Nigerian Dwarf Goats
Nigerian Dwarf goats are a small dairy breed that is great for small homesteads. They are very friendly and will follow you around and jump on you to play. They produce a large quantity of milk for their tiny statures. At only 17-22 inches for the does (and up to 23 inches for the bucks), a Nigerian Dwarf doe from great milking lines will typically produce around 1-2L per day, sometimes peaking up to 3L! Their milk also has the highest level of butterfat, of 4-10%, which gives the milk an incredibly creamy taste. It does not have the typical "goaty" flavour that store-bought goat milk has. It tastes like a sweeter and creamier version of cow's milk. Goat's milk is naturally homogenized and is more easily digested. Cow's milk takes about 24h to digest, while goat's milk is digested in about 20 minutes. Many people with lactose intolerance are able to drink goat's milk, though this varies individually.
To give milk, goats need to have given birth, called kidding. The gestation period for these small goats is around 145 days, though can sometimes last 155 days, after which they can give birth to between 1-6 babies, called kids. The most common number of kids is 2, then 1 or 3 (equally as likely). More than 3 kids is not as common. Male kids are bucklings and female kids are called doelings. The mother is called the dam and the father is the sire.
When does come into milk, it is called freshening (refreshing the milk production). On the first freshening, the doe will give less milk than her full potential. It can take a few freshenings to reach full potential. Does with excellent milking genetics can produce 2 or even 3 litres a day once more mature.
Nigerian Dwarf goats and Pygmy goats were originally from the same ancestor, however, through selective breeding, the Pygmy goat became a miniature meat goat, while the Nigerian Dwarf became a dairy goat.
To give milk, goats need to have given birth, called kidding. The gestation period for these small goats is around 145 days, though can sometimes last 155 days, after which they can give birth to between 1-6 babies, called kids. The most common number of kids is 2, then 1 or 3 (equally as likely). More than 3 kids is not as common. Male kids are bucklings and female kids are called doelings. The mother is called the dam and the father is the sire.
When does come into milk, it is called freshening (refreshing the milk production). On the first freshening, the doe will give less milk than her full potential. It can take a few freshenings to reach full potential. Does with excellent milking genetics can produce 2 or even 3 litres a day once more mature.
Nigerian Dwarf goats and Pygmy goats were originally from the same ancestor, however, through selective breeding, the Pygmy goat became a miniature meat goat, while the Nigerian Dwarf became a dairy goat.