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As we were in the planning stages of our little dream farm I knew that we were going to want goats pretty quickly when we got settled. I researched a BUNCH of breeds of dairy goats trying to find what was a good fit for our family. There were several criteria I was looking for in a milking goat and I wanted to pick the perfect one for our homestead. In the end I decided on Nigerian Dwarf Goats. Some of my reasoning behind the decision was this:
- I needed a breed that was easy for me and my (human) kids to handle.
- I needed a breed with a fairly high butterfat content
- I needed a breed that we enjoyed the taste of thier milk
- I needed a breed that could have babies more than at one specific time of year
- I needed a breed that was available in our area
- I needed a breed that was easy to transport WITHOUT a trailer
Add in the cuteness factor of ity bitty babies running and hopping around every year and the amazing colors that Nigerian Dwarf goats come in and I was sold!
There are some really neat things about the Nigerian Dwarf goat as a breed! Did you know that they are able to breed year round? Yep! Most goat breeds have only a few months a year that they are able to breed, not these guys! They can go into heat every 21 days! That makes it really convinient to stay in milk all year round by staggering kidding so you can.
They also have a really high butterfat content to thier milk. between 6% - 10%. It is creamy rich, sweet, and DELICIOUS. I have tried other goats milk before and was not impressed. Let me tell you, this stuff is AMAZING!
When they do kid it is quite common to get triplets and quads from one momma goat. Those are A LOT of kids. I am not looking forward to the decisions on who we will keep and who we will sell and we wont be there for months!
Enough with the random facts, it is time for introductions to the four goats that we now have on our farm. Meet Peridot and Nutmeg, our two seven month old Does. We will be breeding them In September to hopefully have new babies AND delicious goats milk in February of 2020.
We also have a buck named Chupa (cabra) with a wicked mohawk, and a wether Vincent (van-goat) to keep him company.
It is already such an adventure having them on the farm. I find myself saying "DANG GOATS" multiple times a day! They are so stinking naughty, funny, and so much fun to have around. :)