During a huge thunderstorm in April, a trio of lambs was born. Outside of course. In the pouring rain of course. 
This was hugely problematic. The scent of the mother was being rapidly washed off the babies who were getting very cold. One of the twin rams was too cold to make it on his own. Vigorous rubbing and a feed of warm goat colostrum, perked him up quickly, plus he had a custom fit fleece jacket. The ewe was in an area by herself with her own shelter. Why she chose to have those lambs outside in the thunderstorm, I will never understand. 
​
So, today, as everyday, Robbie and I were doing our night rounds, inspecting the bush and pasture for stragglers before the gate was locked for the night. We are in a very heavy predator zone. The dogs do a remarkable job of keeping the animals on the Fat Ewe Farm safe, but they cannot go way out to the pasture and be in the night pen at the same time. The ewes know they should come home towards dark, but today there was a thunderstorm, another huge one with a downpour of rain so fast and furious, that the sky was hardly visible. Thunder frightens the dogs too, so Jenna, Robbie and Charka were in the porch. Harley was curled up at the door on his bed and I do not actually know where Jade, Mike and Joe took cover. There are many places they could have from the summer dog houses to special places set up for them during summer. 
Robbie went into the bush and came out after a group of sheep, moving them forward to their pen. The lambs were more reluctant because their mothers were already in the pen and they could see them through the fence, but we got them all moving. Then we went to the southwest section. 

There was a goat by herself by the tree. She was soaked. Upon quick examination, there were also two baby goats there with her, a beautiful doeling and a lovely brown and black buckling. The babies were soaked and so was the mother. The little girl was shivering and she needed desperately to get dry and warm, so I carried the babies so mom could see and smell them, all the way back to the night pen and put them in a cube shelter, where they curled up and fell right to sleep. The mom was a little worried they were not there and wanted to go back to the tree where she had them. but I locked her in with them and then went back to look for another baby, just in case. There was not one there. 

There were some sheep, however, out in the pasture. They stayed in during the rain and were hungry, so were making the best of the last remaining daylight. They had to brought in though and Robbie got them moving then we went to the further end to check for any others that might be wayward. Finally, we headed back for home and locked the gate. 

The mother goat and her kids were doing just fine. She wanted to be with the other goats but kept checking her babies, so I do believe all will be well. The kids had round tummies and were not hungry, thank goodness. She is not a first time mother and knew what to do, despite having babies outside in the thunderstorm. What is it about storms and babies anyhow?

The Fat Ewe Farm started out with Nigerian Dwarf goats. Much research had been done prior to bringing the first ones on board. Daphne was just a kid, a doeling about 4 months old way back then. She has consistently produced quadruplets since then, earning her keep and then some. She is a wonderful mother and an easy goat to keep healthy. The goats are not grain fed, so I must be diligent to find weedy hay for them. That is what they would eat, plus tree and shrub leaves, if they were able to choose their food. Weeds have deep roots and bring up nutrients that grass does not have. Grass is their last choice. The goats do get free choice salt and minerals, too, but they do not eat as much minerals when they have the right hay. Anyhow, Daphne has managed her own parasite load for the most part too, not requiring chemical wormers to keep worms at bay. I believe a healthy animal is basically pest resistant, or at least, pest managed. Daphne has a huge udder and can easily feed her quads, though as she is getting a little older, I usually have taken one or two from her to give her body less of a strain. 

Nigerian Dwarf goats are hardy little critters, weathering our cold winters well. They grow a fuzzy coat with a downy layer that insulated them very well. 

Nubian goats are full sized goats, renown for their delicious, rich milk and mellow natures, but they are not at all hardy. Nor are they great at staying healthy. They need many interventions to stay healthy. That is where the cross is most beneficial. Nigerian Dwarf goats and Nubian goats are both dairy goats. The Nubian/Nigerian cross, or mini Nubian, brings the best of both breeds to a small stature, good natured, hardy and easy to handle goat, perfect for small holders who want fresh milk. 

There are three doelings born so far. There is only one more purebred Nigerian left to give birth and the others are Angora/Nigerian crosses. The Angora goat is a very milky goat, but is bred for fibre. The Nigora, or cross, has lovely spinnable fibre, is very milky and much hardier and better at mothering and birthing than Angoras. The Nubian/Angora/Nigerian Dwarf goats likely will not have that lovely fibre, but they will grow a warm winter coat and be very milky. Still, they are not classed as Mini Nubians, but close. 

So, since my fibre farm is not a success due to distance, proximity to those who work in the fibre arts, and the fact that we feed hay year round which contaminates the fleece, I am switching from fibre animals to food animals. Mini Nubians are the perfect choice. As of today, there are five first generation, or F1, Mini Nubian doelings on the farm and possibly a few more to come. A new mini Nubian buck is coming for breeding. The girls will be 7 months or older by December, perfect for breeding. Their kids will be F2 mini Nubians, that is mini Nubian bred to mini Nubian and the resulting kids will be considered true Mini Nubians. 

I do not mind milking goats and love goat cheese. I am not sure what the farm will look like in a few years and where I will relocate when I retire. I did promise my dogs that I would not leave them when they are old, so I may stay on with just three or four goats and three or four sheep, a few chickens and such, until the dogs are gone. Time will tell. Hopefully you will still be with me. Thanks for joining the Fat Ewe Farm!

The goats are having babies, but technically, I did not believe they were due until the 25th of April. That is when Stevie Wonder went in with the girls. 

But, for a few weeks prior to that, the Nubian buckling, Wimpy, was in the goat pen with the ladies. I saw Wimpy a lot and it appeared he was not interested yet in breeding. He showed no sign of rut, which is the hormonal time for male goats where they get themselves stinky for the girls by peeing on their faces and front legs. Gross, I know, but the hormones or pheromones do attract the does and get them cycling. Stinky male goats seem to do it for them. Anyhow, Wimpy was not like that. He was just his usual self, wimpy. I gave him that name because he was a quiet boy, not overly large for a Nubian and not very feisty either. I was not even sure he would make the winter because he was cold already in the fall when there was not even any snow yet. But he did. And he did something else.

He bred the does. 

Yup, he did that. Nix was bred to the Nigerian Dwarf buck, Stevie Wonder, but Nix never stayed in the fence and one day Stevie got over there. Unfortunately, Nix lost her little girl because she chewed her umbilical cord entirely off and the baby bled and fell asleep forever. So sad.

But the other goats were beginning to develop udders much too large for being due in 3 weeks. And there were other signs too, that made me think something was off. Then yesterday, Christina had a baby and it had long floppy ears and long legs. Well, I'll be. He is Nubian sired. Wimpy is a daddy! Then today two more does had their kids and both are Nubian sired, or course, because Stevie did not even get in the pen early enough for the girls to birth now. So, those goats that are giving birth this and next week and possibly the week after will all be Nubian sired.

The cross, Nubian and Nigerian Dwarf, is called a mini Nubian. This is a first generation and several breedings will be necessary to actually call the goats mini Nubians, however; even this F1 first generation cross are indeed Nubian/Nigerian. Both Nubians and Nigerians are milk goats, but Nubians are not hardy here, while the little Nigerians are real troopers. They impart their strength to the Nubians and since both are excellent milk producers, the smaller mini Nubians, do produce copious quantities of milk too. I have two mini Nubians, blue eyed at that, from a different breeder. Normally, the Nigerian Dwarf buck covers the Nubian females, but since Wimpy was small for a Nubian, I did it the other way. The babies are larger than the Nigerian Dwarf kids, but not too large thus far to be problematic. It has resulted in singles so far, which is fine. That will be singles with the exception of Daphne who is so big she is having trouble walking. She usually has quads and I am worried about her carrying four larger babies than normal. She is a very good mother and births without complications, cleans her kids and has them all up nursing in no time. She can support all four, but I have been removing two in the past couple of years as she is getting a little older.

So, the puzzle is solved. Wimpy, though he not once appeared to be interested in breeding, is a sneaky, sly buck who managed to get the job done in the dark or something akin to that. Wimpy is a daddy! 

The Fat Ewe Farm is off to a good start after a mishap. Nix had a single doeling, but in her overzealous cleaning of her kid, she nipped the umbilical cord and the kids lost blood, never nursed and expired. She was a beautiful fawn spotted little girl. I did milk Nix for a few days and her colostrum will be invaluable to the lambs and kids that may be rejected. The last year I had zero rejects. This year I can only hope to be so fortunate. 
Tina has been looking as though she was very ready, and lost her mucous plug a few days ago. Her vagina is soft like jelley too. Her mother Christina, showed no signs of birthing, but it was the mother that segregated herself around 7 pm while the others were feeding. I continued feeding and moved on to the sheep, but heard the telltale cry of a doe in labour. I try to be as hands off as possible, so stood back to watch. Joe, one of the livestock guardian dogs came in and so did Robbie. I told Robbie to go out and he positioned himself where he could see but not really be seen. Joe, the perfect guardian, kept his distance and listened and smelled. Guardian dogs should not be too near mothers in labour and never help with the clean up. When the baby was delivered and all was well, Joe moved back to the sheep pen. Good dog Joe!

Mom was doing a lot of air licking and screaming. The kid presented correctly, with the front feet and nose first, but her amniotic sac did not break. The little fellow was very big actually. Christina is a smaller Nigerian Dwarf and this is her second kidding. She was a daughter of a very prolific healthy herd boss and obviously did not inherit the tendency to multiples as last year she had just Tina. 

I let the mother scream and push without intervention, but then she sort of petered out, so I broke the sac to give her a little relief and brought the second foot through for her. It was a beautiful little buck! 

The surprise is that is is sired by the Nubian. I put the goats in with the Nubian buckling first, but saw no breeding or interest from him at all, so brought in Stevie Wonder about 2 weeks later than the Nubian. All the does that are going to kid for the next couple of weeks should be Nubian/Nigerian or mini Nubians. This is a relatively new cross and is fast becoming popular. Both breeds are dairy, but the Nubians are not cold hardy, whereas the Nigerians are tough little ones. I have two of these crosses and they are as hardy as the Nigerians. My original plan was to breed the Nigerians and Angoras to the Nubian and begin the first generation cross. I have a mini Nubian buck coming for this fall to do this again and then the first generation can be bred to the second generation the following year for an F2 cross, bringing the cross more into stability. 

The lambs should not start coming until April 25th, so that will give me a little reprieve. I helped towel off the new arrival and held him so mamma could see to lead her to the barn. She has fresh water and some hay there and the barn will be nice and warm for the little buckling tonight. Before coming in, I made sure he was nursing and all was well. 
It was a good evening! Tomorrow I will take some real photos of the buckling and hopefully of Tina's kids as well. She is larger than her mother, so I suspect twins at least. Til then....

The goats still have at least 4 weeks left before the babies come, but this year they are huge. The hay was particularly great, with everything the goats love to eat, except the grass. It was chock full of weeds, dandelions, thistles, strawberries, clovers, wild flowers and herbs. The hay came from Lac La Biche, about an hour and a half from Elk Point, from a farm that has not used any sprays in a long time or possibly never. The farmer was thinking of tilling the fields over and planting hay. Oh, goodness, that is the worst thing he could do. The minerals and nutrients in the weedy hay far will surpass any monocrop of modern hay he could ever plant. Weeds dig down deep with roots that can draw all that the plant needs, whereas modern grasses just do not compare. With poor feed, comes lack of parasite resistance too. The animals immune systems are compromised because they are struggling to stay well nourished. My sheep and goats have hardly touched their minerals this whole winter because they are well supplied from the beautiful weedy hay. 

But, that means multiples and big babies, since the does can send lots of goodness to the developing fetuses. Poor Daphne, well, she looks like a beached whale already and has another month to go. She may deliver a week early if the babies get too large for her to manage. I will take time off work then and try to be available round the clock in case of complications. I have been very selective over the years and my goat herd is amazing! The does kid without problems, have the babies cleaned up and nursing within minutes, and Daphne can handle her quads, though I usually take two from her to ensure she is not depleted too badly. She is already 6 and in the prime of her life. She has given me beautiful goats that carry her amazing strengths. The buck, Stevie Wonder, is also excellent quality, hardy and naturally able to fight off pests that weaker goats succumb to. The babies should be incredible! Daphne has brown eyes and Stevie has blue, so at least some of the babies will have blue eyes. There are two of Daphne's daughters in the goat herd as well. 

I had another incredible goat, Cecelia, who was the herd boss, but I sold her with her quads one year back, though kept two of her doelings. I did not have Stevie then and it will be interesting to see how the babies turn out. Already the does are very pregnant, so I am guessing they will have twins and triplets at least. 

There are some new goats that came to the farm just a couple of months ago. I am positive that the mother is purebred Nigerian Dwarf, but cannot attest to the lineage of her daughter and three granddaughters. The previous owners really did not have much of a clue as to the parentage. All five of the newbies are blue eyed though. 

There is also Wimpy, the Nubian buck. He is really small for a Nubian, but he is purebred. I am hoping he will breed some of my Nigerians this fall and a new buck is coming as well, a Nubian/Nigerian cross, or mini Nubian. There are two beautiful princesses, Lena and Leah, who will marry him then. As much as I absolutely love the Nigerian Dwarf goats, Lena and Leah have really stolen my heart. I hope they will be my future milk goats, along with their daughters. Since downsizing is in order for the farm as I am getting older, I will be parting with many of my current herd members too. There are 22 goats currently and I would like to cut that down to maybe 8 or 10 for next winter. 

But, babies are coming and although it is a stressful time, it is my favourite time of the farm. Stay with me for lots of photos and the frolicking antics of the new goaties. 

Humans do not like nonconformists generally. They like it when the ducks are in a row, when people follow the rules, drive on the right side, walk on the right side, pay their bills on time, mind the limits set and so on. When a member of society does not do those things, that person is labeled a rebel, a nonconformist and generally seen in a troubled light. It takes a strong heart to walk to one's own drumbeat, to think out of the box and be true to oneself. As my professor in a Master's program put it to me, "Eileen, I would like to tell you to think in the box, but I am not sure you know what the box even is." 

Yeah, I am one of those...marching to the beat of my drum, making my own way, creating some attention inadvertently and usually ending up in the center somehow. My daughter said when I sent her a photo of a full page spread in the local paper, "Mom is in the paper again, go figure." or something akin to that. It is not that I try to be different. It is more like the professor said. I do not even know what the box is. Years ago, when I was the tender age of 14, I opted out of media, except for fashion, but I quit the newspapers and magazines that told us what to believe. It bothered me that people blindly followed whatever was broadcast and argued about it too. Politics. Harumph! 

Well, I have a goat like that too. She was so sweet when she was little, I carried her around and she became very friendly and tame. Now, she has little respect for fences or boundaries. She is always outside of the fence and she knows she is not supposed to be. If I yell at her, she will look at me and not move, happily munching the hay from the bale, knocking it down from the top, because that is what goats do. Then the other goats and sheep do not want the hay that was stepped on or worse. Nix, that goat, is a nonconformist, just like me. She does not mean to be a pain; she is just being herself. I know how that goes. When you are not the same as the rest, being yourself is all you can be. Over the years, I have learned to almost fit in more or less and to be comfortable in front of crowds, though I am an introvert. Being a hermit on my farm is perfect for me, working at my own pace, doing my own thing and loving what I do, is just me. And that goat, well, that is just her. I cannot really get angry with her, though others would have sold her by now. We want the critters to stay in fences, and we want the public to think in boxes, to believe what is being telecast daily and pumped out in movies and newspapers too. 

Be the goat. Dare to step out of your comfort zone. Quit conforming. Divorce yourself from the dictates of society and fashion. Who is to tell you what to wear and that make up is necessary to be beautiful? Gads. I was in that scene and am not any more. I stepped even further out of that box, I guess. I cannot tell you how freeing it is to be exactly who you want to be and do what you want to do and not really be concerned with whether or not the population approves. To meet the folks and say what you think is wonderful. Let me qualify that though. To say what you think without being rude or hurtful is what I mean.  I think you ought to give it a go. Would you like to?

​Want what you have and you have what you want.
 
I wanted a yard chock full of roses and perennial flowers, with fruit trees and bushes bursting with bounty and permaculture gardens teaming with food and pleasure. I wanted a little cottage with pink window boxes and lovely woodstove. I wanted a farm full of animals running around with their young, so I could raise my own food, naturally and organically. I wanted to make all my personal care products and share them with others. And I needed an income, so at this stage of my life, I wanted a bed and breakfast where I could meet amazing people and listen to their stories while I served them.
 
And, I have all this and so very much more.
 
I do not need to be somewhere else. I need to be here. A new opportunity may be opening up, a connection with only a handful of organically minded local people, which will allow me to vend my grass raised lamb and goat, rabbits and eggs and maybe even soap and body butters and the herbal products I love to make. We shall see.
 
My heart is filled with gratitude. How many can say they are truly content and have what they want and want what they have? I am blessed. Very, very blessed. 

Daphne is a purebred Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat, only miniature. Nigerian Dwarf goats originated from Africa. The females are no less than 17 and no more than 19 inches at the shoulder and weigh around 75 pounds. They are calm and easy to handle. I don't milk any of them, but they do give two to three pounds of rich milk (up to 10% butterfat) per day. 

Daphne has quads usually and can raise them all if she is out on pasture. This year she had triplets, 2 boys and a girl. I have kept her last year's daughter and had previous daughters as well, but they are never as perfect as their mother. I breed the goats once a year for a late spring kidding, but they are able to breed year long. That means that the little bucklings, who can breed by the time they are 3 months and for sure at 4, need to be removed prior to accidents happening. Our boys are coming out next week, but the girls will stay with mom. She will eventually wean them by not allowing them to nurse and slowly dry up her udder. 

The two bucklings of hers will be for sale. One is blue eyed like his sire and the other has amber goat eyes. There is another buckling, black with a little white also for sale and the three that were born just last week will hopefully go to pet homes. They are so sweet and tame because I help them nurse. Mamma does not want them and bunts them away, so I catch her and hold her tight to allow the babies to nurse. She does not have enough milk for two and her friend, Pepper, has only one baby, so I catch Pepper and let the boys drink from her until they are full. Goats do not have a stop button. Normally the mother instinctively knows when to pull away, so I feel their tummies. When they are rounded, it is time to stop. At first I had to feed them every two hours because they were so tiny, then every 4. Now they are on 3 or 4 times a day and eventually, when they start to eat grass, it will be twice a day until they are 8 weeks old. It was a year for boys on the farm with about 90% males in the goats and sheep of the new ones. 

Daphne is already almost 5 years old. She was my first Nigerian and came as a weanling from Saskatchewan. None have come close to being as special as she is, but I am hoping that one of her daughters will eventually measure up and replace her when she is old. With good care and good health, Nigerian Dwarf goats can live 15 years though 10 is more the average. Their productive life is as long as they conceive and have milk to support their babies, but they are generally very healthy goats. I hope Daphne stays as beautiful as she is until the last of her days. She is lovely, don't you agree?

Salty and Pepper are two doelings out of some purebred Nigerian Dwarf goats I sold to a lady two years ago. Although they are purebred Nigerians, she was told they were Pygmy goats, which is what everyone calls miniature goats around here. There is a breed of goat called the Pygmy, a beautiful little goat built like a tank, but sweet and playful. I wish I had some. So the lady bred the kids to some random small goat and the result were Salt and Pepper , one doeling each from the doelings I sold to her. I bought Salty and Pepper from her when they were a few months old, cute as buttons, but not in the least bit friendly. 

I tried to befriend them, and have not had a great deal of success so far. The bucks were in with the does for the winter breeding season and at the end of it, the doelings got in with the crowd. I hoped they were not bred, since they were just 5 months old at that time, but they were. Young doelings do not always make very good mothers, needing time themselves to grow and mature first, so generally I do not breed them the first year. 

As time went by, I noticed that the doelings were developing udders, which could only mean that they would be having kids. I kept a close watch on them and would not sell them bred, in case of impending kid problems, as can happen with any goats, but especially with new mothers. Sure enough, Salty laid down and screamed and popped out her first kid. She looked at him and ran and the second was born on the run. I quickly picked up the first one and cleaned his airway and took him inside to get a towel, then returned to retrieve kid number two and clean his airway and dry the babies off. Unfortunately, Salty has zero mother instincts at this time. 

That means that I have to get up every two hours to go out and hold her still so the babies could nurse. The option was bottle feeding with no hope of mother and kids bonding ever. I am holding out for the bonding, though this is day 2 and it is no better. At least in the next 24 hours, I will have to get up every 4 hours instead of every two. The boys are around 1 pound a bit each....tiny! But they are in great shape and full of life, jumping around today and playing as only goat kids do. They are adorable. The black one has blue eyes from his Dad and the brown one inherited his Dad's beautiful moonspotted coat and dual colours. 

Salty's cousin is likely due today or tomorrow, following closely behind Salty, so I put her and Salty in a pen within the sheep and goat pen. The little boys have a shelter there and if Pepper kids I will bring another shelter box in so they have some privacy. Salty does go in the shelter where her boys spend most of their time, though they were out and jumping around today. She just does not talk to the kids and nuzzle them and feed them, like a mother should. Keep your fingers crossed that she does bond with them real soon and that Pepper is a natural mother, unlike her friend. 

Thanks. 

Now, off to bed and up to the alarm in 4 hours. Zzzzzz. 

No farm should be without some goats. They are much different than sheep, more comical and much more mischievous and adventurous.  They get into trouble somewhat, like today when Bonnie thought the caraganas were greener on the other side of the fence, so she jumped over it. She had already climbed on it and stretched the wire down, so it was an easy jump. Fortunately, I was there watching the whole time and quickly came to the rescue, shooed her back in where she belonged and fixed the fence temporarily. I watched as she tried to pull the wire down again so she could jump out, but it held that time, so she lost interest.

I have tried Kiko meat goats, Nubian dairy goats, Cashmere, which is basically a Spanish goat that grows a heavy down coat in the winter, Angora goats and my favourites, Nigerian Dwarfs. 

Here is what I have to say about the breeds. 

If you like soft mohair, Angora goats are very dual purpose, however; I found that the mothering instincts and a few others, like where to forage for food, were bred out of them in favour of fibre. One of my Angoras was a good mother though, so I kept her and she is better at following the herd to eat with them. The kids take a long time to gain confidence to go with the herd though, so she does not go far for the first two months. Angoras need to be shorn twice yearly or the fibre will mat into a terrible useless mess and have to be cut off anyhow. They do not shed. Angora goat meat is considered a delicacy in the Middle East and is quite sought after. The animals do flesh out very well and have lots of milk. The meat, I must say, is fabulous. 

Cashmere goats are basically good hardy dual purpose goats, good mothers, have great instincts and will naturally shed the cashmere if it is not brushed or combed from them. I have not eaten cashmere goat meat, only Angora, so I cannot comment on that. 

Kiko goats are big sturdy goats originating from New Zealand. If my Kiko buck does not sell, I have a mind to breed him to the Angora to see what sort of goat is produced. It should have fibre like Pygora  (Pygmy/Angora) or Nigora (NIgerian/Angora) crosses which is very spinnable, yet sheds naturally if not harvested. There are 3 grads to the cross fibre, A, B and C according to the curl and guard hairs present. The Kiko and the Angora have good milk and the Kikos are great mothers. That cross might be worth looking into . The Kiko doe I have was sold to me as a breeding doe but she has fish teats or nipples teats that split into two nipples, which at first confused the kids, but in no time they got the hang of nursing. It is a hereditary trait and the bucklings should be sold as meat goats only. 

I did have only two Boer goats and did not find them particularly appealing for some reason. The buck was big and pushy and the doe was not very friendly having come from a commercial herd. 

The Nubians are good mothers, gentle, personable and excellent milkers, but hard for me to keep healthy. I am not sure it is just these two Nubians or all Nubians or because I live where winter is very cold. That is the time they seem to go downhill fast, though they do pick up on pasture in the summer. I would try them again if I lived somewhere warmer just for their sweet natures. 

But, my favourites are the Nigerians. They are smaller, smarter, more playful, have triplets or quads and can raise them all with their copious amounts of rich milk. My does consistently have quads and although they can raise them all, I usually sell two as bottle babies, because it is too hard on the mother to manufacture milk for four babies and it takes her body condition down. One of my does, Daphne, can easily raise 3 kids though, without losing condition. They are easy to keep, small to handle, friendly and come with blue eyes sometimes. The true Nigerian Dwarf has a long lean body that is well proportioned so that if you looked at a picture of the goat without surrounding to verify the size, you could imagine the goat to be regualar sized, unlike true Pygmy goats, which to me look like tanks on short legs. I love them too, but they are hard to find. What people call Pygmy goats are nowhere near what they really are. To the uneducated, any small goat is a Pygmy. 

I am trying to sell all the goats except the Nigerian Dwarfs to cut down my workload and feed costs. Because they are smaller, they eat less of course. They do grow a double coat for winter too, which keeps them warmer, so they eat less than a single coated animal who must eat to stay warm. The Angora may be the last to leave or maybe she will stay. Bred to a Nigerian Dwarf, her offspring may be blue eyed, but always will be white and fluffy since those genes are stronger. I also have two Nigerian/Nubian cross girls coming and I am hoping they will do better than the Nubians with the input of Nigerian Dwarf genes. 

If you are starting out and don't know which to try, Nigerians are easier to keep in because of their smaller size, and they eat less for the same reason, plus they are a true dairy goat and provide rich milk, though of course less than a large dairy goat does. Besides, they are just so darn cute! My choice for sure...maybe they will be yours too!