
The Nigerian Dwarf Goat
There are many reasons that we have chosen the Nigerian Dwarf goat to raise on our farm. This is the breed that is right for us, and I hope I can shed some light on these sweet little creatures for those of you looking to add goats to your life.
For more in depth explanations please look to my blog for posts listed under goats.
Milk: I wanted to make goats milk soap, and enjoy the fresh milk every day with our family. I had heard that the breed had incredibly sweet, creamy milk, and I can tell you from my experience that is absolutely true! If the thought of goats milk makes you wrinkle your nose. You NEED to try the real stuff. Straight from the farm, in all is creamy goodness.
Handle-ability: Having children at home I wanted a small breed that would be easy for even the youngest of our bunch to be around. Some goats are gigantic! Not these sweet little things. They stay fairly small. around 75 lbs. and they are friendly if you get good goats that have been well handled.
Color: Lets be honest, who doesn't love the wild colors these goats can come in! Blue eyes, brown eyes, spots, splashes, lines, solids, ranges in whites, blacks, browns, red, gold, phew! It is easy to want to collect all the pretty goats!
Year round breeding: They are of African ancestry rather than an alpine breed. As such they are able to breed year round! Most Swiss breeds have a breeding season that you are stuck adhering to but you can have baby goats on the farm year round with Nigerian Dwarves.
Kidding: Nigerian dwarf goats are notorious for having multiples. The record for live births in a single pregnancy is SEVEN! Two, three, and four are much more common however. Not only do they regularly have multiples, but they breed young too. This can actually be a disadvantage as well. You don't want your 8 week old buckling breeding his sister or mom, thinking that there is no way he could get the job done that young. Yep, in fact he can! With proper handling and care doelings can have their first kidding right around a year old, and have babies once a year easily.
I whole-heartedly recommend these sweet mini goats for a farm. We just love them and their funny personalities.
Check out the goats in our herd and available goats that can be part of your herd on our other goat pages!