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These charming at first glance, cute creatures appeared in Russia not so long ago, only at the beginning of this century, but have already become quite widely known, especially among goat breeders. Perhaps even more common is the English breed.Nubian goats The only thing that hinders us is the financial side of the issue - the price for purebred Nubians is clearly overpriced and starts from 100 - 150 thousand rubles.
Therefore, these goats are often crossed with other, no less interesting breeds: Alpine and Saanen, and the result is also very highly productive animals, but at a lower price. Due to the fact that real breeding of dairy goat breeds is still poorly developed in Russia, such half-breeds are still in high demand and allow those who do not have enough money to buy a purebred goat to enjoy communication with the Anglo-Nubian breed.
History of the breed
The Anglo-Nubian goat breed only gained recognition as an English breed in the 1960s. Before this, its history was very diverse. In the second half of the 19th century, many goats and goats were imported into England from India, the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. All of them were often called eastern, although they originated from different places.They were actively crossed with local pointy-eared old English goats, and special representatives began to appear with very long legs, a peculiar Roman nose and long ears hanging down.
Nubia was the name of a large territory in North Africa. In 1893, goat crosses with these characteristics were officially given the name Anglo-Nubian. After 1910, the influx of new “blood” from the southeast ceased, and some of it was supplemented with goats from Switzerland for better acclimatization to the cool and rainy climate of England. At the beginning of the 20th century, the breed finally took shape in England and was exported to the USA. In America, it has taken root remarkably well and was even improved by local breeders. At least, the main specimens of the Anglo-Nubian breed came to Russia at the beginning of the 21st century from the USA.
Description of the breed, main characteristics
Anglo-Nubian goats look quite unusual and different from most dairy goats.
- They have a long and thin body of a characteristic milky type.
- The neck is also thin and long. The legs are quite long and always proportional to the body.
- The head is medium in size, the muzzle has a noticeable convex profile (the so-called Roman nose).
- There are no tassels on the face at all, the eyes are particularly expressive, very lively, the shape of the eyes is almond-shaped.
- And, of course, the hallmark of the Anglo-Nubian goat breed, by which it can be distinguished from others at first glance, is its wide and long ears, hanging even several centimeters below the muzzle.
- The coat is smooth, short and glossy and comes in different shades of brown, black and white, sometimes plain, sometimes spotted.
- The udder fits tightly to the body, round in shape, quite large in size with well-developed elongated nipples.
Animals of the Anglo-Nubian breed are very powerful, strong and at the same time graceful. The height at the withers for goats is at least 76 cm, and for a male goat - at least 82 cm. Adult goats weigh from 60 to 70 kg, the average weight of goats is about 80 kg, but can reach up to 100-120 kg.
The breed is a meat and dairy breed, although in Russia it is not customary to keep goats for meat, especially such expensive ones as the Anglo-Nubian ones.
Milk production of Anglo-Nubian goats
The milk of Anglo-Nubian goats is famous for its delicious creamy taste, as it has a fat content of 5 to 9%, as well as a high protein content. Thanks to these characteristics, it is from the milk of Anglo-Nubian goats that the largest yield of cheese and cottage cheese is obtained. Well, there are so many legends about the usefulness of goat milk. It is indeed closest in composition to mother’s breast milk, has anti-allergenic properties and is ideal for baby food.
In addition, the milk does not have any foreign smell or aroma. Interestingly, the quality characteristics of milk from Anglo-Nubian goats do not change depending on the conditions of detention, but the amount of milk may decrease if the goat lacks any essential nutrients and vitamins.
An interesting feature is that goats of the Anglo-Nubian breed do not have a characteristic odor, so it is possible to keep them in the same room as dairy goats.
The average milk yield of a first-calf goat of the Anglo-Nubian breed is about 3 liters per day. In the future, with each new lambing, milk yield increases and can reach 6-7 liters per day. But these figures are valid only if the goats are adequately fed. The lactation period lasts on average about 300 days, but this does not mean that the goat’s milk yield remains the same throughout the entire period. The peak of milk yield usually occurs in the next few months after lambing; subsequently, the amount of milk decreases and by the start-up period (when the goat is not milked), milk yield can be halved or even tripled.
Lambing theoretically can occur twice a year, but this adversely affects the health of the goat, so usually goats give birth once a year, and there can be from two to five kids.
Keeping goats
Initially, Anglo-Nubian goats were famous for being quite capricious in their maintenance. This applied, first of all, to the organization of a warm winter at a temperature not lower than +16°C. But according to breeders, goats adapt well to normal Russian conditions after just one or two generations. True, they still need a relatively warm room in winter, and, most importantly, with moderate humidity and without drafts.
Otherwise, Anglo-Nubian goats are not picky about their living conditions. They need walking in any weather, except for outright bad weather, such as frost below -15°C, stormy winds or heavy rain. The stalls must be equipped with special raised beds for the goats to rest, and a layer of straw or sawdust bedding on the floor is desirable.
Feeding goats
Despite the importance of feeding in the process of caring for Anglo-Nubian goats, there is nothing complicated in preparing the feed itself and half of it can be prepared on your own if you live in a rural area.
So, in the summer, the main food for Anglo-Nubian goats is grass and branches growing in the area where bushes and trees are grazed. In the evening, additional feeding of 0.5 to 3 kg of grain or concentrates is possible during the period of active lactation. It is advisable to give grain crops in ground form for better absorption. Bran, which is usually brewed with some milk-producing herbs, such as flax seed, dill, fennel and others, is very valuable for goats. During the milking period, it is imperative to give steamed soybean and sunflower cake and meal, but their total share in the grain feed should not exceed 30%.
In winter, the main food for goats is hay, which needs to be stored at the rate of about 5 kg per goat per day. Straw is also eaten with pleasure by goats, but in smaller quantities.
An important component of a goat's diet is a variety of vegetables that are easy to grow on your own plot. These are, first of all, a variety of pumpkins and zucchini; goats also eat fodder beets, carrots and cabbage with great pleasure. Potatoes can be given in small quantities and preferably boiled. And of course, goats love fruits - especially apples, pears, plums, etc.
Many goat breeders overlook such valuable feed as brooms from a variety of trees and shrubs (willow is especially valuable), especially since they can be harvested throughout the summer on their own. Nettle brooms are a storehouse of vitamins in winter, especially for kids.You can also collect bags of fallen leaves from trees in the fall and gradually feed them to the goats.
Supplements in the form of chalk and salt are also needed; you can use ready-made vitamin-mineral mixtures.
The approximate norms for the average daily feeding of goats with grains or concentrates are as follows:
For the lactation period - 250-300 g for each liter of milk given.
For the period of start and end of lactation - 300 -500 g per goat per day.
Thus, there is nothing particularly difficult in caring for Anglo-Nubian goats, and if not for the extremely high price, many farmers would be happy to breed these cute and unusual animals.
