Both Nubian goat and Anglo Nubian goats are basically dairy goats. Both are very popular throughout the world for their highly milk production ability. Although none of them don’t produce as much milk as Swiss goats.
But milk of both Nubian and Anglo Nubian goat contain higher amount of butterfat content. Compared to Swiss and other available goat breeds, they have longer breeding season. So they are very suitable for milk production purpose, and can produce milk throughout the year round.
In the past, goat breeders distinguished between this two breeds. But nowadays, the main difference between Nubian and Anglo Nubian goat is one of semantics. Both are popular for quality milk production.
Nubians were very popular to the British goat breeders during the late 1800s. Those popular goats got their name ‘Nubian’ from the desert region of Sudan. But many of them originally came from India.
The term ‘Nubian’ described any goat that had the same Roman nose, tall stature and long ears present in Egypt’s Zairaibi breed and India’s Jamunapari breed and any goat from India, Middle East or from the northern Africa.
In the UK, for producing the Anglo Nubian goat, purebred Nubian goats were crossed with British goats. And this type of crossed goats recognized as an independent goat breed in 1896.
Zairaibi & Jamunapari Goats
Zairaibi goats were thicker but tall like India’s Jamunapari goat. They had protruding lower jaws. Jamunapari goats are Indian goat breed. Actually they are dairy goats but also suitable for meat production.
They are tall, more slender and usually horned (like their Anglo Nubian descendants). There was a rule in 1933 and horned goats could not be registered as Anglo Nubian then.
Although the rule was later lifted as ‘modern Anglo Nubian goats may have horns’.
This two breeds (Jamunapari and Zairaibi) were originated in Africa and India, and they are comparatively hardy animals.
So they were used to improve British goat breeds that have shorter breeding seasons and don’t do as well in warmer climates. Thus Anglo Nubian goats were created.
In the USA
During 1896, the first Anglo Nubian goats were imported in the United States of America. Although they were not established in the USA until 1913.
A goat breeder of California first imported three does and two bucks. And those 5 goats are the ancestors of most modern and purebred Anglo Nubian goats in the USA.
Between 1909 and 1918, the term ‘Anglo’ was dropped from the goat’s name when this breed was officially established in the USA. Although the people of UK still call this goat as Anglo Nubian. But the same goat breeds are called Nubian in the America.
ADGA Registration
ADGA recognizes the Nubian breed, which are actually goats of Anglo-Nubian stock and descent. If a Nubian goat is the offspring of two registered purebred Nubian parents, then goat owners can register a Nubian goat as purebred.
