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.
A Heritage Breed
Nigerian Dwarf Goats are considered a recovering breed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and their numbers are growing with good reason. These goats only get to be about the size of large Golden Retrievers and they have an extremely sweet nature. Because they are so small the goats are great for 4-H projects. The goats can be handled by nearly any child over the age of about six and some younger.
They are small enough to keep on suburban lots if your town does not have ordinances against it. Goats do need something to shelter them from the rain and cold, but a large Igloo dog house works great in a pinch. You will want something a little larger than that if you intend to breed your goats; I cant imagine crawling into an Igloo with a laboring doe at two in the morning. Our bucks have the Igloos and the does have a small barn that includes a milking stand.
Goats are intelligent, loving creatures. They have a lot of personality which develops the more they are around humans. With six (human) kids at home and three grandchildren that live nearby our goats do not lack for attention. From the time they are born they are carried, petted, held, played with, and loved. There is nothing more comical than looking out the window to see goat kids and people kids in a wild game of tag. If they are handled regularly and treated well they are very gentle.
Life with Kids
This past year we had a total of six baby goats born. After the first two weeks they are kept in a separate stall at night so that we can milk in the morning. The babies get to nurse all day. Anyway, as this crew got older they got sneaky about getting out of the goat yard by low crawling under the raised floor of the barn.
Well, the house we live in is a huge, old farmhouse. It was used as a home for abused children for several decades and a metal fire escape was constructed in the back reaching from the ground up to the second floor. It creates sort of an urban looking balcony (which is not at all romantic) outside my bedroom window.
Being a work at home mom means that I sometimes need to retreat to the quiet of my room to get a difficult or stressful assignment written. One day last Spring I was reclining on the bed, laptop balanced on my knees, windows open, and enjoying the fresh breeze. All of a sudden I was startled to hear a metallic banging. I glanced up to see the six goat kids staring at me through my bedroom window, a good fifteen feet up from the ground. They looked at me curiously, just watching what I was doing and then in one swift movement that could have been choreographed they turned scampered noisily back down the fire escape. For the rest of the day they ran up and down those stairs, enjoying the activity as well as the sound that their hooves made. They seemed to delight in looking in the window and when I looked at them, racing off.
Are Goats in Your Future?
Be careful. People get addicted to goats. Someone at a goat show once told me that they were like potato chips, you can't just have one. Having a couple of goats in your backyard could have some benefit:
- Manure for the garden- excellent fertilizer and the goats are pretty good about sharing.
- Milk- there is nothing like homemade ricotta !
- Automated lawn mowers- this is totally dependent on the goat. Some will and some won't graze well.
- Hours of entertainment—I admit to being easily amused.
If you have dreams of sustainable living you don't have to give them up just because you happen to be in a suburb. Check you local laws and ordinances and consider these small, delightful goats. You can find a breeder near you, more information, and lots of support at the Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association website.
After all, it doesn't really get more local than your own back yard.
