Interested in raising goats, but not sure which breed of goat is best for you? I’m sharing tips for choosing a goat breed and the reasons we chose to have Nigerian Dwarf goats on our homestead.
Nigerian Dwarf Goats: Choosing a goat breed
If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably noticed that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with our goats. In my very humble opinion, Nigerian Dwarf goats are the best animals to have on a homestead. Differing views exist in the homesteading world about raising farm animals. Some people raise (or rescue) farm animals simply for enjoyment purposes. Although that’s an absolutely incredible stance to have, we’ve decided to take a different approach to homesteading. We provide our animals with the best possible care (and a whole lot of love) and in turn, our animals provide us with goods. We don’t expect our animals to give us a certain amount of anything, but we express gratitude for anything they are able to give.
Which leads me to the topic of Nigerian Dwarf goats and choosing a goat breed….
Dairy
When we started the process of choosing a goat breed, we knew that we wanted dairy goats. Much of our family has cow milk allergies, so we typically only consume goat and/or sheep milk in our house. Goat milk is easier to digest and less inflammatory than cow’s milk, so it’s the perfect fit for our entire family. Seeing as goat milk only has A2 casein, the proteins are also similar to human breast milk! As a breastfeeding mama, I think that’s pretty incredible.
When we decided to add goats to our homestead, our goal was to produce enough milk that would allow us to make all of our own dairy products – cheese, yogurt, butter, raw milk – the options are endless! Seeing as we’re only milking one doe, we’re far from making that goal a reality. (We eat a lot of goat dairy each week!) One of the biggest perks of milking Nigerian Dwarf goats is the high butter far content in their milk. This particular breed of goat is small, but they produce a lot of milk for their size. Other popular dairy goat options include Nubian, LaMancha, and Alpines. I would LOVE to add a few Nubians to our homestead one day!
Cover photo: Red Maple Photography
Easy(ish) to Milk
Milking a goat isn’t exactly easy. It’s actually really hard! As with everything in homesteading, there’s a learning curve, but it’s so worth the effort. There’s a bit of a controversy regarding the ease of milking Nigerian Dwarf goats. Some people prefer milking Nigerians, while other people absolutely despite it. In comparison to other goat breeds, Nigerians have smaller teats. I have smaller hands, so the small teats don’t bother me. Ben, on the other hand, insists that his hands are too big. It’s simply a matter of personal preference.
Nigerian Dwarf goats are smaller and produce less milk than some other dairy breeds, but the high butterfat content gives you more bang for your buck. Given that we consume a ridiculous amount of goat cheese in our house, milk from Nigerians meets our needs perfectly.
For reference – we store raw goat milk in mason jars in the fridge. Over time, you can easily see the fat/cream separate to the top of the jar. (We tried separating and collecting the cream to make butter, but the first round was an epic fail!)
Cover photo: Red Maple Photography
Great for small spaces
When it came down to choosing a goat breed, one of the biggest factors was size. Our homestead is small (only 1.25 acres!) so we wanted small dairy goats. Nigerian Dwarf goats are a perfect option if you’re homesteading on a small property. It’s simple – the bigger the goat, the more space they take up. We’ve basically maxed out our space, so we don’t have any extra space to significantly increase housing. We currently have 7 goats on our homestead (4 does, 2 bucks, 1 wether.) We could probably add more goats, but we want to make sure that our animals are happy and have the best quality of life possible.
Nigerian Dwarf goats are the sweetest
Okay, I’m definitely a bit biased, but Nigerians are seriously the sweetest goats ever. I’m sure that every other goat breed is just as sweet, but we absolutely love our Nigerians. Seeing as we have young kids, I was initially nervous about our kids having such close contact with our goats. My concern was silly, because a goat’s temperament is strongly influenced by how you raise him/her. Our boys and girls are raised alongside our kids from the beginning, so they’re extremely social. If given the opportunity, I’m pretty sure that our bucks would climb in my lap and insist on being pet for hours. Nigerian Dwarf goats really are the sweetest, but now I’m just reinforcing my initial point that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with my goats…. 😉
Do you have a preference for Nigerian Dwarf goats too, or do you prefer a different breed?