Use: Nigerian Dwarf goats are perfectly scaled miniature dairy goats. Nigerian Dwarfs give up to two quarts of 6- to 10-percent butterfat milk per day. Nigerian Dwarfs, particularly bucks, have been used to develop a number of other small breeds, including the six breeds registered by the Miniature Dairy Goat Association (Miniature Alpines, Miniature LaManchas, Miniature Nubians, Miniature Oberhaslis, Miniature Saanen/Sables and Miniature Toggenburgs), the Miniature Silky Fainting Goat and the cute, fleecy Nigora.
History: Like Pygmy goats, Nigerian Dwarf goats originated in West Africa. The first documented imports of both Pygmys (short-legged and cobby, they’re used for meat and milk in Africa) and Nigerian Dwarfs (a more svelte, proportionate dairy-type goat) arrived to the U.S. in the 1930s to 1950s and found their way to private and public zoos and preserves, then to everyday owners and breeders.
Conformation: Four organizations register Nigerian Dwarfs, and their standards differ somewhat. Generally, the ideal height for a mature doe is 17 to 19 inches, with does up to 22½ inches tall acceptable. Mature bucks should be 19 to 21 inches tall with up to 23½ inches accepted. Ideal weight is around 75 pounds. Nigerian Dwarfs have soft, short- to medium-length hair, upright ears and straight profiles. They come in all colors, though Pygmy-specific markings are penalized in the show ring.
Special Considerations/Notes: Nigerian Dwarfs are sweet, friendly goats that make wonderful pets. Kids weigh about 2 pounds at birth. They are precocious breeders, and bucklings can be fertile at 7 weeks of age. Most doelings are mature enough to breed at 7 to 8 months of age, though it’s better to wait until they’re at least 1 year old. Bucks can be used for service as young as 3 to 6 months of age. Nigerian Dwarfs breed out of season, and litters of three and four kids are the norm.
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[…] you know that when they give birth it’s typically to a litter of two or three. For Stella, a Nigerian Dwarf Goat living on a farm in West Haven, Utah, that count was […]
[…] you’re living in Rio Rancho, N.M., and you’d love to have pygmy goats or Nigerian dwarf goats in your backyard, you’re out of luck, because the law requires residents to have at least […]