Nigerian Dwarf Goats
Why We Chose Nigerians
Our aim is to raise quality Nigerian Dwarf goats both for show and for milk and that meet the ADGA standard for the breed.
We wanted to raise goats for milk as we knew it would be healthier than store bought. We decided a cow was too big and would cost more to care for than for the milk we would receive.
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Nigerians are the smallest of the dairy breeds and provide just the right amount of milk for a small family which, depending on how good your genetics are, is about 1-2 quarts per day per goat. Because of their small size, they consume less feed and require less space making them the most cost effective.
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Goats milk is much easier to digest with less complex proteins and is more soothing to the stomach so people that are lactose intolerant of cows milk can usually handle goats milk without a problem. It’s naturally homogenized, and contains vitamins, minerals, trace elements, electrolytes, enzymes, and proteins that are easier for humans to process than similar content in cow’s milk. For these reasons, goats milk is typically digested in 20 minutes, verses cows milk can take as long as 24 hours.
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Nigerians milk is also the richest of any other goats milk and has the highest fat content at 6-10% vs. 2-6% of other breeds. This is perfect if you want to make butter or cream and is the reason for it's richer flavor.
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Lastly they're just so colorful. You never know what color babies are going to pop out come kidding season. They're just so much fun to have around and are becoming increasingly popular as pets.
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*Herd Tested Negative for CAE, CL, & Johnes 2021
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Cheese
Butter
Milk
What We Feed . . .
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In the mornings, our goats are fed quality grass/alfalfa hay mix, unless the girls are in milk then it's pure alfalfa for the girls. In the evenings, we alternate between alfalfa pellets and Chaffhaye. The girls also get a 1-2 mile walk each morning for natural grazing, or are let out into our pasture (couple times a week for the boys.)
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All goats have 24 hour access to a loose mineral supplement, and free choice baking soda.
A couple times a week I'll give everybody a little bit of my homemade grain mix with their evening meal (unless it's a milking doe in which cases they get it daily). It's a mix of pumpkin seeds (for parasites), BOSS (for shiny coats), rolled & whole oats (as a treat), and a pelleted supplement (for those extra minerals).
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