| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| snowberryfarm |
Posted - May 30 2008 : 9:03:18 PM
Hi everyone! We recently got some real live "barnyard buddies" for our farm. We are having so much fun with them. They are baby nigerian dwarf goats. They now join the 9 chickens, 1 bunny, and several barn cats. It finally feels like a farm here, we are really enjoying them! I have recently posted pictures of the little boy and girl on my blog: www.snowberryfarm.blogspot.com
~Michelle |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Jun 03 2008 : 10:10:39 AM
Linda, I think the Nigerians would do fine with your Nubians. They may be small, but they can be quite FEISTY!!! I have my Nigies with 4 horses, (one is BIG and I don't think she had ever seen goats before we got her), Babydoll sheep, a Livestock guardian dog (bigger than THEY are!) and a pot bellied pig. They hold their own at feeding time and not a single one of them goes hungry!! They're also quick on their feet, so if one of the bigger animals gets a little cranky they move out of the way like a flash.
Renee-- True, Nigies don't produce as much milk in a single day as the BIG girls, but the butter fat content in their milk is surprisingly high. It's comparable to Nubians and La Manchas. I have not yet milked my own goats yet, but the breeder I bought my Buck from milks hers, AND she has them tested regularly for the butter fat content and milk lbs per year for each doe. She has bred her goats for superior milk quality, and quantity, and they are cleaning house in the show ring!! (Gorgeous animals-- Check out Castle Rock Farms and you can see some of them) The Nigies are PERFECT for someone who wants their own goat milk, but can't use TONS of it! (or can't afford to FEED their larger counterparts) They also have great personalities! I LOVE my Nigies!
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| wooliespinner |
Posted - Jun 01 2008 : 04:36:55 AM
Gosh they are so cute! Makes me want to get a second breeed of goats.Wonder if they would be okay to put with the nubians?
Good luck and I know you will have so much fun with them.
Congrats !!!
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
| Renee M. in Michigan |
Posted - May 31 2008 : 11:54:15 PM
I have (2) Nigerians, a mature doe and her yearling son (wethered) for company. I LOVE the temperament of this breed. I had Alpines before and my daughter couldn't even go around the pen without them butting the fence, they were so territorial. When we brought our Nigerian doe home however, she was and still is absolutely safe and wonderful with our little girls even though she herself wasn't raised with children. She is the same with ANY child that meets her, even when she has babies at her side.
On the downside: Nigerians are supposed to be a dairy breed, but I think you'd need quite a few of them to justify the regime of daily milking. Our old Alpine doe would give almost 2 gallons a day post freshening, then level off to a just under a gallon forever (we didn't have to breed her every year, she was such a milky doe!) And her daughter came into milk without ever being bred! Meanwhile, my little registered, supposededly milky Nigerian doe gave us about 1.5 pints a day when she was in milk. . . tops.
So, she's basically a pet. I am considering getting a small breed dairy cow as we now have two kids drinking milk and I'd really like to try my hand at making cheese, butter, and other dairy goodies. Bull calves are much easier to get rid of (or raise for beef) than little bucks. That's the one thing I dislike about goat breeding -- there's so little market for the male kids. I never wanted to sell them for meat. : (
-- Renee M. up in the mitten
No woman ever made history by following the rules. |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - May 31 2008 : 5:16:07 PM
Congrats on the new Additions Michelle! I have been raising Nigerians for over 5yrs now and I have 15 (3 bucks, 12 does) Seven of my does were bred in January. I'm excited, but then I keep asking myself "WHAT were you THINKING???!! SEVEN does?" Oh well, what's done is done! Babies should be arriving anytime now. It's been two years since there have been any kids on the farm, so it's going to be FUN! Enjoy your new babies. ~~Hugs~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| okieinalaska |
Posted - May 31 2008 : 08:51:04 AM
Oh, I had a goat as a kid and loved her. Her name was Princess Leia (can you tell how old I was when we got her, LOL)
Congrats on your new goats. : )
Amy |
| Brew Crew |
Posted - May 31 2008 : 05:48:13 AM
Goat kids are so fun, aren't they? Give them something to jump up and walk across (boxes and a board) and they will entertain you for hours! Congrats on your NDs, so cute!
Funny Farm ramblings http://happydalehobby.blogspot.com/ |
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