What Are Mini Nubians and What's So Great About Them?

What are Mini Nubians? 

Mini Nubians are a mid-sized dairy breed that crosses Nigerian Dwarfs and standard-sized Nubian goats. Mini Nubians can be registered with MDGA, TMGR, and IDGR if they come from registered parent stock. These parents can be ADGA/AGS Nigerian Dwarfs, ADGA standard Nubians, or registered Mini Nubians of any generation. Mini Nubians are registered in three categories: Experimental (F1-F2), American (F3-F5), and Purebred (F6 and up). 

You cannot use breeds other than Nigerian Dwarfs, standard Nubians, or Mini Nubians to produce Mini Nubians. Not Pygmy goats, fainting goats, Boers, or anything else. Just a combination of Nigerian Dwarf and Nubian.

You should always cross the smaller (or same size) breed buck with the larger doe. So Nigerian Dwarf buck to standard sized doe, or Mini Nubian buck to Mini Nubian or standard Nubian doe. You should NEVER breed a standard-sized Nubian buck or Mini Nubian buck to a Nigerian Dwarf doe. (Nor is it wise to breed a standard Nubian buck to a Mini Nubian doe.) The resulting kids could be too large for the doe to safely deliver, resulting in the need for veterinary intervention, a c-section, death of the kids, or death of the doe. It is not worth the risk!

Prancing Pony Elodie, Purebred (F6) Mini Nubian and her F1 kids.

What's so great about Mini Nubians? Why are they better than standard Nubians or Nigerian Dwarf goats?

The advantages to Mini Nubians are that they produce milk similar in butterfat content to Nigerian Dwarfs, but more of it. (Butterfat is what makes milk sweet and creamy.) Many of them produce as much milk as standard-sized Nubians. They are also taller than Nigerians and usually have bigger teats, making them easier to milk. 

Weighing on average 100 lbs (bucks weigh a bit more) and standing 23-29" tall for does and up to 31" for bucks, they are smaller than standard Nubians, making them easier to handle and transport. (We transport ours in a large dog crate in our minivan.) 

They are ideal-sized goats for small farms and homesteads and are easily handled by women and children. They cost less to feed than standard Nubians, making them very fuel-efficient dairy goats, or as most Mini Nubian lovers call them, the Goldilocks goats!

Jardine Meadows Jessie's udder - F1 Mini Nubian doe

What are the generations of Mini Nubian, and what does it all mean?

Mini Nubians are registered in generations from F1 to F6 and beyond. F1s and F2s are registered in the "Experimental" herdbook. F3s to F5s will be registered as "American" if they meet the standard for that herdbook. Technically F6 and up are considered "Purebred," but if a goat doesn't meet the standard to be considered Purebred (Could be too big, ears too short, etc.), it might be put back in a lower herdbook.

Understanding the generations is where most newcomers need clarification. An F1 is a first-generation cross between a Nigerian buck and a Nubian doe. But it's also the cross between a Mini Nubian buck of ANY generation and a standard-sized doe. And there are numerous ways to go "up the generations" to get to purebred status. And numerous reasons why doing that doesn't really matter, but we'll discuss that later.

In theory, you would breed two F1s and get F2s and two F2s and get F3s, and so on and so on. In reality, no one does it that way, and that's NOT the best way to produce quality goats. 

You don't want to focus too much on generations but on getting the whole package right. Correct conformation, fantastic udders, and good milk production should come first, breed character and proper size next, and worry about generations last, if at all. The generations are more of a way to track the goats but don't indicate quality.

For now, the easiest way to know what generation your kids will be is to know that the kid is always one generation higher than the LOWEST parent, with standard Nubians and Nigerian Dwarfs being 0 generations. So F1 x F6 = F2. F2 x F2 = F3 but F2 x F5 also equals F3. And so on.

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How do I breed Mini Nubians? Where do I start?

To start a new line of Mini Nubians, you should begin with a registered Nigerian Dwarf buck and a registered Nubian doe. You breed those two goats together, and their kids would be eligible for registration as F1 Mini Nubians. These kids usually have airplane ears and straight noses and look more like large Nigerians than Nubians. But don't worry; you will fix the breed character in successive generations!

Of course, many already established Mini Nubians lines are out there, and you only have to start a new line if you want to. You can use two Mini Nubians goats to produce more Mini Nubians. 

Or you can breed a Mini Nubian buck to a standard Nubian doe to get first-generation Mini Nubians. These F1 Mini Nubians will likely have much better breed character (Look like Nubians) than the Nigerian/standard Nubian crosses but they will probably be a bit on the larger size than is ideal. But that's ok because you can bring the size down through successive generations. ​

Urban Acres RB Cassia - standard Nubian doe

Miracle Kids AD King and Country - Nigerian Dwarf buck

What is the difference between conformation and breed character, and where does breed character fit into breeding Mini Nubians?

Conformation means the structure of the goat - how all the parts fit together. Proper conformation is the same for all dairy goats, with a few minor exceptions that fall under the breed character category. Breed character means what makes Mini Nubians look like standard Nubians (only smaller) - long, floppy ears and Roman noses, primarily. 

Lower generation Experimentals (F1-F2) with a lot of Nigerian blood (like the spotted, 50/50 cross in the photo below) usually have airplane or 2/3 drop ears and look like oversized, funny-looking Nigerian Dwarfs. In contrast, Experimentals with more Nubian blood (such as from standard Nubian does bred to Mini Nubian bucks, like the tan doe in the photo below) usually have excellent breed character but could be on the larger size. In the experimental herdbook, these traits are considered acceptable, even to be expected.

Once the goats get into the American herdbook, they should begin to look like standard Nubians, only smaller, with the adorable floppy ears and Roman noses we all associate with Nubians. Once they reach Purebred status, they should look like miniature versions of their larger cousins! If they are oversized or don't have good breed character, they may be moved back to the American herdbook, no matter what their "F" number is. 

All generations of Mini Nubian come in a wide variety of colors and coat patterns, including moonspots, and any generation can have blue eyes (or brown) because of the Nigerian influence. And all are beautiful, intelligent, affectionate, and have wonderful and unique personalities.

Terjana Hermia - F1 Mini Nubian doe

Blackberry's BSN Lavender - F1 Mini Nubian doe

So what is the best generation for me? Does it matter what generation I get if I want to milk, show, or have family pets? 

This part confuses most people who are new to Mini Nubians. They often believe that the generations matter most, and the higher, the better. The real answer is that F generations don't matter at all. Before you worry about the Fs, you want to focus on finding or breeding goats with good conformation, quality udders, excellent milk production, etc. 

A lower generation goat can be better quality in the areas that matter than a higher generation goat. It just depends on the goat. Some awful-looking higher-generation goats are out there - poor udders, bad conformation, poor breed character, and low milk production. And there are some fantastic lower-generation goats out there. It's more about the genetics you started with and how well they combined to produce the next generation than the "F" number. Better to start with animals that are structurally sound and have the essential traits that matter first than to get hung up on breeding by the numbers. 

In the higher generations, you do want to see goats with good breed character (and in the correct size range), but in reality, breed character only matters if you prefer the more Nubian-looking goats. Some people prefer airplane ears or don't care about breed characters. They just want structurally sound, quality goats. But if you love the traditional Nubian look, buy or breed that type of Mini Nubian.

But also understand that traits like ears and noses are the easiest to improve in one generation. In contrast, structural issues, udders, and milk production can take more generations to improve. If you focus too much on breed character without getting the basic structure right, you could end up with poor-quality goats. So if you want a quality herd, you should focus on those more important things first, taking time to improve traits as you go.

Most of all, don't think of it as a numbers game, and don't focus on the numbers just for their sake. That's how you can end up with poor-quality goats. An F6 or F7 with an awful udder, low milk production, bad conformation, or poor breed character is not an asset to your herd. When a goat reaches F6, it should be near perfect. Only then does the "F" mean anything. 

But in reality, many of my most perfect goats of all time are or were lower generations. My favorite and most excellent doe I've ever had was Jessie, who I lost in 2022 after a complicated kidding. Jessie was only an F4, but I would not have traded her for any goat in my herd or anywhere. She was as close to perfection as possible. 

Jardine Meadows Jessie F4 Mini Nubian doe

The F's don't matter when making breeding decisions or deciding who to keep. I match my does with whatever buck will give me the desired traits I want to see in her kids. I usually have to think about it to remember their numbers. 

If you want to buy or breed Mini Nubians, you should forget the F's and pick the goats you like the best for other reasons. Choose the goats you feel will help you reach your goals, and the goats you like, not the goats someone tells you you "should" choose. Remember that breeding goats is as much art as math or science. And that the goal is to have fun!

At Prancing Pony Farm, we breed Mini Nubians from first-generation Experimental to 6th generation Purebred and beyond, all registered with MDGA and some with TMGR. Our goats come from strong dairy lines, and we breed for excellent milk production, sound udders, correct conformation, wonderful temperaments, and beautiful colors and patterns. We strongly believe that a great dairy goat should be beautiful, sweet, functional, and sound and be a joy to own. It should make you happy to see it in your pasture, and spending time with it should be rewarding. Producing that type of animal is our goal in breeding our Mini Nubians. If you are looking for this type of goat you can fill out our Goat Questionnaire and reserve a couple of Prancing Pony Mini Nubians today!

Happy Goat Farm Simba with a 2023 Mini Nubian kid

Prancing Pony Maremma Puppy and Mini Nubians

• Mini Nubian Ears
• Milking Mini Nubians Versus Nigerian Dwarfs

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