Kinder Goats – The Best Goat Breed for Homesteaders

Kinder goats are an amazing and versatile breed that is perfect for homesteads. When you’re looking for the maximum yield for milk and meat to the input feed you’re putting in, the Kinder is the best breed out there.

I have a love of goats that begins and ends with their gentle nature. I have multiple breeds on our farm, but the first goat breed that we researched and waited for to help us achieve our farm and homestead goals is the Kinder. If you’re asking yourself “What are Kinder goats?” and want to learn more about this amazing breed, this is the right place.

What are Kinder Goats?

Kinder Goats are true dual-purpose goats that are friendly to people and other animals. In addition to being friendly, they are also on the smaller side of goats and easy to handle, making them a great choice for homesteads with kids.

The Kinder goat is a relatively new, uncommon goat that is becoming increasingly popular among homesteaders and small farmers. Kinders are derived from an initial breeding of a Nubian goat to a Pygmy goat (usually a Pygmy buck to a Nubian doe to avoid potential kidding issues because of the size difference).

They are stockier animals and therefore not prone to jumping fences, something most Kinder goat folks are quite happy about. Their smaller size makes it harder for them to jump a typical sized fence, although there are always going to be goats that jump, as it’s in their goat nature!

The Kinder Goat Breeder Association, of which we are members, states the 2020 butterfat average for Kinders on milk test was 6%.

Kinder kids are typically quiet, gentle goats. While Nubians have a reputation for being loud, many Kinders take more after the Pygmy side of genetics. However, all goats will be loud when they’re hungry or excited or want pets, so don’t expect any goats to be completely silent.

Breeding with Kinders often results in twins or more, with some lines of goats averaging triplets or quadruplets. Many Kinders are able to fully sustain multiples (even quads!), but some will need support with some bottle-feeding supplementation.

A red agouti and moonspotted Kinder goat seen from the side. He is a 6-month old wether.

Meat Yields for Kinder Goats

The Kinder is a dual-purpose goat that produces an excellent percentage of its body weight in milk, meat, and kids raised. Ideal Kinders have excellent meat-to-bone ratio when bred properly for breed standard.

Meat yield is affected by many factors, including breed. Dairy goats are leaner and thinner with different shaped bone structure and muscle structure.

Kinder goats yield on average between 30% and 40% of their weight in meat, depending on the breed. At auction, Kinder wethers will fetch a good price, often above $2.50/lb live weight. We’ve sold multiple wethers between 50-75 lbs who brought in $175-$190 each.Meat goats sell well in many areas per lb due to the lack of supply compared to demand.

A brown kinder goat is seen from the side with white speckled ears and standing in grass on a sunny early spring day. There are two other Kinder goats in the background where there is still some snow on the ground. — Magnolia II standing and posing in the sunlight.

Kinder Goat Breed Characteristics

Kinder goats are intelligent and curious goats that are a joy to have around and incorporate into your homestead. Kinders are known first and foremost for their mid-sized stature (about the size of a lab), and their airplane ears that stick out straight, longer than a Nigerian Dwarf’s pointy ears.

Kinders are also known for their unique shape. Being a dual-purpose breed, they are more barrel-shaped than many other dairy goats and carry more bulk in their frame. Whereas a Nubian is usually long and lean, Kinders are more chunky looking at their ideal weight.

Female adult kinder goats typically weigh around 115 lbs at maturity, while full-size bucks weigh around 135 lbs on average. 12-month old wethers on our farm generally weigh between 60-100 lbs. Most of our Kinders reach full-size around two years old.

The does are highly prolific, and most of them can be bred naturally throughout the year without using a hormone protocol.

The lifespan of a kinder goat is about 10 years on average, although each individual goat will live different lifespans. The lifespan can be affected by kidding, health problems, and even a feed ration that’s not properly balanced (especially in the case of wethers).

For more information about Kinder goat breed characteristics, read more on the KGBA website here.

Kinder Goat Personalities

While all goats can have a wild nature, Kinders can be very friendly. Even the wildest Kinders can become more comfortable and relaxed around humans with gentle and patient training.

Kinders (like most goats) have very food-motivated personalities, so they will respond to training for friendliness, hoof trimming, and even milking if they are given treats. It may take a few times to train them but with the right motivation, you can train your goats to do a lot of things that will make your life easier.

Uses for a Kinder Goat

The Kinder goat is a dual-purpose breed that is suitable for both meat and milk production.

Their milk has a high butterfat content, sometimes having more than seven percent butterfat. Some Kinder breeders are on milk test and can provide the butterfat results for different lines (aka breeding families/pedigrees). Kinder milk makes great cheese and is also great for ice cream and plain drinking. It’s sweet and very creamy, but does not have an off goat flavor when it’s fresh and properly stored and handled.

Kinders also make great meat goats. While they are slower growing in their meat characteristics compared to a Boer goat, they dress out at a good yield percentage, can thrive on pasture and grain supplementation, and produce delicious and flavorful meat.

Despite being a small to medium-sized breed, the Kinder goats are generally more muscular than a full-size dairy goat, which often yields higher dressing percents.

A brown baby Kinder goat stands on top of black drainage pipe, while another grey baby goat walks through it. — This Kinder wether became a family pet and brush clearer.

Goat Health and Hardiness

Kinder goats are a hardier goat in many ways compared to other breeds. They benefit from having an initial mixed breed parentage, and many Kinder goat breeders are selective about which goats get bred to pass on their genes.

Overall, we find our Kinders to be more worm-resistant and able to keep on weight better than our Nubian and Alpine goats. They can maintain their weight on a primarily forage diet, but also excel with some additional grain.

Kinders also are thought to have better outcomes when kidding due to their size compared with the smaller pygmy goats and Nigerian Dwarf goats. While in our experience, most of our Kinders are able to give birth without human help, it’s always good to be present and available to assist if needed due to the fact that they often have two or more kids, which can complicated presentation and can get tangled in the womb.

Feed & Housing for your Kinder Goats

Feeding a Kinder goat is similar to feeding other goats. Bucks and wethers should have a basic hay and forage diet only, with minimal to no grain addition (learn more about why here). Nursing, pregnant, milking, and growing Kinders all benefit from some extra calories from grain.

Kinders should have free choice hay (alfalfa hay is great for the milking herd but can cause issues with boys, especially wethers), free choice mineral (we like New Country Organics, SweetLix, and buffet-style minerals), and additional forage.

Some examples of forage are chaffhaye, pasture, access to brambles, trees, and weeds, or for larger farms who are able to regularly test their feed and work with a nutritionist – corn silage and haylage or balage.

Kinders need housing similar to any other goat. At minimum, they require a three-sided shelter that is free from drafts but has plenty of ventilation to prevent pneumonia. Kinders enjoy laying on platforms and climbing, so building in those features to your housing situation will provide them enrichment activities and stop them from getting into trouble.

Because Kinders are smaller goats, it’s easier to build your housing so that it’s hard for goats to jump out. Never put anything next to a fence that they can use to jump over and make sure the walls go down to the ground – you’d be surprised how easy it is for them to fit under small gaps.

Two lactating Kinder goats are seen from behind on two wooden milk stands. They have full udders and have their heads dipped eating grain. — Two Kinder does who are about to be milked using our small vacuum system.

Using Kinder Goats for Dairy on the Homestead

Kinder goats are great dairy animals. When provided with the proper nutrition and living conditions, Kinders can produce plenty of fresh milk for a small family. Each goat can make between 1/2-2quarts of milk per milking (sometimes more if you get the right milking lines!).

If you are focused primarily on the dairy aspect for your Kinders, you will want to research the lines you’re getting your goats out of. Some lines have been bred to be heavy milk producers and other lines are more meat-focused.

To keep your family in milk year-round, milking 2-3 Kinders at a time would provide plenty of daily milk plus extras for other dairy products. Breed in two cycles to make sure there is always a goat in milk or plan for a milk-free season if you only want to breed once a year.

Kinder milk is delicious, creamy, fresh-tasting, and high in butterfat compared to the big dairy goat breeds. This makes it delicious for fresh drinking but it also makes it ideal for cheese, yogurt, cream separating, ice cream, etc.

How long do Kinder goats live?

Kinder goats live an average of 8-12 years, but can live to be longer or die earlier. Kidding problems, disease, and accidents can shorten a lifespan, so if you’re not emotionally and mentally prepared for the possibility of unexpected deaths, I would encourage you to hold off on getting any animals. Homesteading and farming with livestock will always result in unexpected tragedies.

Health and proper nutrition are key to a long life for a Kinder goat and balancing the ration appropriately for bucks and wethers will make the difference in their lifespan.

Brown baby Kinder goat walks towards the camera. He has ears that stick straight out and white markings on his face. He's walking on grass on a sunny day. — This baby goat is enjoying some grazing time.

Which goats are quietest?

While all goats make noise, Kinder goats are usually on the quieter side of the goat spectrum. Some lines have more Nubian in them and are more vocal, but in our experience, most Kinders are pretty quiet unless they’re hungry!

If your goat is screaming uncontrollably and nothing seems wrong, she is probably in heat! if she’s wagging her tail, she’s asking to go for a date with a buck. This only lasts a couple days and (usually 2-3) and then she’ll go back to her calm, hormonally balanced self.

Are Kinder goats good for meat?

Kinder goats are a good meat breed that balances with its dairy components. They are good feed converters because of their smaller-framed body, but are still able to produce milk well. Kinders are slightly more slow-growing compared to some of the other meat breeds like Boer goats, but with some grain and proper nutrition, they produce a flavorful and tender meat.

If you are looking for a breed that you won’t be using for dairy, then Kinder goats may not be right for you because they do grow more slowly than a traditional meat breed. However, some commercial meat goat herds have started to incorporate Kinders into their breeding program so that the mother goats are better able to feed the kids without human intervention (aka bottle-feeding).

Some meat breeds have more trouble feeding their kids exclusively. Kinders are a good balance because they are bred for both meat and milk production, which means they can generally feed their own kids without additional supplementation. Based on available data, Kinder goats generally dress out at about 60%.

Do you have to milk Kinder goats?

You do not have to milk Kinder goats. Kinder goats need to be milked only if you’re looking to use goat milk in your kitchen. Kinder goats are great dual-purpose goats, but you do not need to milk them unless that’s part of your homestead plan.

What we do on our farm is breed seasonally, let the kids nurse exclusively for 2 weeks, then milk once a day in the mornings until the fall. We don’t milk during the winter and don’t milk twice a day because that’s what work for our lives. If you want to milk twice a day, you would do that when the kids are weaning, at around 3-4 months of age.

How much milk does a kinder goat produce?

Kinder goats produce anywhere between 4 cups-1/2 gallon of milk per day on average. If you’re milking twice a day, you will get more. milk per goat. There are milking lines in the Kinder world that do produce more milk daily than the average.

The lactation of a goat is a bell curve if you were to chart it out. It peaks in the first few weeks after birth and then tapers down until you stop milking. The lactation curve is affected significantly by adequate nutrition during and after pregnancy, stress levels, frequency of milking, how many kids she had, and genetics. One goat who produces 1/2 a gallon a day at one farm, may only produce 1 quart a day at another farm due to different management practices.

A white Kinder goat with airplane ears and a long bear stands at the front of the goat barn, with more goats blurred in the background. This barn has straw and sawdust bedding. — Some Kinder goats have beards, others don’t. Yes, even female goats have beards.

Are Kinder goats good pets?

Kinder goats make great pets, especially a wether. They can be extremely friendly, playful, and fun. Wethers make the best pets because they don’t go into heat (which means noise levels are lower) and in general, boys tend to be friendlier to people than girls. Wethers don’t have aggressive tendencies and their mid-size frame make them manageable in size for the homestead.

Kinders are great brush eaters and can be used to clear out wooded areas, along fence lines, and help with general property management. They can also be trained as pack goats to carry loads on hikes.

Goats are a great addition to any homestead. They provide nourishment in multiple ways, support maintaining a homestead by brush clearing and weed control, and are just a lot of fun to have around. Kinder goats are the ideal homestead goats because their size makes them manageable for the handler and are easier to build an enclosure for.