pygmy dairy goats

[postaljam]

we want to get a couple dwarf milk goats this spring..we are trying to decide what type of fence is best...with not a lot of money..any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..we are new at this ..we are trying to get back to basics..we got chickens last year and they are doing great..now time for the next step.. thanks

[puddlejumper007]

will be watching this post, i would love to have some also...

[pancho]

One bit of advise from someone who has born on a farm and spent 60 something years there.
If you want milk goats do not get toys.
Right now toy pigs, toy cows, toy horses, toy goats, etc are very popular. They are a fad. They cost much more than those animals bred for a purpose. If you decide to sell you will need to find someone with very limited experience and knowledge to pay anything close to what you had to pay. If you can't find that knd f person you will be lucky to give them away.
If you buy real animals you will be able to sell them if you decide to get rid of them. Until that time they will produce.

[ccfromnc]

We had Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats last year, about the same size as pygmys. They are escape artists so good sturdy fencing is needed. We used large metal t-posts and 2x4 grid welded fencing and that worked well. Our bucks had cattle panels and electric wire as they can get very rough with fencing when they smell the girls in season.

On another note, our experience with dairy goats was expensive, disappointing, and totally our fault for being inexperienced when we bought sub-standard goats that
delivered less than a half-quart each. Make sure you get good dairy goats and avoid our mistake. Good luck with your goats!

[Cindy in PA]

Aren't Nigerian Dwarf goats a regular breed and not a "fad" miniature version of another? Would love to have some of those little buggers. Wouldn't want to deal with a full sized goat.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Nigerian Dwarf goats are the smallest dairy goat breed.

Pygmy goats are the smallest meat goat breed.

There are mini dairy goats produced by breeding a Nigerian Dwarf buck to a dairy doe. Given that you choose excellent producers for the parent stock, you can have a mini doe who produces a gallon per day at peak. It is absolutely essential to shop for good conformation and teats.

For example, a Mini Alpine. This is Lemon. You can see her udder and very milkable teats.


There are also Mini LaManchas. Here is my Cassie with her five new bucklings.

[postaljam]

the Nigerian is what we think we are going with although I have considered mini alpine...but I have heard great things on the nigerian

[tinknal]

I made that mistake. Giant hands and itty bitty titties............bad combination.

[poppy]

Originally Posted by tinknal

I made that mistake. Giant hands and itty bitty titties............bad combination.

I ain't even going to go there.

[Ellie Mae]

depending on how much milk you will need/want, and if you want to make cheese or soaps, the Nigerians don't give a large quantity, but it is quality and they are a joy to have.

we milk our Nigies and while we only get a couple quarts a day from them, their milk is our favorite.
we breed our full size girls for mini's now, (Saanens, Alpines and Nubian/boer) as there is never enough milk from the Nigerians when making cheese, lol

I think Nigerians are a great breed to start with if someone has no prior experience with goats. I wouldn't bother milking a pygmy, the milk was delicious, but not worth the bother.

we found that cattle panels and t-posts, while not cheap, are the best for keeping goats in. Our goats have gotten out of all other types of fencing, except cattle panels and dh got tired of redoing the pens, and the expense added up.

[Alice In TX/MO]

If you decide to go with the Nigerian Dwarf goats, SHOP around. You need to find a breeder who selects for teat size. Not blue eyes or color, etc. Most NDs are bred to be cute backyard ornaments, not milking, although they are a registered ADGA breed.

My MiniMancha is lovely, but her teats are not milkable by hand. I use a machine for her. BUT... her milk is like half-and-half.

[harvestmoonfarm]

I love my Nubians. My first dairy goat was a Nubian, Dora (still have her - she's my favorite), and I was just struck by the docile, laid back nature of the breed. Dora has the *perfect* udder and is such a great milker (1.5 gallons a day) that it's very difficult to dry her off when it's time. The girl just can't help herself - she's a producer! She also gives triplets, so that's an added bonus.

Nubians give great milk; it's high in butterfat and just awesome to drink. Some people complain about them being loud, but I haven't found that with mine. I also love the large breeds because they stay where I put them and I don't have to worry about them escaping. Mine will stay behind a board fence and not challenge it, whereas the small breeds seem to see every fence as a challenge to get through.

Dora - 3 days fresh - April 2012

[Minelson]

If you stop in at the goat forum down below you will get lots of help with everything....It's a very large friendly group

[Wags]

Nigerians are a dairy breed - if you do your home work you can have does with nice teat lengths that give a 1/2 gallon a day (when first fresh) of 6-10% butterfat milk.

Do not buy Nigerians from people who do not milk their goats or ones that can not provide you more than a couple of generations of pedigrees.

My Niggies are NOT escape artists and a standard 47" field fence works just fine. Although the babies can get through the fence the first couple of weeks they usually don't go to far from momma.


First Freshener - peaked at 4.2lbs

[Dusky Beauty]

I have nigerians and every breed stands apart with different benefits.
I'd say the strongest points of nigerians are:
-Manageable size, less space needed, less muscle needed to wrestle, good for the 9/10 year old 4-H age group.

-Hardy, mine do well in our high temps, but I've heard they do ok in colder zones too. Mine are pretty healthy and low maintenance. Preventative feed, preventative care are about all they need. Easy kidders as long as your build genetics are good.

-High Cream milk

-Popular breed, it's not very hard to locate good stock in most regions.

-With good feed and good genetics, it's possible with nigerians to produce a decent amount of milk in very tiny acreage.

-My Nigies are easy on fences.

I think the biggest downsides to the breed are:

-They're not the "little milk cows" that Nubians are. A full size dairy goat of similar quality puts out 2 or 3 times the milk.

-You've got to be on top of your herd genetics for a productive herd. As has been mentioned a lot of backyard breeders are in the "pet" business and breed "cute" goats with little care to the dairy contribution of the breed-- or worse, don't cull crippling faults.

- It takes a long time to grow out a wether for a decent amount of meat. Only my 2 year old boys are really "big enough"

Additional note about dairy goat shopping--- not all breeds have milk that is the same, milk tastes very different for every breed. Some breeds were developed specifically as "cheese" goats (like toggenburgs) and have milk that tastes unpleasantly strong.

[Cyngbaeld]

LaManchas are the best. They are quiet, loving, eager to be milked and give lots of lovely milk. Mine don't have to be bred each yr since they will milk thru several yrs once they've been bred once or twice.

[Shygal]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

There are also Mini LaManchas. Here is my Cassie with her five new bucklings.

FIVE????

Dawn is expecting Mini Manchas in April, I hope not five!!!

[Alice In TX/MO]

Yup - 5 MALES! Charlie One, Charlie Two, Charlie Three, Sir Charles, and Boston Blackie. They got better names for the papers.