Marye Audet
DCL
For as long as I can remember I have wanted a cow. Other kids wanted dogs, cats, hamsters, and even spider monkeys but not me. I wanted a cow with large brown eyes, velvety soft muzzle, and an udder full of milk. What I ended up with were Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats with udders full of milk.
We have raised Nigerian Dwarf goats for five years. They are a wonderful addition to our lives in many ways but primarily they are our source of milk. For about forty dollars a month we get an average of twenty-five gallons of creamy, organic, raw milk. They give a bit more in the Spring and it tapers off in the fall until we dry them off in December. From December until about March or April we buy organic milk at the store. This year we have a third doe and I will breed her in the Spring so she can handle the off months.
There are only two or three does (females) and one buck (male) permanently on our little farm. If you have only had goat's milk from the store you really haven't had it at all. It is rich and creamy and, if handled correctly and fresh, has no musky flavor. It adds a heavier texture to puddings and cream sauces, much as if you had made them with cream rather than milk.
The babies are sold to various people for various reasons, although not as meat goats. Nigerians just don't have enough meat on them to make it worth it to anyone to buy them for that purpose. Well, that and the price. A good Nigerian Dwarf Dairy goat can easily cost $300.00 and up.
We have sold them to people who kept them in the house as pets, we have sold them to people that wanted a great 4-H project for their kids, but mostly the people who buy these diminutive caprines are people who are interested in small farms, homesteading, and sustainable living. The Nigerian is perfect for that.
