Pygmy or Nigerian Dwarf?

goatgirl92 · #1 04/08/05, 07:21 PM

Which goat would you say is the better all around goat?? If you werent going to sell the pygmies for meat, would you be better off with Nigerian Dwarves? IF you had a Nigerian would you HAVE to milk it?? Goatgirl

chma4 · #2 04/08/05, 08:16 PM

I have Nigerians. When they do not have kids, I keep them dry. I do not milk. I have 2 pygmys. They are much heavier and seem to have a real attitude problem. They butt me evrytime I turn my back and they are not very hand tame. Maybe they are not all like that, but I have 2 that were hand raised and are still bad attitudes. I am getting rid of them. I think they will meet the meat man. My Nigerians are sweet and sociable. A bottle fed or well socialized nigerian is like a puppy, they want to be with you. Suprisingly, they are very nice little pets. But not much in the muscle department.
Hope that helps!

goatgirl92 · #3 04/08/05, 08:24 PM

Thanks. I also had 2 pygmies. One is a whether and another is a buck. The were my first goats and arent very tame. I used the buck to breed a friends doe that is housed with mine and i might keep a baby. Id like to try Nigerians but i didnt know if there would be that much difference. The pregnant pygmy does are very tame. The only thing is that they are independant. This is my opinoin. ONe doe wont exactly come to me but if i go to her she doesnt run away. the other one is hard to catch and they have both been socialized. Maybe ill try nigerians after we sell my whether and buck. Thanks for your input! Goatgirl

Freeholder · #4 04/08/05, 10:53 PM

Have either of you considered Kinder goats? They are good milkers, and also an excellent meat goat, and from what I've seen of mine and heard from other people who have them, they have really nice personallities, too. They are a little bigger than Pygmies and Nigerians, but not as big as a full-sized goat.

Kathleen

Oceanrose · #5 04/09/05, 12:02 AM

Hi Kathleen,

I'm interested in the Kinder goats, matter of fact, I've just about decided to get Nubians and work on either Mini-Nubians or Kinders.. What are the differences? I know the type diffs, but how do your kinders milK?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueJuniperFarm

Have either of you considered Kinder goats? They are good milkers, and also an excellent meat goat, and from what I've seen of mine and heard from other people who have them, they have really nice personallities, too. They are a little bigger than Pygmies and Nigerians, but not as big as a full-sized goat.

Kathleen

Freeholder · #6 04/09/05, 12:38 AM

I have one Kinder doe that I've milked (the other two are almost a year old and haven't been bred yet), and she peaked at two quarts a day, then held steady at one quart all winter until I had to dry her off. She's an easy milker with a decent udder and nice teats, and a very sweet doe. The mother of my buck milks about three quarts a day, and there have been several Kinders that have gotten their *milker designations on the same criteria as the large breed does. Have you looked at the Kinder Goat Breeders Association website? There's a lot of information there, including a page of milk records.

So far, I can say that the Kinders are easy keepers (my milker is the only in-milk doe I've ever had gain weight while milking), seem to be really healthy and sound, have nice temperaments, are built like little tanks which bears out the claim that they are also good meat animals (I haven't butchered any yet). They are known for multiple births -- I'm hoping my bred doe will only give me twins or maybe triplets, as I don't really want to have to deal with four or five kids at one time (and her previous kiddings have been twins, so hopefully this one will be also). I think the breed record is seven at one time, though. (And they all lived!)

Kinder milk is very rich, almost half-and-half rich, and tastes really good -- it's sweet. It's also high in milk solids. If you plan to make cheese, you might want to really look into Kinders, because a gallon of Kinder milk will make two to two-and-a-half times as much cheese as a gallon of milk from one of the larger breeds. That means you can have more cheese yield from less feed, because the smaller does eat less.

If you decide to make your own Kinder line, get the very best Nubian does and Pygmy bucks you can afford. That will give you the best Kinders you can get, and maybe if you aren't too far away from me, I'll buy a buck from you someday, LOL!

Kathleen

BucksCtyCowgirl · #7 04/09/05, 08:15 AM

I have 2 Nigerians, and I love them to pieces!!!!!You can't find a sweeter breed.Pygmys also aren't too suitable for kids.They've got a bad temper when something makes them mad.I go Nigerian!!!

windyhollowfarm · #8 04/09/05, 01:00 PM

I would go Nigerian too. I had Pygmies before kinda standoffish. Not as lovey as the Nigerians. Plus, you can milk Nigerians as they are a dairy goat. My favorite part would be all the fun colors they come in, and they can have blue eyes.

dale anne · #9 04/10/05, 06:17 AM

Howdy Ya'll.....I have had pygmys for 5 years now and find them to be very lovable..I have 2 that were bottle fed from birth and the rest were raised on does....all I have had past and present were good natured even the bucks all except one!...this pygmy buck I have now is being sold off due to his attitude...I also have unreg kinders..these also are good lil goats..thus far...hvaent had them long...I am looking now for a reg nubian and reg pygmy to start a reg kinder line...the closest place I can buy reg kinders is maryland!...so decided to start my own line since I have a huge mexican population in my area and they love goat meat....I dont know if it's the amount of time I spend with my goats ,how raised,or what but besides this one buck[and he only came after me 1 time] I have never had a problem with this breed. I can even let my girls out with me while doing chores and they will follow me around like a puppy...they are use to my dogs and wont bother them either...My one pygmy C.J will even try to protect me from the chickens lol.....chicken comes near me and she chases it off..I can go into the pens and sit down and I have them fighting over my lap...I am sorry that ya'll have had problems with this breed cause they can be very lovable!...smart! and creative on how to get ones attention lol....Dale Anne