We bought Nigerian Dwarf Goats! – What? And Why?

What is a Nigerian Dwarf Goat?

Nigerian Dwarf Goats are the cutest, friendliest, most mischievous little livestock members you can add to your homestead! An American breed derived from the dwarf breeds of West Africa, These little guys will range between 60-80lbs and 17-23” tall. Does will be on the smaller side of that scale and bucks on the larger side. 

In my experience, most people seem to be more familiar with the “Pygmy” goat. Nigerian Dwarfs originated from the same genetic foundation however resemble more of a dairy goat with more slender frames. Not only do they resemble a dairy goat, they come with the benefits too! A Doe will produce up to 2 quarts of milk per day for up to 10 months. 

Why did we decide to get Nigerian Dwarf Goats?

Everything on the homestead must have a functional purpose to provide and add value to our family/homestead. These new additions will more then fulfill that philosophy! Initially these goats will provide a great opportunity for our family (especially our children) to learn how to appropriately care for livestock. From daily chores (feed, water, stall maintenance etc.) to general tasks like hoof care. Nigerian dwarf goats could also make great 4-H companions for our children. 

Our farm is relatively small at just under 4 acres. These little additions won’t take up much space which has many benefits in itself. When taking in livestock there are many considerations to take in, one of those is manure management (different then the management of your workplace). With Nigerian Dwarfs this is much easier to handle as their manure resembles that of a deer but less. Another consideration is feed management, more specifically the storage of their feed. The benefit again is, less. They eat less, you need less, and store less.

Long term is where these pretty girls will really pay off. At about 1 years old we can start to plan for breeding. This will be a whole adventure on its own, but I will save that topic for a future post. Once our ladies have kids (baby goats) we have the potential of multiple benefits pending a healthy and successful delivery. First, we will have baby goats to either sell and/or expand our herd depending on how many we get and what sex they are. Second, we will have the mamas to milk and receive the many benefits/uses of their milk to enhance our homestead (again, stay tuned for a future post 😉). 

Do they have names yet!?

Sticking to our “Copper” theme of course (see our other blog post “what’s in a name?” Found under the Stories category for that explanation), we welcome Penny and Piper!

Penny – for her colour of a copper penny! Makes “cents” right?

Piper – A few things came to mind with this one. She is the most vocal and has quite the set of “pipes” on her (Pipe down Piper!), Copper Pipes?? (Bit of a stretch maybe 🤔) and lastly, any “orange is the new black” fans out there?

Alas, for one reason or another, we have Penny and Piper! Thanks for following along and stay tuned for more specific Goat topics 👍🏻

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