Dairy goat breeds
Compare breeds recorded with milk production as their primary purpose. Select a column heading to sort the table, then open a breed page for its sources and context.
| Breed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median of the 17 breeds listed here. | 2,237 (9 of 17) | 4 (9 of 17) | 3 (9 of 17) | 100 (9 of 17) | |
| Alpine | 2,715 lb | 3.3% | 2.9% | 135 lb or more | Docile |
| Damascus | 992 lb | – | – | 155 lb (70 kg) (typical) | – |
| Golden Guernsey | – | 3.7% | 2.8% | 120 lb or more | Docile |
| LaMancha | 2,298 lb | 3.7% | 3.2% | 130 lb or more | Docile |
| Mini Alpine | – | – | – | 80–120 lb | – |
| Mini Guernsey | – | – | – | 80–120 lb | – |
| Mini LaMancha | – | – | – | 90–120 lb | Docile |
| Mini Nubian | – | – | – | 80–120 lb | – |
| Mini Oberhasli | – | – | – | 80–120 lb | Docile |
| Mini Saanen | – | – | – | 80–120 lb | – |
| Mini Toggenburg | – | – | – | 80–120 lb | Docile |
| Nigerian Dwarf | 795 lb | 6.4% | 4.4% | 50 lb (typical) | Docile |
| Nubian (Anglo-Nubian) | 2,018 lb | 4.9% | 3.8% | 135 lb or more | – |
| Oberhasli | 1,995 lb | 3.7% | 3% | 120 lb or more | Docile |
| Saanen | 2,702 lb | 3.3% | 2.9% | 135 lb or more | Docile |
| Sable | 2,385 lb | 3.3% | 2.9% | 135 lb or more | Docile |
| Toggenburg | 2,237 lb | 3.1% | 2.9% | 120 lb or more | Docile |
Some breeds here have few published figures. An empty cell means we looked and didn't find it, not that the figure is zero. Each cell says what we checked.
Other breeds sometimes kept for milk
Our records list milk as a secondary use for these breeds. Open their breed pages for the supporting sources and context. They are not included in the comparison table or its medians.
Choosing a dairy goat for your setup
Compare the amount of milk you want alongside milk composition and adult size. The table keeps yield, butterfat, protein and doe weight separate so you can decide which matters most to your setup. There is no single score that makes one breed the right choice for every keeper.
For a smaller dairy breed, start with Nigerian Dwarf: its recorded doe weight is 50 lb (typical)1 and its butterfat figure is 6.4%2. Use its breed page to check the source context, height and management information before choosing.
Use breed records to make a shortlist, then ask about the individual doe and herd. Penn State Extension explains that genetics influence milk quantity and composition, while diet also has a substantial effect.3
What do the milk figures mean?
Milk yield here means average yield per lactation, not per day. For example, Nigerian Dwarf's 795 lb2 figure comes from 20192 milk-recording data. Check each breed's source and recording period before interpreting differences.
An empty cell means we do not show a sourced figure for that field. It does not mean zero milk, and a median describes only the records with comparable figures. The breed pages show the underlying sources and any reported ranges.
Plan for milk, kids and the daily routine
Before choosing a dairy herd, decide how you will use its milk and accommodate the kids. Penn State treats milk marketing and the kid crop as parts of a dairy enterprise. Its business context is American; your own outlet and local requirements need separate planning.3
Ask the breeder about the animals’ current milking and kidding arrangements and what continuing that routine involves. Then use the shared keeping guides to plan companionship, shelter and space. A production figure does not describe the full commitment.
Sources (3)
- NDGA downloadable breed brochure · breed registry / association, retrieved 2026-09-05
- Penn State Extension, Dairy Goat Production (Table 2, 2019 DHIR data) · university extension, retrieved 2026-09-05 (as of 2019)
- Dairy Goat Production, Penn State Extension · university extension, retrieved 2026-09-13