Need to know about Nigerians

[fortheloveofgoats]

This is the girl that I am wanting. I need to know the pros and cons of her breed. Anything? Also, anything that I should ask the breeder? Thank you in advance. Oh and isn't she a dwarf?
http://portlandor.ebayclassifieds.com/livestock/hillsboro/nigerian-doe-w-blue-eyes/?ad=17298442

 

[hcppam]

cutey, yes dwarf, they are sweet, has she had shots, you can find info http://www.oakcreekcreators.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=59 plus you need 2 goats for company.

 

[fortheloveofgoats]

cutey, yes dwarf, they are sweet, has she had shots, you can find info http://www.oakcreekcreators.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=59 plus you need 2 goats for company.

Thank you, that's much appreciated. I have been doing some research on the web as well.

 

[hcppam]

There will be others around who can help you more than I can I'm new to goats too. I know they will ask you if you just want a pet? or a milker, to register her, if she's papered. Us west cost people are still up. LOL

 

[cindyg]

Ooohhhh she's pretty! My ND doe is just black and white, also just a year old and the sweetest little thing ever. She is not registered and I paid $250 for her, just waiting for my little PB buck to "man up" and breed her. I also have a registered ND doe reserved, waiting on her to kid and she cost $400 so I'd say the price is pretty good. I intend to milk my girls, expect it to be a bit difficult at first as they are small but I understand it can be done. They have lovely personalities, at least mine do, and I haven't noticed that they are particularly noisy, nosy yes, always in my pocket looking for a treat. I say get her.

 

[fortheloveofgoats]

There will be others around who can help you more than I can I'm new to goats too. I know they will ask you if you just want a pet? or a milker, to register her, if she's papered. Us west cost people are still up. LOL

Thank you, much appreciated. Well I would really like a pet, milker would be a plus, and not sure about the whole paper thing. I don't plan on breeding to sell.

 

[fortheloveofgoats]

Ooohhhh she's pretty! My ND doe is just black and white, also just a year old and the sweetest little thing ever. She is not registered and I paid $250 for her, just waiting for my little PB buck to "man up" and breed her. I also have a registered ND doe reserved, waiting on her to kid and she cost $400 so I'd say the price is pretty good. I intend to milk my girls, expect it to be a bit difficult at first as they are small but I understand it can be done. They have lovely personalities, at least mine do, and I haven't noticed that they are particularly noisy, nosy yes, always in my pocket looking for a treat. I say get her.

Thank you. I really loved her coloring and especially her blue eyes. I am hoping that she will still be available by the time that I get everything for my goat set up. I am so excited. That's good about the noise, I wouldn't want my neighbors to complain. Thank you again, for replying.

 

[Chirpy]

She is beautiful - I love those colors.

You say that you want to milk her but don't want to sell her kids. Do you know that you will have to breed her every year to keep her in milk production? That means you will have one to four (possibly more) kids each year... if you don't plan on selling them your herd will grow quickly... are you prepared to keep all those babies? If you realize that you cannot keep all the kids born at your place then you may want to buy a registered doe and only breed to good quality registered bucks so that you can sell the kids for more. I'm guessing by her price and the ad that she is not registered (they sell for much more around here). You would want to verify that with her current owner. You can still sell her kids in the future, without papers, but they would sell for much less.

If you really want to milk a Nigerian then you really want to do your homework and get a doe from a good, proven milk line. They already have such tiny teats that milking them is a real challenge for most people. Buying from a good milk line will let you see her dam's udder/teats which will give you a much better 'picture' of what she will be like for a milk doe. You will also want to use a buck from good milk lines - he's half the genetics and a poor buck can ruin a good milk line. Thus, you may want to look around before you buy to make sure you have access to a high quality buck within driving distance.

I highly suggest you find a Nigerian in milk (several would be better) and milk them yourself before jumping in and spending the money on a Nigerian as your milk source.

Having said all that... I LOVE my Nigies but I don't milk mine (I tried - teats are too small for my hands). I milk full size does. If you just want a pet then absolutely get her and you'll love her. As stated above... you should never have just one goat. They are very social animals and NEED a goat buddy to be their happiest and healthiest. If you just want pets... wethers make excellent pets.

Have fun learning.