# NIGERIAN DWARF pros an cons



## cajunmeadows (Jan 10, 2009)

Am thinking about a small herd to raise for possibly milking and to eat. Have only messed with a few goats and did have a couple dwarfs as I only have an acre to play with and they seemed real content in a smaller pen. Any suggestions are comments would be appreciated.
Chad


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## cjb (May 2, 2006)

I have both standard goats and ND's and now am raising one mini.

I LOVE my ND's for their personalities and looks. They are stinking cute and they seem tamer and more personable than my other goats.

Disadvantages that I can see:

- Just freshened my first ND doe and she is hard to milk. Teats are tiny and you can't really fit much underneath her
- Due to their size, you have to be much more careful about gaps in fencing. Mine seem to come and go as they please as I've not been able to seal every spot and make it ND proof.
- You have to worry much more about predators with the ND's.
- If you experience birthing difficulties, you better have small hands.

Have you thought about mini's? They seem to be rising in popularity. I can't speak from experience although we bred all our standards to an ND buck this year and are keeping one resulting doeling. Seems like they might be a great compromise.


Not sure about eating ND's. It sure doesn't seem like there would be enough meat on there. Maybe keep ND does and breed to pygmies for a meatier carcass?


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

A lot of folks get into goats with just these plans. Some succeed, but many find it's better to buy meat goats for meat and milk goats for milk. If you buy PYGMIES, instead of Nigerians, you can look for lines that are actually milked (they are rare, but they DO exist!) and then you have a better shot at getting the best of both worlds. Or, as already suggested, try minis (breeding a Nigerian buck (or even a pygmy) to a full-sized meat doe).

If you want milk, check out those teats! Milk them if you can, before you buy, or watch them being milked, etc. See LOTS from the same lines so you can see if the teats are all over the place or if they are generally consistent. Either way, it will take some time getting used to the teats & technique if you aren't used to milking them.

NDs are SMART and they like to JUMP, HIGH. My little stinkers have gotten in/out of some very tricky spots!

If you select your breeding pairs carefully, birth canals are relatively large. We have big kids (often over 4 pounds, even in high multiples (quads)) and they thrive if given proper pre- and post-natal care. Just plan ahead and learn to select carefully and birthing shouldn't be a problem, MOST times.

I like the minis and the dwarves because you diversify your herd so your eggs aren't all in one basket. You have to have more than one, regardless of size, so having smaller goats means smaller stomachs to fill, smaller poops to clean up, less room needed for shelter, etc. Plus, if one goat is sick or doesn't get pregnant in time, you still have another in milk. The ideal way to do this is to rotationally breed with 3 does and 1 buck. 1 buck and 1 doe are always together and the other two does are always together. You rotate a doe in/out of the buck pen about ever 4 months. Or, you can have 2 does and 1 buck and get a wether that can do all the rotating, if you're ready to have your own buck. 

The other big pro about the NDs is that they are easy to sell and hold their value. Pygmies don't seem to be as consistent across the country, but maybe it's because the NDs are just hotter right now??? The NDs tend to come in all sorts of wild colors & patterns so they are pretty easy to place in good homes with some careful screening.

Another pro about NDs is you can fairly easily find clean tested herds. This is the reason I went with the NDs to start - no other local herds, regardless of breed, were completely free of CAE, CL, & Johne's at the time. Now in just a few short years, there are a handful of us and we're growing!

I also LOVE the very creamy, rich milk. Our butterfat is routinely above 7% here. At the moment, we have 6 fresh. Two girls each have a single doe on them. We're getting over 2 gallons of milk per day (almost 2.5 gallons/day now).

Good luck!


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## Bricheze (Jun 21, 2008)

Pro--
ND kids are probably the cutest kids ever on the face of the earth!


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Cons - teat size. Teat size. Teat size.

This is my MiniMancha's udder. I have to use a suction milker on her. No way I can hand milk those teats.


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## betsy h. (Sep 28, 2008)

You may find that Guernsey goats fill the bill- easy to keep like ND's, really laid back temperments, teats easy to grab like larger goats, size somewhere between ND and Oberhasli. And a fair amount of milk. Plus being a rare breed.

The milk seems to be uniform across the board- good butterfats, more milk solids (caesin) so more curd yielded per gallon of milk.

I know some herd across the US who have several Guernsey does for sale- Pacific NW, TN, PA, etc. Many of us will sell does already bred. One herd in PA has their goats on less than a acre and does extremely well.

You'd pay as much for a good Guernsey doe as you would for a good ND doe. I routinely see good ND does priced at around $350-$400 from quality herds- and no shortage of folks buying them either.

Take a look at my blog- http://glastonburyfarm.blogspot.com which also has a link to my webshots picture pages. Also, consider joining us at [email protected] for more info.


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## Mrs. Jo (Jun 5, 2007)

There's nothing preventing you from eating the Nigerian Dwarfs. We do. What else are you going to do with them when there are only so many who will buy them as pets? Last year we got about 55 pounds of meat from 5 Nigerian dwarfs. Their ages were all different, but 55 pounds is enough chevon for us for a year. 

We end up milking a few Nigerian Dwarfs in order to have about a gallon of milk a day. So you will have to take that into account. You need to milk more of them to get a sizable amount of milk. Their milk is better than any other goat milk I have tasted. Also, the taller Nigerian Dwarves are what you want for better and easier milk production. Too small and you'll be milking into a shallow bowl instead of a pail and have to deal with tiny teats. 

I actually milk some teats that are smaller than those in the picture. It isn't that difficult for me but I have smaller hands. I find it becomes alot harder if they have a really tight orifice that requires a lot of pressure to squeeze the milk out. Mine milk very easily.


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## cjb (May 2, 2006)

I forgot to say - the ND milk is the best goat milk I have had so far. Even my kids like it and they highly prefer the cow milk.


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## LFmenagerie (Mar 29, 2007)

Your really making me want to give the one I have hear a try...Just to taste that milk! But this is the one that lays down if I touch her on her lower half (hooves included). Maybe next year if she is still here.
Pam


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

LFmenagerie - sometimes I think they make you work for that wonderful reward... and it IS wonderful!


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

Yes yes yes yes yes! ORIFICE size over teat size any day! lol


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

Teat size can vary, but even my arthritic hands can do the one finger milking routine. And as previously mentioned - orifice size makes a HUGE difference. Look for does from breeders that are making it a point to breed for teat length. I've got a couple of first fresheners that I can get everything but my pinkies on when milking. Also check milk test results if available - my buck comes from a long line of does that routinely test around 6# (which is approximately 3/4 gallon).

It is a little harder to fence for the babies, but if you plan ahead it isn't a big deal - just use 2x4 non-climb horse fence or even chainlink fence. I have standard field fence around most of my pasture, never had an escapee other than babies and they didn't go very far, before they went running back to momma. None of mine are jumpers, and most are love bugs.

I like that they can easily be transported in dog kennels, and that I can pick up and carry them when needed. Hoof trimming is a lot easier too - usually just hold them in my lap.


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## cjb (May 2, 2006)

The milk is really, really good. We love it.


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## LFmenagerie (Mar 29, 2007)

Hoofinit-
Mine might be pygmy cross....not sure what she is for sure but she is short and somewhat more delicate than were my Pygmys when I had a couple. So it could be very nice rich milk but hard to get. A goal for next year...Milk Gidget, at least once LOL.
If I could figure out how to post a pic I'd show you her, my lovely little Pygoras, and my upcoming dairy sweeties.


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## moonspinner (Jul 2, 2002)

Many dedicated ND breeders are producing does that can really put it in the pail - and with large teats. Look at successful herds with milking acclaim - not all NDs are tough/small to milk. You'll be surprised at the size of some of these udders.
Of course, NDs being small you can accomodate larger numbers on smaller acreage and they're so much easier to handle/transport, etc. And the rainbow of colors is a fun plus!


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

I tell ya, there are some AWESOME pygmies that MILK. Winterhaven's Opal, a doe bred by one friend, sold to another friend where she lived for many years, and now residing with a third friend, has an udder that is nicer than a lot of Nigerians I've seen. Wow, wow, wow. She is the sort of pygmy that makes you WANT to milk.

The second friend actually had her on milk test last year before selling her entire pygmy herd to said third friend.


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