convex, with a pronounced hump on the nose (Roman profile);
• head short;
• upper lip shorter than the lower one and therefore the teeth are exposed;
• eyes large;
• cheekbones expressed;
• wool short and thin;
• suit black, dark brown or reddish brown with or without white markings;
• breed is distinguished by its long legs
• horns – most animals are dehorned, few are polled, males may have large horns, set to the side and slightly twisted, and females have small, saber-shaped horns;
• earrings – the English standard excludes animals with earrings, in other countries there may be exceptions;
• beard – not regulated, but usually Nubian goats do not have a beard, and the male goat has a small one;

The color can be any: solid or a combination of several colors (spotted like Dalmatians and striped like zebras). Their fur is soft and silky compared to other breeds.

Nubians are a large breed, with females reaching 76 cm or more in height and males reaching 81 cm or more.

It should be understood that Nubian goats have two specific traits. They are very stubborn and willful and love to scream.

The vocal abilities of these goats can drive even the most patient goat owner crazy, but what a joy they will bring to your neighbors.

So this is an ideal breed if your neighbors keep geese – now let them get used to animal cries!

Measurements of Anglo-Nubian hybrid goats of a private farm

Productivity

The milk productivity of goats ranges from 3,5 to 5 liters per day. The milk of Nubian goats is creamy in color and has a pleasant creamy taste without the specific smell typical of the milk of goats of other breeds.

To date, the record annual milk yield of 2531 kg has been officially recorded among Nubians in England, and the maximum daily milk yield recorded at the BGS show was 8,25 kg (in 24 hours).

The breed is characterized by high fat and protein content in milk. In the USA, the average fat content is 4,5-5%.

The animals belong to the meat and milk type, therefore the milk yield indicators are inferior to specialized breeds. The best representatives show results of 750-1000 kg of milk per lactation.

But the average milk production figures are as follows:

• milk yield for 305 days of lactation – 608,7±83,64 kg;
• milk fat content – 4,30 ±0,03%
• milk fat for 305 days of lactation – 26,96 ±3,79 kg;
• protein content – ​​3,61%;
• daily milk yield – 1,84±0,20 kg;
• lactose – 4,5%;
• vitamin A – 0,014 mg/100g;
• vitamin C – 1,7 mg/100g;
• essential amino acids – 125,3 mg/kg;
• density – 1028 kg/m³;
• acidity – 19-20.

Domestic studies show a high consumption of milk from Nubian goats for the production of cottage cheese (5,2 kg of milk per 1 kg of cottage cheese) – in this indicator they are inferior to Saanen, Alpine and a number of other dairy breeds.

But in terms of fat and protein content in the finished cheese, Nubians are superior to these same breeds.

But the most important thing is the high cheese-making quality of Nubian milk.

To produce 1 kg of feta cheese, 4-4,4 kg of milk is required, which is almost 500 grams less than from goats of other breeds. In addition, the resulting cheese contains more fat and protein.

Considering that Nubian goats are not much inferior in milk productivity (milk yield for 305 days of lactation), breeding this breed for the purpose of cheese production is very promising.

High levels of fat and protein in milk, good cheese yield, and a strong constitution increase the potential for using the Nubian breed.

In addition to purebred breeding, Anglo-Nubian goats are actively used in improving crossbreeding. In most cases, purebred bucks are purchased and mated with local goats.

But work is also actively underway on crossing with Saanen and other dairy breeds. This is necessary to increase the fat content of milk (Saanen milk is low-fat and is not suitable for making cheese – it is very expensive).

In addition, improving crossbreeding allows for significant savings – one male goat costs significantly less than a batch of female goats.

Therefore, in Russia, as well as in many other countries, purebred breeding of Nubian goats is not represented. Moreover, there is a danger of acquiring various kinds of crossbreeds under the guise of purebred animals – some goat breeders are dishonest.

Breeding

Since the breed is young, there is no large breeding base. And in our country they are practically absent. The first attempts to import these goats were made in 1999 and now the situation has not changed at all.

There are no breeding farms in our country, and in 99% of cases they sell not purebred Nubians, but unknown crossbreeds with drooping ears.

Therefore, purebreds can only be purchased abroad.

But one should remember about the breed classification:

• RV (purebred) – 100% purebred animals in the 10th generation;
• AM (american) – at least 3-4 purebred ancestors in the family tree, 3 for goats, 4 for bucks;
• RG (registered grade) – one of the parents is registered as purebred, the second ancestor is unknown or has no documents.

But even if you buy this breed, you will not get rid of difficulties. Anglo-Nubians are very heat-loving animals and do not like our climate.

There are experiments on crossing Nubians with wool and down breeds, but this is a perversion that deforms the phenotype. Therefore, a warm goat house with excellent ventilation is absolutely necessary – goats are demanding of air pollution.

The next problem is the stubbornness of these animals. They are very difficult to care for, so there are great difficulties in automating production and breeding on a large farm.

In addition, this goat is very demanding in terms of the quality of feed – a deficiency leads to a sharp drop in productivity.

Cold storage

The feeding and maintenance conditions of Anglo-Nubian goats in their homeland and in the North-West region have significant differences.

This is due to the fact that when the temperature drops, more caloric food and a higher temperature in the room where the animals are kept are required.

Goats of this breed do not tolerate drafts and therefore they must be kept in an insulated, windproof goat house. In summer it is not heated, in winter the temperature is maintained at 17-18℃.

For proper air exchange, the goat house is equipped with ventilation with a recuperator for the return of thermal energy. The goat house is also equipped with a bactericidal lamp, which is switched on when the herd is walking.

In the spring and summer, the goats are free-range during daylight hours; in the autumn and winter, they are moved to a goat house with daily walks. Feeding in the winter occurs in the morning and evening.

In addition to hay, the goats’ diet includes a brewed mash of grass meal, sunflower cake, beet pulp, bran, flattened oats with the addition of dried fruits. In the summer, the brewed feed is given to them once a day, the rest is hay, green grass, branches, and bushes.

Brewed pulp is of great importance in the diet, necessary to facilitate the process of milk expression without causing discomfort to the animal; it makes up no more than 30% of the total amount of feed.

The diet also includes fruits and vegetables (apples, carrots, zucchini, with the exception of cabbage). An important element of the diet is water, the temperature of which should be from 25 to 35°C.

Breeding Anglo-Nubian goats in the North-West region is possible with careful observance of the conditions of keeping and feeding, but requires more economic investment.

With proper selection work, it is possible to obtain resistant, productive hybrids of this still exotic breed.

Feeding

When breeding goats, it is necessary to create a special menu for them for different seasons. In summer, supplement with food or use grass and other vegetation as a basis.

Stock up on hay for the winter. Although this breed was bred artificially, Nubians do not require a special diet and consume the same food as their relatives of other breeds.

Among them:

• hay;
• fresh grass;
• branches (willow, linden, hazel, spruce, acacia, etc.);
• cake;
• concentrated feed (barley, oats, corn);
• bran;
• fresh fruits (apples, pears);
• vegetables (beets, carrots, potatoes);
• vegetable waste.

Animals should have constant access to water; in winter, salt is added to it. It is also recommended to enrich the goats’ diet with nutrients – chalk, vitamins, etc.

To replenish the deficiency of chlorine and sodium, goats are given salt blocks, the so-called licks.

Natural preparation of table salt should be available to all animals. Adults need 10-15 g of salt per day, young animals – up to 8 g.

To ensure that goats produce enough milk in winter, the animals’ diet should look like this:

• three meals a day;
• about 5 kg of hay per day;
• about 1 kg of fresh vegetables, finely chopped branches and silage;
• 2 kg of cereals;
• Each animal requires 300 g of feed and an additional 250-300 g for each kilogram of milk yield.

Origin

Nubian goats are most likely the oldest breed known to mankind. It is a misconception that goats from Nubia, a desert region in northern Sudan, played a major role in the creation of the Anglo-Nubian breed.

As is known, this breed is a combination of mainly two pure breeds – English and Nubian. In the early stages of the breed’s development, a small percentage of Swiss blood was added.

The first Nubians imported to England arrived from France in 1883, a pair named Arabi Pasha and Eida. Ali Baba was imported in 1891. By 1879, the Anglo-Nubian breed had been created with virtually only four imported bucks.

According to the British Stud Book, the following:

1. Sedgemere Chancellor. Nubian (Jumna Pari) horned. Imported 1896.
2. Sedgemere Sangar. Nubian (Zaraiby or Zaraibi) horned. Imported 1904.
3. Bricket Cross. Nubian (Chitral) Horned. Imported 1904.
4. Bricket Zoo. Nubian hornless. Imported 1904.

Two bucks (1 and 3) had a major influence on the breed, producing 29 and 72 offspring respectively. Sedgemere Chancellor produced the best dairy goat, Sedgemere Louise.

As early as 1896 the Anglo-Nubian breed of goats were imported to America, but most of these animals were lost to the breed until Mr. J. Gregg brought three animals – a Holly Lodge Shingle goat and Wigmore Brownie and Wigmore Pansy goats.

In 1913, he also imported a pair of Anglo-Nubian goats from Great Britain: Scriventon Bellerphone and Luxor Butane.

These animals formed the nucleus from which the Anglo-Nubian goats of America were derived. Mr. J. Gregg bred two lines: Holly Lodge Shingle of the Bonzai line, which was a grandson of Bricket Cross and a great-grandson and great-grandson of Sedgemere Sangers and Inkyo by Scriveton Bellerophone.

Between 1909 and 1918 the word “Anglo” was dropped from the breed name and 40 of these goats were registered in America as purebred Nubians.

In 1917, Major D.C. Mowat brought five more Anglo-Nubians to Canada from England, including Harborough Volunteer and Edenbrook Cyrus, a snow-white hornless sire of many Nubians, including Spring Beauty AR #7, the first Nubian to be eligible for an AR.

Nubians are the most popular breed in the United States and continue to outnumber all currently recognized breeds.

There is some confusion about the origin of the breed and its name.

It is not known exactly whether there are differences between the Nubian, Anglo-Nubian, and American Nubian breeds sold in our country, since in most cases they were crossed with various goats, including mongrel ones.

However, the Nubian breed of goats was bred in the historical regions of Nubia, Upper Egypt and Ethiopia. It is bred in a number of African countries, as well as in the United States. Other names are Sahel, Arabian, Maure, Tuareg, Fulani.

Nubian goats

Reviews

Productivity is the main indicator for which Nubian goats are bred. High milk yield (almost all year round), fatty milk and lots of juicy meat are the unconditional advantages of the breed. This is the goal that breeders pursued when breeding Nubians.

According to farmers, other advantages include:

• good fattening qualities;
• increase in milk yield after each lambing;
• offspring twice a year (each time up to three kids);
• viability of young individuals;
• loyalty to the owner (subject to proper upbringing).

High productivity can be achieved with proper animal care, which is not always easy.

Despite all the advantages, Nubian goats also have disadvantages:

• They are demanding of warmth, and have a hard time withstanding the harsh Russian winters. Animals must be kept clean, dry, and at a comfortable temperature.
• The animals are distinguished by their bad character: stubbornness, willfulness, aggression towards other ungulates. It is problematic to keep Nubian goats with other breeds in the same herd.
• A minor minus is the loud voice of the Nubians, which they give at every opportunity.

Is it profitable to breed?

Nubian goats are a profitable, albeit troublesome, business. Breeders ask for a lot of money for an elite specimen, but the goats respond with excellent productivity.

The owner is required to provide the animals with regular care and proper nutrition. Large expenses are not envisaged, only for the purchase of purebred goats. You can buy both young animals and adults.

For breeding production, 4 individuals from different litters are required (to avoid unwanted mixing).