Hello, I'm new here and have been reading everything I can find about dairy goats, especially Nigerian dwarfs and Pygmys. My main concern is finding a breeder that tests for CAE, CL, and Johnes. I'm located in Indiana south of Fort Wayne and north of Marion. I'd like to start out with maybe just a doe and a wether in the springtime, but want to be sure I'm starting with healthy animals. My goats will be for milking, but will also be well loved pets.
clean Nigerian dwarfs in Indiana
- Thread starter Ariel72
- Start date
ksalvagno
Alpaca Master
Helmstead has Nigerian Dwarfs and probably isn't too far from you. Just do a search for her name. If you don't mind traveling a bit, I have tested all my goats. I'm in Ohio.
SDGsoap&dairy
Loving the herd life
I also have goats bred by Kate. I'd give Helmstead Minis a recommendation any day! 
helmstead
Goat Mistress
julieq
Ridin' The Range
SO glad you've done the research and are going the extra mile to find a reputable breeder, good for you!Ariel72 said:
- Thread starter
- #6
Thank you for your kind replies! My situation is that I'm a homesteader who is beginning to produce most of our family's food. Last year was a garden and free range chickens and this year I want/need to start supplying all our milk from our little 5 1/2 acres. Showing isn't a big priority (though I do have a daughter who would like to do 4-h went she's old enough). A sweet gentle healthy doe who can be part of our large family and help us be self-sufficient is my priority.
She doesn't even need to be purebred or registered. I always research each species of animal I'm interested in to the tiniest detail I can find information on them (I'm a real nerd). I've settled on ND's as my favorite breed because I like their temperament, size, looks and their feed to milk conversion rates.
They do seem to be economical to feed which is important to me since I'll be supplementing their feed with things I can grow myself. I also hand carry all the animals' water, so just as a practical consideration,...smaller goat= less water. I would even consider pygmy goats if I could find some in the area from a tested herd, though I understand they're not as suitable for milking as ND's are.
Our situation forces practicality on me (dang it!). I know a high quality show doe is out of my price range, but if I could find a good milker with at least 1/2 Nigerian blood I would consider myself lucky. I have an older horse who loves goats, but if she wouldn't see him as a companion I'd get her a wether as a buddy. I won't settle for untested goats even though they seem to be a dime a dozen around here.
Thanks for sticking with me through this long post...told ya I was a nerd.
She doesn't even need to be purebred or registered. I always research each species of animal I'm interested in to the tiniest detail I can find information on them (I'm a real nerd). I've settled on ND's as my favorite breed because I like their temperament, size, looks and their feed to milk conversion rates.
They do seem to be economical to feed which is important to me since I'll be supplementing their feed with things I can grow myself. I also hand carry all the animals' water, so just as a practical consideration,...smaller goat= less water. I would even consider pygmy goats if I could find some in the area from a tested herd, though I understand they're not as suitable for milking as ND's are.
Our situation forces practicality on me (dang it!). I know a high quality show doe is out of my price range, but if I could find a good milker with at least 1/2 Nigerian blood I would consider myself lucky. I have an older horse who loves goats, but if she wouldn't see him as a companion I'd get her a wether as a buddy. I won't settle for untested goats even though they seem to be a dime a dozen around here.
Thanks for sticking with me through this long post...told ya I was a nerd.
SDGsoap&dairy
Loving the herd life
I'd consider a grade nigerian from a proven milker or who is a proven milker. I have a doe who's pygmy/nigerian cross and I DREAD milking her. I only do it when I have to because I feel like I need hemostats. 
Not fun. She fed her babies well (and has other qualities I like), but milking her is such a chore because of her teat size.
I do have a grade nigerian doe (NMGA only) though with easy to milk teat size who produces nicely, particularly for the amount of grain she gets. You don't have to worry about show quality (until 4-H), but be mindful of teat size and production ability as not all grade does will give you the same results. If you were getting a doeling you'd look for those qualities in both the dam and the sire's dam.
Good luck, researching new critters is so much fun!
Not fun. She fed her babies well (and has other qualities I like), but milking her is such a chore because of her teat size.I do have a grade nigerian doe (NMGA only) though with easy to milk teat size who produces nicely, particularly for the amount of grain she gets. You don't have to worry about show quality (until 4-H), but be mindful of teat size and production ability as not all grade does will give you the same results. If you were getting a doeling you'd look for those qualities in both the dam and the sire's dam.
Good luck, researching new critters is so much fun!
- Thread starter
- #8
A grade doe like that would be the type I'm looking for. I wouldn't mind driving several hours to get her either. Getting her bred to a nice buck may be an issue. I have to face that I may need to consider one of the larger breeds for now. I have a friend that has a tested Nubian buck she says I can use. She's very careful about having a disease free farm. To me homesteading is, in part, making whats available to you, work for you. I have until springtime to get things figured out for sure.
Our7Wonders
Overrun with beasties
FWIW, if you have to go with nubians -our two Nubian's fit quite nicely on our little "less-than-an-acre" urban farm. We started with chickens this summer too and just got our bred Nubian girls about 6 weeks ago. We're a large family too - we have seven children. I wanted Nigerians at first but when I figured the amount of milk we would need for all our drinking and baking needs plus yogurt, keifer, buttermilk, and cheese, it seemed two little goats wouldn't be enough for us. Then I started helping at a nubian dairy goat farm just to see if the whole goat thing would work for me and I had to milk a couple does with smaller teats - one in particular was very small and I always hated milking her - and I realized that NDs were likely to be uncomfortable in my hands, at least to begin with. I am, however, *considering* breeding them to a ND buck next year. The idea of a mini nubian is somewhat appealing. I haven't decided yet - one breeding season at a time for me. My kids LOVED our nubian milk, tasted just like the jersey cow milk we used to get from an organic raw dairy - I can't hardly wait until they kid and we can have milk again!Ariel72 said:
BetterHensandGardens
Ridin' The Range
I think Karen offers non-show quality, good milking goats (as well as show quality goats); and she's not that far from you actually. About four hours east.ksalvagno said:
I know because we live near Karen and my parents are basically in Fort Wayne. We make the trip back to Indiana several time a year.
