Goats on the Farm
The Nigerian Dwarf goat breed is one of the smallest registered miniature dairy goat breeds in the American Dairy Goat Association. The breed originates from West Africa coming to the United States in shipping containers to feed the large wild cats headed to zoos. Due to this most goats have bloodlines leading back to zoo ownership.
Nigerian Dwarf goats have a calm, playful personality and are desired for their small size and production of sweet milk. Nigerian Dwarfs have a sweeter milk that is higher in butterfat and protein than other dairy breeds. So their size, milk and personality help to make them the perfect family farm companion. Breed standards held by the American Dairy Goat Association and the American Goat Society state that doe height should fall under 22.5 inches at the withers and bucks under 23.5 inches at the withers. A typical adult weight for a healthy doe is around seventy pounds. The body is in balanced proportions and has a straight face and erect ears. The short or fine hair is acceptable in any color pattern or combination making each goat uniquely colorful. These goats are also known to carry genetics for being polled and or having blue eyes.
On our informative links page we have links showing some of the wide variety of color patterns, as well as, a link for the anatomy of dairy goats with proper labels. We have also added some information on polled genetics in dairy goats.
In the summer of 2014 we attended the Armada Fair with our five goats. Overall it was a learning experience for both us and our goats. Only Shilo had attended a fair before, so the fair was new territory for the youngest four goats. For us as exhibitors we also learned a lot about showmanship and the show arena. Monday of fair week was when southeast Michigan experienced torrential rains; talk about chaos. Several tarps, water buckets and a water pump were involved to keep the goat barn from flooding. In the end our goats took home a first, several seconds, a third, a fourth and a fifth place ribbons. We look forward to the fair next year to utilize what we learned this year and continue to grow our show experiences.
-Our herd tested negative for Johnes in July 2013
-Our herd tested negative for Johnes in October 2015
Nigerian Dwarf goats have a calm, playful personality and are desired for their small size and production of sweet milk. Nigerian Dwarfs have a sweeter milk that is higher in butterfat and protein than other dairy breeds. So their size, milk and personality help to make them the perfect family farm companion. Breed standards held by the American Dairy Goat Association and the American Goat Society state that doe height should fall under 22.5 inches at the withers and bucks under 23.5 inches at the withers. A typical adult weight for a healthy doe is around seventy pounds. The body is in balanced proportions and has a straight face and erect ears. The short or fine hair is acceptable in any color pattern or combination making each goat uniquely colorful. These goats are also known to carry genetics for being polled and or having blue eyes.
On our informative links page we have links showing some of the wide variety of color patterns, as well as, a link for the anatomy of dairy goats with proper labels. We have also added some information on polled genetics in dairy goats.
In the summer of 2014 we attended the Armada Fair with our five goats. Overall it was a learning experience for both us and our goats. Only Shilo had attended a fair before, so the fair was new territory for the youngest four goats. For us as exhibitors we also learned a lot about showmanship and the show arena. Monday of fair week was when southeast Michigan experienced torrential rains; talk about chaos. Several tarps, water buckets and a water pump were involved to keep the goat barn from flooding. In the end our goats took home a first, several seconds, a third, a fourth and a fifth place ribbons. We look forward to the fair next year to utilize what we learned this year and continue to grow our show experiences.
-Our herd tested negative for Johnes in July 2013
-Our herd tested negative for Johnes in October 2015
Aphrodite enjoying a warm winter day. Visit Aphrodite's Page |
Bindi enjoying some alfalfa. Visit Bindi's Page |
Chloe refusing to take a nice photo for us. Visit Chloe's Page |
Melody playing on the stairs. Visit Melody's Page |
Shilo freshly shaven for the summer. Visit Shilo's Page |
We are currently members of American Dairy Goat Association.