Our Herd

In May 2019, we brought home 5 Nigerian Dwarf Goats, 2 bucklings and 3 doelings! The Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature goat of West African origin. Their gentle, friendly personalities make them easy to handle – even small children can be at ease with these little goats. What a perfect breed for our family of 1st generation farmers!

Our goats are registered with the ADGA (American Dairy Goat Association), and when they are of the appropriate age and weight, we will breed them to start the flow of sweet goat milk! A healthy Nigerian Dwarf doe can produce a surprising amount of sweet milk for her small size – up to three quarts per day. In addition, Nigerian Dwarf milk is higher in butterfat (6-10%) and higher in protein content than most other dairy goat breeds - perfect for making creamy soaps, flavorful cheeses, and other sweet edibles!

Breeding also means baby goats!  The smallest goats often give birth to the most kids. A Nigerian Dwarf doe can give birth to three or four kids per pregnancy, and five babies aren't unusual in the breed. These goats are particularly prolific, which may mean goats to spare. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the Nigerian Dwarf as a livestock dairy goat, which makes them eligible for youth 4-H and FFA projects. We invite you to follow our breeding journey and consider Land of Milk and Honey as a source for your own 4-H, FFA, or companion goat herd! Not all Nigerian Dwarf owners raise their goats for milk. Some just enjoy the pleasure and companionship these little caprines bring to their lives.

Color is another factor that makes breeding Nigerian Dwarfs so popular. You can never be sure what color the babies will be until they are born. Main color families are black, chocolate and gold with virtually every combination imaginable being produced. They can be dalmatian spotted, pinto-patterned, tri-colored or just classy shades of solid jet black, white, chocolate or gold. Brown eyes are most common; however, china blue eyes are also possible.

How many kids will our does have? What color will they be?  What will we name them? Sign up for our newsletter, read the blog, or follow us on Instagram to see!

Source:

Nigerian Dairy Goat Association (NDGA)
http://www.ndga.org/

Photos by:

Josh Hartman Photography