I began with 4 full-sized Boer and Kiko in the initial year. My goal was to raise goats for meat and eliminate the brush on the pasture.
Every summer, I need to extend their range as they have been accomplishing the goal and are growing their population.
If you’re hesitating and have less available range, you can keep smaller breeds. Here are the best goats for meat and milk in different spaces.
1. Nubian
Originating in the British Isles, Nubians are goats resulting from the cross between prick-eared British goats and large lop-eared goats from India.
You can identify this breed by its head with a convex profile and long drooping ears.
Nubians are big, tall enough to reach almost anything to forage outdoors. This helps them get vines and vegetation that is higher up.
They also tend to make good moms and make enough milk for their kids. Also, they adapt well to hot climates.
Owners can expect 4 lbs – 12 lbs of milk at their peak. So it can be great for cheesemaking.
Goats grow up to 135 lbs live weight and yield 65-70 lbs carcass weight. So, it is wise to raise Nubians for a double-purpose breed.
If you’re raising Nubians, I recommend Nubian x Boer cross, with the buck being the heavy meat type. It allows you to get bigger and heavier, muscled, and new kids.
If not, breeding between Nubians and Pygmies is ideal to produce Kinder goats, which are rather dual-purpose and fairly hardy.
Milk: High butterfat (5%+), 2-4 gallons/day.
Meat: Moderate yield, slower growth
Best for: Small homesteads, cheese makers
Temperament: Friendly but loud
2. Boer
Originating in South Africa, the Boer is an economic breed, which is raised for meat and profit.
They are broiler chickens of goats, which grow faster and gain more than 0.4 pounds per day. Their large frames and heavily muscled bodies produce a considerable amount of meat.
Also, the breed is more docile and easy to handle.
Boers have long ears that are long and pendulous, and down around their faces, and their horns grow back along their heads. They are in a white body with a red head.
Here, red means the splash of brown with hints of red.
These goats can live for 10 to 12 years and become productive for 6 to 7 years. Their gestation period lasts for 150 days. Mature boers weigh between 190 and 230 lbs, while bucks can get anywhere between 200 and 340 lbs.
If you want to breed Boers, Saanen is the ideal option.
Milk: Low yield (not ideal for dairy)
Meat: Fast growth, high dressing percentage (50% to 57%)
Best for: Primarily meat
Temperament: Calm, easy to handle
3. Alpine
Of course, Alpines are originally from the French Alps and are known for their excellent milking ability.
Does can produce more than 2000 lbs of milk per lactation period, which lasts from 150 to 288 days. The butterfat content of milk is only 3.4%.
They are cold-hardy but can thrive in nearly any climate.
You can recognize these goats by their long horns, which curve backwards, and their erect ears. The goats are in whit, gray, brown, and black, but mostly they are predominantly brown.
They weigh anywhere between 125 and 135 lbs.
Besides, these animals are independent and curious and appreciate free-ranging systems.
Milk: 2+ gallons/day, lower butterfat
Meat: Lean, decent yield
Best for: High milk production
Temperament: Active, good foragers
4. Saanen
Saanen goats hail from Saanen Valley, in Switzerland, which are white-colored goats with short coat hairs.
Their ears are erect, their legs are short, and the udder is huge. Saanen bucks weigh about 170 lbs, while does weigh around 135 lbs.
They are known for producing an average of 2000 lbs per lactation, with a range from 920 to 4,800 lbs. Their lactation lasts from 150 to 300 days.
You can sell their milk or consume it as fluid milk. Many owners use their milk to make yogurt, soft, and aged hard cheeses.
These popular goats have short, white hair and errect ears, and they are known for their easy-going temperament. Don’t worr,y their milk has only 3.5% of butterfat and is creamy and delicious.
Milk: Highest volume (3+ gallons/day)
Meat: Lower meat quality
Best for: Dairy-focused operations
Temperament: Gentle, easy to milk
5. Kiko
This goat breed is from New Zealand, which is easy to raise on an acreage with pasture.
They tend to be more parasite resistant, herdy, with fewer hoof issues. Goats have strong maternal instincts and produce good milk for raising kids.
So, breeders often cross Kikos with Boer goats to combine meat production and mothering ability.
You can recognize Kikos with their medium-sized ears that stick out or forward. They also have curving horns that go out to the side.
As the goats are raised for resiliency and growth rate, they don’t have specified colors, coat type or pattern. They vary greatly in shades of Solid white or cream with black hues (brown) and patterns.
While adult bucks weigh around 250–300 lbs, does are somewhere between 100 and 180 lbs. They produce lean carcases.
You can expect 30 – 50 lbs of carcase weight if slaughtered Kikos between 1 and 2 years.
Milk: Low (not ideal for dairy)
Meat: Hardy, excellent foragers
Best for: Low-maintenance meat production
Temperament: Independent, tough
6. LaMancha
I find Lamancha goats to be the most distinctive goat breed, which you easily recognize with their very short ears.
They are appreciated for their milk production, human-friendly temperament, and the ability to thrive in different environments and climates.
The goats are good milkers, so that you can milk them for two years without freshening and with up to 4 years between freshenings.
You can expect an average of over 2000lbs of milk per lactation, which lasts for 275–306 days.
But keep in mind that the butterfat content in their milk remains high, with an average of 3.9% and as high as 8%. If you ask about their weight, I would say buck LaMancha goats get 165 lbs, and does stay around 130 lbs.
Though these miniature earred goats can easily survive winter and frostbite, they produce lots of wax and amass dirt and waste on their hair.
But don’t worry! You can efficiently work with them as they are inquisitive and lovable, easygoing and cooperative.
Milk: 1-2 gallons, high butterfat
Meat: Moderate yield
Best for: Family milk supply
Temperament: Extremely docile, easy-going, cooperative, and sturdy
7. Oberhasli
Oberhasli are Swiss and medium-sized goats, which are in a bay with black markings, mostly.
They stand roughly 28 inches tall and weigh between 120 and 150 lbs. Does weigh around 120 lbs, while bucks weigh 30 lbs heavier.
You can expect these animals to yield milk ranging from 2000 lbs to 2500 lbs per lactation, with a butterfat content of 3% to 4%.
They are cold-hardy, but if you live in humid weather, you need to monitor your herds. Other than that, they are powerful but calm and sensible at the same time.
You can raise Oberhasli in various conditions, from pasture-based systems to barn-intensive operations.
Milk: 1-2 gallons, good for cheese
Meat: Lean but tasty
Best for: Small dairy farms
Temperament: Friendly, active
8. Nigerian Dwarf
Do you know Nigerian Dwarf was originally bred for show and as a companion animal?
Later, people started raising it for milk too.
These miniature goats grow around 2 feet tall and weigh 75 lbs. While females are about 22.5 inches, males stand taller at around 23.5 inches.
They are active, playful, friendly, and easy to handle.
But these animals can be aggressive to stray dogs and other potential threats.
Though small in size, Nigerian Dwarfs are great for milk production, yielding between 858 and 1,287 lbs per lactation, with a high butterfat content, hence a creamy milk source.
Milk: Small yield but high butterfat (6-10%).
Meat: Very small (not ideal)
Best for: Small homesteads, cheese
Temperament: Playful, great pets
9. Spanish Goat
Spanish goats are medium-sized animals with a stocky build and large, long, spiraling horns. They also have medium-sized ears, but they are smaller than the ears of the Boer goat.
These goats are in various colors, from dark brown with shades of black to light brown with shades of white.
Adult goats grow about 60 to 125 lbs, while some can get up to 200 lbs. So, you can expect a decent amount of carcase meat.
Other than that, I like Spanish goats for their foraging ability and thrive well in a brush-like environment. They can climb a tree for the last leaf if they need to.
So, Spanish goats are also called scrub goats and brush goats.
Besides, Spanish are hardy, long-living, and prolific breed, which is resistant to many parasites. They make easy birthers and good mothers.
They’re good mothers, easy birthers, hardy, and resistant to many parasites.
Though they are less muscled, they are a bit difficult to handle, so they require experienced shepherds.
Milk: Low (mostly for kids)
Meat: Lean, hardy
Best for: Brush clearing + meat
Temperament: Wild, independent
10. Myotonic (Fainting Goat)
Finally, the US goat breed came on the list.
You might have heard of the Fainting goat, or the Tennessee Fainting, Wooden-leg Goat, nervous goats, scare goats, and Myotonic. They are all the same breed with different names.
The word “Fainting” is linked to the goat as they have a tendency to stiffen or tense up when startled or excited because of their genetic condition called myotonia congenita.
When the muscle stiffens, the goats get frozen for 10 – 20 seconds and sometimes fall over.
They are in different color combinations, including black and white, all white, tan and white, solid tan, and black and roan.
Homesteaders or farm owners raise Myotonics for meat. Though they grow slowly to mature, they produce a stocky, heavily muscled body frame with a live weight of 60 – 175 lbs.
But sometimes, they become pregnant every 6 months and give birth to twins or triplets. Also, does make a good mother.
Thanks to their docile, friendly nature, many acreage owners raise Fainting goat for pets. They can do well even in low-input forage management systems and resist parasites.
Milk: Low
Meat: Tender, unique genetics
Best for: Novelty + small-scale meat
Temperament: Docile but prone to stress
Final Thoughts
If you’re only a beginner, you can start with a few kids of dairy milk goats. You can install meat breeds too, but they already have a big body size to handle.
Also, don’t add bucks in your first year of raising. They are aggressive and can break the fencing and buildings, smell bad, and want everything with ladies.
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