Although I have had Daphne for three years, I have not milked her. She was a doeling when she arrived here in the late fall of 2011. Her daughter Sherry was born the next year and Daria the following year. Last year she had quads, two of which I have kept as well, Tommy and Sofi, Nygora babies sired by an Angora buck. This year they will be bred to a Pygmy/Nigerian very tiny buck, Raven, born here on the farm two years ago.
The Nigerian goats were brought on ships from Nigeria in Africa as food for lions and tigers and some ended up in zoos. They can produce a large quantity of milk, maybe 2-3 pounds per day of 6% butterfat milk. As with all goats, they are browsers and prefer tree leaves to grass, but will eat hay. The Fat Ewe Farm will be parting with Sherry and Daria and their babies in the summer of 2015, and possibly Cocoa too, to cut down the numbers of animals to be cared for. Daphne and Cecelia will stay. Both usually have triplets or quads, are excellent mothers and produce lots of milk. They are easy keepers compared to the Nubians and Angoras, who are not parasite resistant and need warm shelters. The Nigerians are happy to cuddle up with eachother in dog houses, but I put the dog houses in a hoop shelter with lots and lots of nice straw so they are out of the wind too. They are fed and watered outside.
True Pygmy goats and Nigerian Dwarf goats are hard to find, but there are numerous miniature goats available of dubious ancestry. The goats are sought after for their fine meat and the ethnic community loves them. I have eaten goat for the first time last week and I can see why. It was delicious.
I love my Nigerian Goats and plan to keep them on the farm, but only two. There are two Nubians and Nubian buckling, a Nigerian buck and an Angora buckling, and a Nygora buckling too, and one Nygora doeling and one cashmere doeling. That is more than enough goats don't you agree?