Angora
Breeds
Of the dairy breeds , any of the following would be very suitable and a lot will depend on what ’ s available and where : • Toggenburg
• British Toggenburg
• Saanen
• British Saanen
• British Alpine
• Golden Guernsey
• British Guernsey
• Anglo Nubian
Prices on all these breeds will be much the same but availability wise you will probably find the greatest availability is with the white goats of the Saanen and British Saanen types . The Swiss breeds , ie Togenburg , Alpine maybe harder to find . In all of these breeds , where the title is prefixed with “ British ”, as a general rule these goats are of a slightly bigger stamp .
Anglo Nubians are nice goats which are readily available all over the UK and although quite large they have lovely natures but can have a big voice due to the resonance of their quite large heads !
I have kept all of the above breeds and I think my favourites are in fact the Swiss breeds and the Nubians .
The Guernsey breed is of course a rare breed today and breeders can be reluctant to let them go . They also are a far more sensitive breed and apart from definitely needing another Guernsey for company , they can pine for their old home and have difficulty in adjusting to a new environment ( this is from experience rather than any hard and fast rule ).
Where to Buy ?
Start with the British Goat Society website . www . allgoats . com
There you will find breeders from all over the country who will have stock for sale . This will increase as the year wears on and more goat kids are born .
Other websites are : www . farmingads . co . uk www . allthingsrural . co . uk www . preloved . co . uk www . ukgoats . co . uk
It is also worth Googling goats for sale as there are a number of additional websites to try .
Often you can “ book ” goat kids for sale . Also find out who your local smallholding group is or your local goat group as it is so much easier not having to travel too far .