Nigerian Dwarf Goat basic care and other questions + favorite small milk goat breeds

[NinjaGamer2022]

In the future I would like to get Nigerian Dwarf Goats and/or other small milk goat breeds, I don't want goats for meat, only milk. In the further future would like 4 goats, 2 does and 2 bucks/weathers. I want to be as prepared as realistically possible so along with required care here are a few question I have:

1. Should I have two intact bucks together or a weather and a intact buck?
2. Is there some reliable natural demormers I could make myself? Or would I be taking too large a risk?
3. Would pairs of twos be happy?
4. How hard and/or unrealistic to grow your own hay and/or feed for goats?
5. What small breeds of goats are best value for milk(How long they milk in their life, how long after breeding, feed consumption, and milk per day)?

I may add more questions later. Advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

And what about Mini Nubian goats? Kinder goats? Care and thoughts?

 

[lomine]

1. I personally believe it's better to have intact bucks together instead of with wethers. Wethers can sometimes be bullied by bucks. My four bucks all get along really well. Some other things to keep in mind/consider. A wether is going to need the same space, feed, and vet care as a buck. There is a higher chance of urinary calculi in wethers. A wether is going to cost a lot less than a good buck so upfront cost will be different.

2. There are natural dewormers for sale and you could probably find some recipes online. I have no experience with either. The big thing will be your climate, area, and husbandry practices. Some places have a lot more issues with high worm loads and some don't. I, for example, don't have to deal with high worm loads because my climate is very dry, and my goats also have a large area so manure isn't piling up.

3. Pairs are okay but mine seem to be happier when the herd is bigger. I started with three does and with each addition they seem more content. Of course, space is also an issue. You won't want to cram then into a too small space.

4. This will depend on your climate, space, and number of goats. Many people can feed their goats via the browse on their land. I can't do that. Where I live, it is estimated that you need about 20 acres to feed one head of cattle. That gives you a pretty good idea of how poor our pastures can be. You may want to find your local extension office for info on your area.

5. I have had Nigerians and a Mini Nubian. Production wise the Mini Nubian out produced everyone else, by more than double on some. I however, decided I prefer the Nigerians and ended up selling the Mini this summer. However, I have heard of Nigerians that produced as much as the Mini did. My herd gives me more milk than I need anyway and I have decided I want to focus on breeding better Nigerians. I want to learn more about body confirmation and the like. Whatever breed you go with, try to find the best stock you can afford. Not all are equal. Do some research on what a good dairy goat and udder looks like so you can look at the ones for sale and their parents with an educated eye.

Kinders are a mix with Pigmy goats. They are a small breed but they are a meat breed. If you are looking for good milkers and not for meat, I'd avoid anything mixed with a meat breed. They will put more energy into muscle growth and won't produce anywhere near what a good dairy line will.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

1. I personally believe it's better to have intact bucks together instead of with wethers. Wethers can sometimes be bullied by bucks. My four bucks all get along really well. Some other things to keep in mind/consider. A wether is going to need the same space, feed, and vet care as a buck. There is a higher chance of urinary calculi in wethers. A wether is going to cost a lot less than a good buck so upfront cost will be different.

2. There are natural dewormers for sale and you could probably find some recipes online. I have no experience with either. The big thing will be your climate, area, and husbandry practices. Some places have a lot more issues with high worm loads and some don't. I, for example, don't have to deal with high worm loads because my climate is very dry, and my goats also have a large area so manure isn't piling up.

3. Pairs are okay but mine seem to be happier when the herd is bigger. I started with three does and with each addition they seem more content. Of course, space is also an issue. You won't want to cram then into a too small space.

4. This will depend on your climate, space, and number of goats. Many people can feed their goats via the browse on their land. I can't do that. Where I live, it is estimated that you need about 20 acres to feed one head of cattle. That gives you a pretty good idea of how poor our pastures can be. You may want to find your local extension office for info on your area.

5. I have had Nigerians and a Mini Nubian. Production wise the Mini Nubian out produced everyone else, by more than double on some. I however, decided I prefer the Nigerians and ended up selling the Mini this summer. However, I have heard of Nigerians that produced as much as the Mini did. My herd gives me more milk than I need anyway and I have decided I want to focus on breeding better Nigerians. I want to learn more about body confirmation and the like. Whatever breed you go with, try to find the best stock you can afford. Not all are equal. Do some research on what a good dairy goat and udder looks like so you can look at the ones for sale and their parents with an educated eye.

Kinders are a mix with Pigmy goats. They are a small breed but they are a meat breed. If you are looking for good milkers and not for meat, I'd avoid anything mixed with a meat breed. They will put more energy into muscle growth and won't produce anywhere near what a good dairy line will.

Thank you for this valuable info! I don't plan to get kinders then, since I want solely milking goats (and bucks). May I ask, how do you give your goats copper and selenium supplements? Do you know a natural way it can be done? I looked it up but found nothing. Thank you for your valuable info and time.

 

[lomine]

This will also be dependent on your area. Alfalfa and hay grown locally to me provides a good amount of copper and selenium that a loose mineral with copper is enough for my herds' needs. Other places are low in these, and owners have to give copper bolus or selenium gel. The thing is both can be toxic to goats in high quantities. I could kill my goats if I gave them a copper bolus. You'll need to find out about your area. A good goat vet or knowledgeable breeders should be able to tell you this info. If in doubt, it's better to get a blood test to see if they are deficient in anything.

I'm not sure if there is some natural way to add this in via their diet. You may be able to find an all-natural or organic loose mineral. I honestly never thought about it. I get my mineral at a local feed store where I get my alfalfa and hay. I will say that I have tried a couple popular/known name brands that my goats out right refused to eat. So even if you find something you like, it won't do you any good if the goats won't eat it.

Something to keep in mind is that certain mineral deficiencies can cause a lot of difference issues, so it is an important part of their care that you don't want to take chances with. Certain deficiencies can even cause a lower production of milk or make the milk taste funny.

 

[NatJ]

In the future I would like to get Nigerian Dwarf Goats and/or other small milk goat breeds, I don't want goats for meat, only milk.

What are you going to do with the kids?

A doe needs to have a kid every year or so in order to give milk, and half of those kids will be male. Even if you can sell the females to other people who want milkers, you might have to look hard to find homes for bucks or wethers, or even people who want small goats to butcher.

(I'm just pointing out a detail you had not mentioned, so I don't know whether you already have a plan for it.)

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

What are you going to do with the kids?

A doe needs to have a kid every year or so in order to give milk, and half of those kids will be male. Even if you can sell the females to other people who want milkers, you might have to look hard to find homes for bucks or wethers, or even people who want small goats to butcher.

(I'm just pointing out a detail you had not mentioned, so I don't know whether you already have a plan for it.)

I plan to try and sell them or give them away if I have no other choice. Since I an planning to only do dwarf and mini breeds of milking goats I hope they won't become meat but sadly I don't think there's another option.

 

[Faeshka]

In the future I would like to get Nigerian Dwarf Goats and/or other small milk goat breeds, I don't want goats for meat, only milk. In the further future would like 4 goats, 2 does and 2 bucks/weathers. I want to be as prepared as realistically possible so along with required care here are a few question I have:

1. Should I have two intact bucks together or a weather and a intact buck?
2. Is there some reliable natural demormers I could make myself? Or would I be taking too large a risk?
3. Would pairs of twos be happy?
4. How hard and/or unrealistic to grow your own hay and/or feed for goats?
5. What small breeds of goats are best value for milk(How long they milk in their life, how long after breeding, feed consumption, and milk per day)?

I may add more questions later. Advice is greatly appreciated.

1. I went through a similar process. The experienced goat people I talked to advised me to get 2 bucks. Age doesn't seem to matter since my younger buck was 6 weeks old and still getting bottle fed when I got him, and he was in with adult bucks before I picked him up. My yearling buck is totally fine with him.

2. There are a lot of recipes online for herbal dewormers. Some herbs shouldn't be given to pregnant does, so I'd advise against making your own unless the recipe tells you this or you're familiar with herbs. Making sure they get enough copper is just as important. I would not recommend Land of Havilah's blends since they didn't do much of anything to reduce fecal egg counts even at 4-6x the suggested dose.

3. Herd animals rely on numbers for safety. One remains vigilant so the other(s) can rest. While some people keep 2 or even 1, I have seen a dramatic improvement in every single herd I've ever had when the minimum is at least 3. My does made my life hell when I just had the 2, always crying and begging for me to be there. Once I got 2 more does, they settled down and act like a herd.

4. Growing your own feed depends on how much land you have, your infrastructure and how much time you have. I think it is theoretically doable but I don't know of anyone who's growing 100% of their own feed. Before modern times, farmers would either grow their own feeds or trade with other farmers. This is something I'm very interested in but I have not had much luck at all with finding books about this topic.

5. I settled on Nigerians since pretty much everyone on the internet says they have creamy milk that tastes great. I also didn't want a large animal, since I have some physical limitations. They have amazing personalities, love humans and are a joy to have around. More like dogs in terms of how human oriented they are. Mine milk 2-3lbs of milk a day (1-1.5 quarts per doe per day). The bucks I have come from dams that milk 5lbs or so a day. Make sure if you want milk that you're buying from a farm that breeds for milk production.

I am personally not impressed with what I have read about Kinders, since it sounds like there are registration issues, issues finding suitable breeding stock and they don't breed true so they're not at all genetically stable. People tend to have issues with not getting good meat goats if that's what they want or good milk goats. Just breeding 2 animals doesn't guarantee the offspring will be what you want with any breed, and it sounds like odds of them not breeding true is a lot higher with Kinders.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

1. I went through a similar process. The experienced goat people I talked to advised me to get 2 bucks. Age doesn't seem to matter since my younger buck was 6 weeks old and still getting bottle fed when I got him, and he was in with adult bucks before I picked him up. My yearling buck is totally fine with him.

2. There are a lot of recipes online for herbal dewormers. Some herbs shouldn't be given to pregnant does, so I'd advise against making your own unless the recipe tells you this or you're familiar with herbs. Making sure they get enough copper is just as important. I would not recommend Land of Havilah's blends since they didn't do much of anything to reduce fecal egg counts even at 4-6x the suggested dose.

3. Herd animals rely on numbers for safety. One remains vigilant so the other(s) can rest. While some people keep 2 or even 1, I have seen a dramatic improvement in every single herd I've ever had when the minimum is at least 3. My does made my life hell when I just had the 2, always crying and begging for me to be there. Once I got 2 more does, they settled down and act like a herd.

4. Growing your own feed depends on how much land you have, your infrastructure and how much time you have. I think it is theoretically doable but I don't know of anyone who's growing 100% of their own feed. Before modern times, farmers would either grow their own feeds or trade with other farmers. This is something I'm very interested in but I have not had much luck at all with finding books about this topic.

5. I settled on Nigerians since pretty much everyone on the internet says they have creamy milk that tastes great. I also didn't want a large animal, since I have some physical limitations. They have amazing personalities, love humans and are a joy to have around. More like dogs in terms of how human oriented they are. Mine milk 2-3lbs of milk a day (1-1.5 quarts per doe per day). The bucks I have come from dams that milk 5lbs or so a day. Make sure if you want milk that you're buying from a farm that breeds for milk production.

I am personally not impressed with what I have read about Kinders, since it sounds like there are registration issues, issues finding suitable breeding stock and they don't breed true so they're not at all genetically stable. People tend to have issues with not getting good meat goats if that's what they want or good milk goats. Just breeding 2 animals doesn't guarantee the offspring will be what you want with any breed, and it sounds like odds of them not breeding true is a lot higher with Kinders.

Thank you for this valuable info! I have decided against Kinders. I definitely plan to get Nigerian Dwarf goats and possibly Mini Nubians. I also plan to get a minimum of 3-4 milk goats. Are two males happy together or should they too have a minimum of 3-4 in a herd? Thx,

 

[cassie]

Just a comment on natural dewormers. Bear in mind, that just because something is touted as being natural, it does not mean that it is either safe or effective. Get something that works.