Nubian does
Our long eared beauties ....
Nubians are my first love, and have a very special place in my heart. The herd first began with a pair of nubian/pygmy cross Kinder goats from Jan Hodges of New Mexico thrown in with the kids 4H boer projects. Just for a bit of milk for the house Lee, I promise! How many goat spouses have heard those half promises?
However my soul was yearning for those long eared beauties. A few prominent websites had a permanent open tab on my internet browser and in 2009 another trip to New Mexico produced a pair of large yearlings carrying the 4B and Lakeshore lines. I learned a lot with that pair of does, one of which was wild as a March hair when Lee loaded her up in the back of the trailer with a worried look on his face. That wild black doe and I soon became best friends and she became one of the most loving in my pocket does - Festival was my very first "show" goat as we stumbled our way through the ring as others shook their heads. By 2012 I had saved my pennies, purchased Summer, and flew her in from California. We reached into California again and brought in Pella/Kastdemur bloodlines. The herd continued to evolve with the judicious use of a few nice outside bucks and the hefty addition of M's Sagebrush, Goldthwaite and Jacob's Pride into the herd.
We continue to strive to breed our ideal Nubian within our foundation - a robust doe on solid feet and legs, dripping with breed character that is hardy and holds her own in the milk parlor with a steady lactation, high butterfat and a will to milk. Most of our does are indeed red roan - the harsh Texas sun in our early days made the decision easy to stick with a plain colored doe that can withstand months of 100 degree temperatures.
Oh - and "just a bit of milk for the house honey" turned into a Grade A goat dairy - Lee loves to retell this story with a sparkle in his eye!
