REDWOOD GROVE FARM
NIGERIAN DWARF GOAT INFORMATION
TOPICS
General Breed Information
The Nigerian Dwarf is considered to be a dairy goat in miniature, and they have the graceful refined proportions of the dairy goat at about 1/3 the size. They grow to about the same size of a medium dog, around 40 to 50 pounds. These goats are popular as hobby goats due to their easy maintenance and small stature. They do not require as much space as their larger dairy goat counterparts, and their gentle and friendly personalities make them good companion pets. They are easy to handle; even small children can be at ease with these little goats.
Females are called does; intact males are called bucks, and their offspring are called kids. Neutered males make great pets and are called wethers. Wethers are often less aggressive, generally calmer, stay slimmer and sleeker, and don't develop the sometimes-offensive odor that bucks in rut will do.
The average lifespan of a buck is around eight years, and they can live to 12 years. The average lifespan for a doe is around 11 to 12 years, and can sometimes live to 20 years.
Nigerian Dwarfs need lots of love and attention due to their gentle, lovable personalities. Nigerian Dwarf owners breed their goats for the companionship and pleasure these little guys offer. Goats are sensitive, intelligent animals. They love attention, especially from young children. Goats are born wild, but they are easily tamed. To tame a goat, it helps for people to be present at their birth so the kids can quickly imprint on humans. If the kids are not bottle-raised, and tame goats are desired, they will need to be handled frequently each day until they're tamed. A tamed goat makes a life-long friend.
Goats can be born with horn buds or naturally without horns ("polled.") Dis-budding is a common term for horn buds being removed at a young age.
Goats are social, playful creatures. They enjoy gentle attention; do not play aggressively with them or they will become aggressive. If you rub their heads during butting games, they might just butt you unpredictably. They especially enjoy having their neck, chest and cheeks rubbed. Goats enjoy climbing and jumping on rocks, stumps and platforms set up for their exercise and play.
The small size of Nigerian Dwarfs makes them easy to handle, even for small children. They make excellent 4-H projects for kids. They are very affectionate, enjoy your attention, and form bonds with both the herd and people. Each one has a distinct personality (similar to dogs) and become socialized from birth on. Nigerian Dwarfs are quite easy to manage and tend to act more like dogs than livestock. Also, if you travel away from home, it’s much easier to convince friends or neighbors to farm-sit a few Nigerian Dwarfs as opposed to larger livestock!
Goats like to browse rather than graze (like cattle or sheep do), so traditional pastures aren't required. Nigerian Dwarfs can be turned loose in wooded areas where they will help clear poison oak, blackberries, etc... All those things we consider nasty weeds are tasty treats to goats. (Refer to "Hazardous Plants" on this page.) Also, less room is required to store hay and feed for a couple of Nigerian Dwarfs compared to larger livestock.
Nigerian dwarf goat ownership is growing faster than any other dairy breed in the U.S. because they make such great additions to the homestead, regardless of whether the homestead is large, small, rural, urban, or suburban.
Goat coloring patterns are different than those used for other animals... Refer to the chart below for details. Our herd consists mainly of Gold, Buckskin, Chamoisee and Black varieties. When determining color classifications, all white areas are ignored; the dominant white gene is concealing the pattern.
Goat Milk From Nigerian Dwarfs
Many Nigerian Dwarf owners do not raise their goats for milk, but for their weed-clearing abilities, or simply the pleasure and companionship these little creatures bring to their lives. However, a healthy Nigerian Dwarf doe can produce a surprising amount of sweet milk for her small size - up to 2 quarts per day! In addition, Nigerian dwarf milk is higher in butterfat (6 to 10% more) and higher in protein than milk from other dairy goat breeds. Nigerian Dwarf goat milk is excellent for making cheese, ice cream, and soap.
Does will produce an average of 800 pounds (about 95 gallons) of fresh milk per year. The high butter fat content makes the creamy milk taste mild and sweet. Two or three Nigerian Dwarf does can provide a year's supply of milk for an average family, and because of their size, keeping two or three does is often possible. For many families, it’s more practical to own a couple small goats that produce small and consistent amounts of milk, rather than one large cow that produces a lot. Goats also convert their food into milk more efficiently than cows, sheep, and most other breeds of dairy goats.
For those wanting wonderful tasting, hormone- and antibiotic-free milk, from animals that are easy to handle, feed, and house, Nigerian Dwarfs are increasingly the answer. Goat milk is naturally homogenized and it can be digested in less than 20 minutes, whereas cow milk can take nearly all day. Goat milk pH is alkaline; cow milk pH is acidic.
The fact that NIgerian Dwarfs are lovable and adorable also doesn’t hurt!
Preparing For Your New Goats
Nigerian Dwarfs are similar to a medium dog in size, and are fine-boned, proportionally small dairy goats (but not as stocky as Pygmy goats.) Given their small size, two can live in about 20 square feet if they also have access to outside pasture space. This makes them feasible for rural, suburban, and even some urban settings. Some municipalities have even begun allowing small does inside city limits (check yours). The yard for Nigerian Dwarfs does need to be well-fenced, as they tend to be escape artists!
For their housing you must provide a barn, shed, lean-to or large doghouse so they can get out of the rain, snow, wind and sun. You must provide a strong fence; the fencing should be at least 4 feet high and made of sturdy materials. Goats like to rub their sides along the fencing and can eventually break cheap wire fabric. As you consider which fencing materials to use, remember your goal is twofold… To keep your goats where you want them, and to protect them from natural predators such as dogs and coyotes.
Most owners find that having a few "toys" for the goats to climb on will provide them with hours of playtime entertainment. Tree stumps, rocks or large cable spools are great for “king of the mountain" games and jumping. Just be sure to keep them away from the fence line to avoid giving your herd the means get out and roam your neighborhood. They have a good memory and will remember all the escape spots, so be vigilant.
Kids' Early Milestones
This is a listing of significant achievements in the average life of a young doeling or buckling:
10-15 minutes - Usually standing, and although quite wobbly, will follow mom around the stall.
30-60 minutes - Mama goat cleans her babies and begins nursing.
1-24 hours - Babies must drink mom's colostrum, very important in passing on her immunities to her kids. The baby must nurse 2-3 ounces at least FOUR times during this critical time period. If the mom won't allow nursing, the colostrum must be collected and bottle-fed to the baby.
2 days - Begin offering supplemental bottle feeding of doe's milk or a replacer milk to establish human bonding.
3-7 days - If the mama goat rejects her kid or otherwise won't allow nursing, the baby must be bottle-fed 3-5 ounces, FOUR times per day.
4 days - Horns are dis-budded. (Unless the adoptive parents prefer not to.)
1-4 weeks - If replacement bottle-feeding is required, provide 6-8 ounces THREE times per day. If only supplemental feeding is needed, ONCE per day is sufficient.
2 weeks - Earliest adoption time, if the new adoptive parents are willing and able to continue with replacement bottle-feeding THREE times per day. (6-8 ounces)
3 weeks - Kids will begin showing interest in regular feed (hay and grain.)
4 weeks - First C/D-T vaccine.
4-8 weeks - If replacement bottle-feeding is required, provide 8-10 ounces TWO times per day. If only supplemental feeding is needed, ONCE per day is sufficient.
8 weeks - Second C/D-T vaccine.
8-12 weeks - If replacement bottle-feeding is required, offer 10 ounces ONCE per day. If only supplemental feeding has been given, your kid may be showing reduced interest in the bottle and more interest in normal feed. Slowly start to reduce the amount over the next two weeks,
10 weeks - Bucklings are castrated if wether goats are desired. (See General Goat Information to learn the advantages of wethered males.)
10-12-weeks - Weaning complete; your new baby is ready to go home.
12-months - Begin annual booster shots of C/D-T vaccine.
Caring For Your New Goats
Goats need to be immunized annually for C/D-Tetanus (C/D-T vaccine). It is also recommended they receive a selenium paste or injection if you are living in a deficient area. For their best health, you should consult your veterinarian and refer to the list of young goat milestones for further vaccine timing information.
Goat hoofs should be trimmed as needed. The bottom of their hooves should be flat without the edges curling under. If your goats have access to hard ground, cement or pavement, they will need trimming less often.
When you bring your new goats home, expect they will be frightened and nervous until they get used to the new environment. The kids will probably be a bit noisy, may act shy, and will need TLC and reassurance that their new home is a safe, comfortable, and happy place. It usually takes about a week for them to settle in. Don’t chase your goats; let them come to you.
The stress of relocation can sometimes cause diarrhea. So can a protozoa-parasite called Coccidia. This can be serious in young goats, and you should call us immediately if you notice loose stools or caked-on residue under their tails. Other signs of stress can be reduced appetite, ear-droop or tail-droop. Rolling down their lower eyelid can reveal parasitic worms if the tissue isn't pink. Again, call us if you observe any of these symptoms.
To help reduce diet-related stress, consider these early care recommendations:
Young goats need extra protein in their diet; grass hay alone is insufficient. Many feed stores offer a grass/alfalfa mix; however, the blends differ and may change seasonally. It is best to feed grass hay and then give young goats alfalfa pellets, starting with 1/4-cup twice per day and gradually increasing the ration to 1/2-cup twice per day. (Overfeeding grains or other supplements can be hazardous to goats' health.) Male goats should not be fed alfalfa hay after they reach one year of age. At Redwood Grove Farm, we feed boys and girls an occasional treat of Purina Goat Chow; it provides grain and also includes a safe amount of alfalfa pellets in the mixture for protein.
Please refer to the FEEDING section of this page for additional information about feeding adult goats.
A healthy goat appears content, alert, has an appetite and chews its cud. It’s coat is smooth and glossy; skin is clean and pliable. You should be able to feel the ribs under the skin without the bones appearing to jut out. Their manure should consist of well-formed, slightly moist pellets which, along with the urine should be passed without effort. The normal body temperature of a Nigerian Dwarf goat is 102-103F. The normal pulse is 70-80 bpm.
Bottle Feeding Babies
There is probably nothing better to bottle-feed young kids than actual goat milk, but if you don’t have it, the next best thing is a Doe Milk Replacer. We use "Doe's Match" powdered milk replacer by Land O Lakes, but there are many fine brands to choose from. We get our supply from a local feed store. We use a Prichard nipple (yellow screw cap with red nipple) on water or soda bottles to feed the babies.
Put the milk or mixed milk replacer in a bottle and heat the bottle in a container of hot water until it's warm, just like you would do for a human baby. Baby goats like the milk very warm, but not hot.
Babies will begin to show interest in the same feed as their moms while still nursing and taking a bottle, and they will gradually show more interest in the hay as the weeks pass. They should be housed with their mom and other does until they are weaned (at about 10-12 weeks.)
Sometimes a kid is a little scared when he or she arrives at their new home and will not grab the nipple on the bottle right away. This is probably because they don’t know you yet. If you can’t get them to take it, put the kid on your lap, and keep your hand under their muzzle to hold the head still. Then slide the nipple into the kid's mouth, keeping your hand under the kid's muzzle to help them keep the nipple in its mouth. They will normally figure it out and start drinking after a few tries.
Always keep fresh water available to them. It won't seem like they drink much when they’re young, but they do need to have plenty of water. They should always have hay available because they will start nibbling and mouthing it, even when only a week old.
Babies are weaned at about 10-12 weeks, depending on how much other feed they’re eating. They need a minimum of eight weeks of milk. To wean them, cut back to smaller amounts each day, over a few days to encourage the kids to eat normal goat rations.
Feeding Nigerian Dwarf Goats
GRASS HAY
ALFALFA HAY
The feeding requirements of your goats depends on their age and gender. As ruminants, they depend on a diet primarily of hay. If good range isn't available, dry grass forage of horse-quality hay is acceptable. Sweet smelling, non-dusty, second-cut grass is good for adult bucks. A grass/legume (alfalfa) mix hay is ideal for all does and young bucks under one year old because all young goats need the additional protein. We switch to an all-alfalfa feeding program for the does when they are pregnant or nursing.
Adult males are prone to developing kidney and urinary tract stones (calculi), so they should be maintained on a low protein, low calcium diet. (Alfalfa hay should NOT be fed to boys over one year old.) Males also should be fed less grain than the does get. Start with 1/4 cup daily for boys and 1/2 cup daily for girls. Watching for weight gain or loss can also guide you in adjusting the amount of grain ration they receive. Babies should not be fed cob.
Although pasture goats naturally browse and free-feed all day, hay must be provided if pasture isn't available. Each goat needs about two pounds of feed per day, split between two feedings per day.
Many goat owners (including Redwood Grove Farm) feed hay twice per day, with a once- or twice-daily ration of Goat Chow. (Some owners feed hay once per day and still maintain perfectly healthy goats. You will have to decide which schedule is practical for your animals and your schedule.)
Keep both food and water where they cannot be soiled by the goats' urine or droppings. Goats need fresh water at all times and will refuse soiled water. Like any other animal, goats can live without food for several days, but not without water. Lactating (nursing) goats required lots of fresh water. Keep the water and feed dishes clean by washing frequently with vinegar. A little apple cider vinegar can be added to the water to inhibit algae growth. In some areas of the country, it is important to make sure the water doesn’t freeze.
Goats are browsers, not grazers. They will browse on plants such as poison oak/ivy, blackberries, honeysuckle, and fallen dry leaves. Weeds, leaves from trees, underbrush, and poison oak/ivy are their favorites. And goats love treats... Fresh cut apples, carrots or horse treats are their favorites. Be sure to avoid moldy scraps! Refer to the list of hazardous plants before feeding goats your garden trimmings.
A mineral supplement formulated for goats should be provided. Goats prefer a granulated product over salt blocks. There are several products available; we use a Purina product from a local feed store. Keep them constantly supplied with mineral so they can free-feed what they need. Goats should also have a separate bowl of baking soda that they can free-feed as needed for good rumen (gut) health.
Breeding Nigerian Dwarf Goats
Nigerian Dwarf goats breed year-round, unlike other breeds of goats. Many owners breed their does three times in two years, giving the doe at least a six-month break. Of course, this is a personal choice for each breeder. The normal gestation period for does is 145 to 153 days. For the most part, Nigerian Dwarfs are a hearty breed with few kidding problems. New babies average about two pounds at birth and grow quickly. Watch out for those little bucks! Bucklings can be fertile as young as seven months of age. Make sure your weaned bucks and does are housed separately to avoid unintentional breeding.
Breeding bucks are ready for service by the time they are seven or eight months old. Nigerian Dwarf bucks are vigorous breeders that are gentle enough to be handled for managed breeding. They can also be left to pasture breeding if one buck is available for several does as they come in and out of season. The does' cycle is generally from 18 to 23 days with the length of each heat about 12 to 36 hours.
Does can be bred at seven to eight months of age if they have reached a mature size. Some breeders prefer to wait until they are at least one year or older. Puberty for bucklings is normally from four to eight months; doelings are between seven to 10 months. Nigerian Dwarf does can have several kids at a time (between one and five), with three or four most common. Nigerian Dwarf does are generally good mothers, able to care for their babies, and you can leave them to do the raising of the kids.
Newborn kids must ingest their mother's colostrum within the first 24 hours of life to help protect them against diseases. Healthy kids can stand within minutes after birth and are able to move with her almost immediately. Does can have a surprising amount of milk for their size (handy if you decide to make your own delicious goat milk, ice cream or cheese.).
If you want your goat to nurse her babies and she is refusing, it’s worth sticking with it a few days as long as the kids are getting some milk. Put the mama and her babies in a stall together for a few days. Try to help the babies nurse while their mom is distracted with eating. As long as she can look back and see the babies without kicking them off, you're making progress. Even if she gets away from them once she is finished eating, the oxytocin released into her system every time she nurses will help her feel more motherly.
Think frequency over duration. She should be nursing five or six times a day; get her started if necessary by offering her food, or holding her still by her collar to let the babies get a drink. Always be calm and friendly, never violent or pushy, even when you're feeling frustrated. (And you probably will!)
Make sure the babies are getting enough milk to avoid getting dehydrated. If you let them suck on your finger, their mouth should feel hot and wet. If you don’t think the babies are getting enough milk, supplement with milk in a bottle, but don’t give up on the nursing right away.
Click for tips on bottle feeding. Feel free to contact us if you’re having trouble getting your babies to begin nursing.
Hazardous Plants
Unlike the public's vision of a goat, that cast-iron-stomach beast that can eat everything from tin cans to plastic wrapping, there are many things that can kill your goat. Some poisonous plants contain toxins that are ingested by accident while browsing, but another major hazard of plant poisoning is stomach bloating that compresses their lungs, causing them to suffocate. As with all nutritional toxicology, it is the size of the dose and the particular poison in the plant that will determine whether the animal lives or dies.
IN ANY EMERGENCY, CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN AND/OR THE U.C. DAVIS LARGE ANIMAL MEDICINE CLINIC.
The following list is information obtained from a Cornell University publication and various dairy goat management books, and may be an incomplete list.
PLANTS CONTAINING ALKALOIDS
Aconite
Allspice
Black Snake Root
Bloodroot
Blue Cohosh
Boxwood
Celandine
Common Poppy
Crow Poison
Death Camas
Dicentra
False Hellebore
False Jessamine
Fume Wart
Hellebore
Hemp
Horse Nettle
Indian Hemp
Indian Poke
Jimson Weed
Larkspur
Lobelia
Lupines
Marijuana
Monkshood
Moonseed
Nightshade
Pink Death Camas
Poison Darnell
Poison Hemlock
Poison Rye grass
Rattleweed
Rock Poppy
Senecio
Spider Lily
Spotted Cowbane
Spotted Water- Hemlock
Stagger Grass
Stagger Weed
Sweet Shrub
Thorn Apple
Varebells
Wild Parsnip
Wolfsbane
Yellow Jessamine
CYANOGENICS
Cyanogens contain both a sugar and a cyanide-containing substance that releases hydrogen cyanide into the system. These are very potent toxins that cause terminal respiratory distress.
Arrow Grass
Black Locust
Blue Cohosh
Broomcarn
Buckeye
Cherry
Choke Cherry
Corn Cockle
Dogbane
Elderberry
Hemp
Horse Nettle
Indian Hemp
Ivy
Johnson Grass
Kafir
Laurel
Leucothoe
Lily of the Valley
Maleberry
Marijuana
Milkweed
Milo
Nightshade
(includes tomato)
Oleander
Rhododendron
Sevenbark
Silver
Sneezewood
Sorghum
Stagger Brush
Sudan Grass
Velvet Grass
White Snakeroot
Wild Black Cherry
Wild Hydrangea
IN ANY EMERGENCY, CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN AND/OR THE U.C. DAVIS LARGE ANIMAL MEDICINE CLINIC.
PHOTO SENSITIZING
These toxins may inhibit cells from repairing themselves when exposed to UV light.
Buckwheat
Goat Weed
Klamath Weed
Lantana
Rape
Saint John’s Wort
SAPONINS
These toxins contain acids that can cause bloat in goats and destroy the membranes of red blood cells
Bagpod
Coffee Weed
Purple Sesban
Rattlebox
Soapwort
OTHERS
These plants have different properties that MAY cause problems in goats, and should be avoided...
Baneberry
Buttercups
Clover
Coklebur
Crowfoot
Downy Broom Grass
Inkberry
Poke Weed
Ponderosa Pine
Sand Bar
Squirrel Tail Grass
Snakeberry
Spurge
White Cohosh
Finding More Information
There are many books and websites providing goat feeding and care suggestions.
Chose carefully the information you rely upon when searching the internet, and double-check the source of that information or website.
Your veterinarian is always a good choice for advice.
We also keep the emergency number for the UC Davis Large Animal Medicine Clinic handy. They have saved us from losing horses and goats, and their 24-hour clinic can treat your distressed animal at all hours. Call them for more information at
(530)752-0290, or visit their website by clicking