Q&A- Nigerian Goats
How Many Should I Get?
Never just buy one! If you just want a pet get two doelings or a doeling and a neutered buckling. A good start for a dairy herd would be 2 doelings, or if you are ready to start milking right now a pregnant doe and a doeling.
You can get a buck later if you are interested in continuing to milk and have kids.
Never just get one goat, goats are heard animals and need the company of another goat.
What do I Need to Get Started?
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This is a basic supply list:
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hay feeder
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fencing
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shelter
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water buckets
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mineral block
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bedding
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halters
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hay
If you are milking, you will also need:
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buckets for milking
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a milking stanchion
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fine sieve
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jars for storing milk
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Grain
What Do I Feed My Goats?
For non-milking does, kids over 3 months, and bucks feed a grass hay (such as Bermuda, timothy or orchard grass.) For milking does and kids under 3 months you should feed Alfalfa hay. Milking does also need grain.
In the summer when the grass is growing you don't need to feed hay.
Do Goats Need a Mineral Block?
Goats do need mineral blocks, its best to get one with salt or otherwise buy a salt lick too. Do not buy sheep/goat block, the amount of copper a goat needs could kill a sheep, and the sheep blocks don't have enough copper for goats. Check out our blog on kelp as a mineral supplement if you are interested in that.
Do Nigerians Make Good Pets?
Nigerians have calm friendly temperaments, are color-full, cute, enjoy being with people and are often kept as pets, if you want to get a goat for a pet Nigerians are a very good breed, just make sure you get two so they can keep each other company.
How Big Will a Nigerian Get?
Nigerians average 75 pounds at maturity (three years). Does average height is 22in and for bucks 23in (two height standards exist for Nigerians. The Nigerian Dwarf goat association allows 17-21 inches for does and 19 to 23 in for bucks, while the American Dairy Goat society allows a maximum of 22.5 in for does and 23.5 in for bucks)
Nigerians are not true dwarfs as they have the length of body and structure in proportion to a full-size dairy goat.
Should I Get Horned or Hornless?
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Horns help regulate body temperature and is a goats only way of defending themselves, we recommend horned.
For more on this check out our blog on dehorning.
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Why Is My Goat Trying to Get Out and Yelling?
At first your got will be lonely and miss their heard and mom and may try to escape but they will calm down, just make sure there is no fencing they can get caught in while trying to escape.
When you first bring your goat home, he/she will yell for a few days since they miss their mother and are in new surroundings. Never just buy one goat! They are heard animals and need another goat; they will not stop yelling if they are alone.
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How Much Milk Will I Get?
The ADGA (American Dairy Goat Association) ranks the Nigerians as the most popular dairy goat breed. Nigerians are good milkers and can give a pint to a half a gallon (sometimes more!) of milk a day.
Their milk averages 6-10% butter fat, in comparison to a full-size dairy goat which average 3-3.5% butter fat.
Which means per gallon of milk you can get twice as much cheese from a Nigerian as you could from a standard size dairy goat. Also, the high butter fat content makes their milk taste sweeter than traditional cow or goat's milk.
How Long do Goats Milk?
Goats depending on the individual goat and the breed can milk anywhere from five months to two years, eight-ten months being the most common.
Can a Goat Be Housed With Other Animals?
It's always best if you want to raise different animals together to start young, also something to keep in mind is goats will try to eat chicken feed and duck feed, but if you can overcome that problem then goats get along well with almost all animals.
The animals should not share feeders or waterers as chicken droppings could get a goat sick.
How Many Kids Can a Doe Have?
Nigerians tend to have litters instead of twins like most breeds. The average is 3-4 kids but six is not uncommon.
Do Nigerians Make Good Mothers?
Nigerians are very good mothers and rarely need help raising their kids.
What Age Should I wean The Kids?
The best age for weaning is 8-12 weeks. A kid can be weaned as early as 6 weeks if they are healthy.
How Old Does a Doe Have to be to Have Kids?
It's recommended that you wait until a year but if the doe is large and healthy, she can have kids at eight months.
How Do I Get Blue-Eyed Kids?
One of the parents has to have blue eyes for the kids to get them. If one parent has blue eyes, then some of the kids likely will.
What Age Do I Need to Separate The Doelings From the Bucklings?
At three months the doelings need to be separated from the bucklings.
How Long is a Doe Pregnant?
Nigerians are pregnant for five months.
Do I Need to Trim My Goats' Hooves?
Yes, the type of ground the goats are living on will determine how often you will need to trim. Rocky soil wears down the hooves faster than soft soil, we do have a blog on how to trim a goats' hooves if you need help.