Nigerian Dwarf Goats

Trixie was two years old, and Gigi, eight weeks old, when they came to us in May 2020. Trixie is Gigi’s auntie. One month later, Saffron, six weeks old at the time, joined our family. All three are female Nigerian Dwarf goats.

Nigerian Dwarf goats were originally bred in West Africa, where they were valuable for being easy to care for in harsh conditions, requiring less feed than other goats, but still being a source of meat and milk. In the early- to mid-twentieth century, they were imported to the United States.

Nigerian Dwarf goats are super friendly, social creatures. Besides being great pets, they are useful in clearing pastures of weeds and underbrush. They are also excellent for milking. They are polyestrous, which means they can be bred all year long, and thus provide a steady supply of milk. Their milk is exceptionally high in butterfat, making it excellent for goat cheese, creams, and other goat milk products. Gigi just had our first goat baby on the farm! His name is Dusk. She is such a good momma!

The three boys (River, Sage, and Gage) were bought from a breeder in Emmett. River and Sage are wethers. The buck, Gage, is registered and was bred with Saffron in Fall 2021.  

Rowdy

On May 19, 2022, Saffron gave birth to quintuplets (that’s 5 kids)! Quintuplets are rare! Once weaned, 3 of the kids were sold and now live happily with new families. We kept Rowdy who struggled a bit with sickness and was slow to grow (our Benjamin Button!). He is a wether and currently living with mom and his aunties.

Lil’ Bit

Lil’ Bit was the runt of the quintuplets. She gave birth to twins - Oracle and Beatnik - on July 23, 2023. Beatnik passed on September 7, 2023. We shared so much love and joy with him during his six weeks with us!

Dusk

Gigi had our first baby - Dusk - in September 2021. Dusk’s father, Billy Bob, an old Fainting Goat (see below), was accidentally let out of his pen and quickly “romanced” Gigi. (As guests, please try to avoid this!) So Dusk is a Nigerian Dwarf - Fainting Goat. 

This breed is often used for goat yoga – come visit us and try it out!