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Nigerian
Dwarf Goats
These are beautiful, colorful
dairy goats. Our goats will eat
out of your hand and love the
attention anyone will give them.
To the side you will see links
to view information about our
herd. Below you will find general
information about the breed.
Nigerian
Dwarf Facts
 The
Nigerian Dwarf is not a Pygmy!
The Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature
goat of West African Origin. It's
conformation is similar to that
of the larger dairy goat breeds
as opposed to a Pygmy who is very
stocky. The parts of the body
are in balanced proportion. The
Nigerian looks like a standard
dairy goat just miniaturized.
The nose is straight. The ears
are upright. The coat is soft
with short to medium hair. Nigerian
Dwarves have three different color
lines -- black, brown, and gold,
all of which can be broken with
white and other colors such as
red, gold and black.
Height
of the Nigerian Dwarf Goat
| |
Ideal |
Maximum |
| Does |
17" to 19" |
22.6" |
| Bucks |
19" to 20" |
23.6" |
Ideal
weight is suggested to be about
75 pounds. Nigerians are very
lovable goats. Even intact bucks
(breeders) can be easily handled.
Dwarf
goats come in many colors. Main
color families are black, chocolate
and gold. Random white markings
are common, as are spots and other
color combinations such as red,
white, gold and black.
Dwarf
goats are polyestrous-meaning
they can breed year round as opposed
to breeds that have a definitive
breeding season.
New
born kids are very small averaging
about 2 lbs. at birth but they
grow quickly. They reach sexual
maturity at a young age so be
sure and separate the bucks and
does.
Dwarf
does can have several kids at
a time, 3 and 4 being common and
sometime even 5. Dwarfs are generally
good mothers and able to take
care of their babies should you
leave them to do the raising of
the kids. They can also provide
a surprising amount of milk for
their size. They can give three
to four pounds per day of 6 to
10% butterfat.
References:
Oklahoma State University. 2006
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/
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