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?
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?
This is Two Bit and Tid Bit, Salty's twin bucklings. I have to catch and hold Salty to allow them to nurse. These guys are so cute!
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