Nigerian dwarf goats

[hsm5grls]

Hi everyone,
I have been wanting to get a few goats for some time. My dd's and I want to milk them and make our own cheese and soap. We would also like to show them and dd (8yr.old) would like to join 4-h. I am zoned to have 5 head of live stock already have a black-belly sheep. I was interested in the Nigerian dwarf goat because of there size and I have heard they are easier to handle and much friendlier. We have been looking for months to find someone in our area who has dwarf goats for sale and last night I found a woman who has invited us to her farm to look at her's. I was a little worried when I asked if she had two that would be suitable to breed. She said if she looked hard she might find two that would be unrelated enough to breed. She has around 40 head. Is that odd with 40 that she might find two that could breed? Should I be worried about in-breeding? What am I looking for when I look at her heard. Any warning signs that I should be looking for. She says that she shows them but that's what she says.
Any sheep experience would help
thanks
hsm5grls

 

[MissPrissy]

Some people raise a lot of goats and have a common bloodline somewhere in the bunch and for breeding they are serviced by some else's goats.

My goats are from the same herd and have one common bloodline about 5 generations back. However, each of the 3 yr old does are bred with a different buck from a different farm.

It is very common.

If you want to have just a few goats to milk don't worry over it. You will have to find a buck every fall to freshen your doe to keep a milk supply anyway although some does do milk through 2 years but not always.

Check their feet. You want good healthy hooves with no signs of sores or tenderness.

You want a very friendly doe who doesn't mind when you rub and touch her udders. You want to see a well placed bag with good support. I have had a doe that fights at every attempt to milk her. You get tired of it quickly and they learn that the more they fight you the sooner you give up. It is a no win situation. I have had to hobble a doe to milk her out and it is most often not worth it. You or the animal can get be seriously injured.

I would suggest get at least 2 or 3 goats. The more company they have the less likely they are to get into mischeif. They can be VERY destructive. They will eat down vegetation in a matter of hours. They will eat the bark off of trees. I have seen an entire orchard killed from the foraging of goats. Keep them a playmate or two and you'll have less troubles.

Milking has to be done every 12 hours so make sure this something you want to commit yourself to every single day, twice per day.

I love my goats even though they do create more work for me. As if we need more chores! But i think it is worth it.

Enjoy your goats!

 

[hsm5grls]

Thank you for the advice and one more question...
We have alot of grass and weeds in the summer months but in the winter we will have to supplemnt any suggestions on feed. I want really healthy girls.

 

[MissPrissy]

I feed sweet feed and hay. They also forage and eat leaves and other vegetation. My does get 1 quart of feed int he morning and 1 at night. They while I milk. believe me it is the best way to go. let them eat and you milk at the same time.

Many people feed small portions of grain and the goats have to forage for anything else they eat all spring and summer. To me this makes VERY skinny goats and weak milk.

Along with the sweet feed, I do have a basic goat feed that I offer or sometimes mix with the sweet feed. They also gets lots of vegetables. They love apples and watermelons and carrots.

They will eat down brush and brambles. Goats do not graze unless they have nothing else to eat. They won't keep the grass eaten down so don't expect it.

Post photos when you get your goats. I have full sized saanan/nubian cross so dwarf goats will look like my babies. LOL

 

[hsm5grls]

Thank you for the help. I am very excited and very green. I am trying to learn everything I can and visiting as many farms with goats that I can. I won't be getting any goats until spring because I want to have everything ready for them. I just love having animals around me and am soo excited. I will post pics. As soon as they come home.

 

[Chatychick]

I have goats and I do have Nigerian Dwarfs and I feed 2x a day and I feed goat chow, whole oats and alfafa pellets each and every day.. I milk 2 of mine and yes you want a goat with a good udder, yep look at the feet sometimes they can founder and it shows in the feet. Goats need their feet trimmed and shots too. I agree you need more than 1 because they are a herd animal.
I love my goats and I have bottle raise them too it is better and it makes them more friendly too. Real pest in a way. Just because they will come up to her dont mean they will come to you. It is better to raise them, but some dont care as long as you have feed. Dont overfeed them either. Browse isnt enough for dairy goats and you will need to give them alfafa or alfafa pellets to maek better milk and some weed tend to make the milk taste that way.
I know a woman in Arizona and she is on www.thegoatspot.freeforums.org her screen name is trob1 and you can tell her I sent you she is very sweet and she can tell you if this woman is reputible as she shows goats too. I will tell her to expect you to contact her and dont buy the first goats you see either sometimes that can be a trainwreck. If you need other help just holler.

 

[zatsdeb]

I have a white sanaan milk goat and she is dehorned and so gentle and sweet. I thought about getting the smaller goats, but once I got her I was won over. She came from a goat farm and was bottle fed so she is like a big dog, and I get about a quart of milk a day. We have one baby from her. I don't know about milking a smaller goat, the smaller the goat the smaller the teats, and milk quality is so much better in the big sanaan, nubians are good too, but the sanaan is the best for milk quality.

 

[hsm5grls]

Thank you I will check her out. The lady I spoke to told me that there are only two breeders of dwarf goats in tucson and they both show there goats. We will see I guess. It's not that I don't trust her it's just that I really want to do my homework these will be my babies and I want to get what I pay for.

 

[Chatychick]

Well then join a goat forum and they will tell you all you need... I am Chaty on a few forums , like www.goattalk.com and www.thegoatspot.freeforums.org and www.dairygoatinfo.com they are all very helpful and really know their goats and will help you with any questions that you have...hope to see you there

 

[Chatychick]

Also forgot to add I have Alpines too and the Nigi's have great teats too and are easy to milk...well some the 2 I milk do really well and so do Alpines too...very good milk just dont get a toggenburg as some lines the milk is awful...