Nigerian Dwarfs

[OneFineAcre]

I am looking for a pet, not planning on showing. Milk would be nice.I don't really have options to actual goat breeders, just hobbyists. How do you test for CAE? Since I will be selling the kids that come from breeding the does for milk, I would like to know how so that I can when it comes time. (or do you go to the vet?) (Obviously that won't come for awhile.) I found a CD&T vaccine, so I can do it if necessary. What all things should I vaccinate against? How many times should I worm a year?

You test for CAE by drawing blood and sending it to a lab. A lot of people can draw their own blood which greatly reduces the cost of having a vet do this.
We are not there yet.

Oh, I should be able to do that. I've had it done many times to myself (along with other things involving blood and needles.) So I shouldn't have a problem. Where do I get the blood from?

It's in their neck, so I assume it's the jugular vein.

 

[Moonshine]

Listen ArtisticFarmer, you are going to find a large variety of goat raising methods here and anywhere else. It's essentially a great thing to have so many different methods because you can get an idea of which way might work best for you and your heard. My opinion is still on the fence and I'm currently doing my research of what I find is best for me and my small backyard heard. I'm leaning toward the fiascofarm.com approach which doesn't vaccinate and takes a different approach to maintaining a healthy heard. My advise to you is take all this advise as suggestions and do your research. Find a method to the madness that you agree with and will work for you. Honestly no ones advise is wrong and they really are just trying to give you the best advise they have to offer, but it is what works best for them. It can be overwhelming having so much advise that is all different but that's why you should just give it some thought and research. Best of luck in your goat journey. I have Nigerians too and I love love them and their personality! You will love having goats!

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

In reply to what moonshine said -

Thank you very, very, much to everybody that replied to this, I really appreciate it. I am grateful for the opinions you guys have put in, and like moonshine said, I will take all the great answers and mesh out something that will work well for me and my flock. Again, thank you.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Listen ArtisticFarmer, you are going to find a large variety of goat raising methods here and anywhere else. It's essentially a great thing to have so many different methods because you can get an idea of which way might work best for you and your heard. My opinion is still on the fence and I'm currently doing my research of what I find is best for me and my small backyard heard. I'm leaning toward the fiascofarm.com approach which doesn't vaccinate and takes a different approach to maintaining a healthy heard. My advise to you is take all this advise as suggestions and do your research. Find a method to the madness that you agree with and will work for you. Honestly no ones advise is wrong and they really are just trying to give you the best advise they have to offer, but it is what works best for them. It can be overwhelming having so much advise that is all different but that's why you should just give it some thought and research. Best of luck in your goat journey. I have Nigerians too and I love love them and their personality! You will love having goats!

This was very good advice.

There are a lot of opinions and what I said was just that "my opinion".

I'll give you another piece of advice. Do what Southern said, find a vet who knows goats. In fact, find a vet before you get any goats. Let them know what your interest is, they may recommend people in your area who raise nice animals.

Half of the animals I sell are to people who contact me because my Vet recommends them to me.

Find a mentor in your area.

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

I agree that registered stock is a good choice for someone first starting out. There are a lot of people out there selling goats that are not as concerned about the health and well being of their goats. There are a few diseases that are devastating physically for the goats and emotionally for the unknowing owner, and unfortunately you can't always tell by looking at the goats. These diseases are very preventable but require ongoing testing and safety practices to keep the herds clean or disease free. Many people who breed registered stock are involved in showing, or breed improvement so testing is a productive practice for them and the future of their herd. Although this is not always the case, and many people have healthy animals that are mixed, or grade, or whatever. A lot of people that get goats find themselves wishing their girls were registered at one point or another down the road, so starting out with registered goats solves that problem too. And look at the price of goats in your area if someone is selling goat kids for $25 and most are going for $125 ask yourself why, unfortunately there is often a reason that the breeder isn't going to tell you. If the goat looks shaggy like a dog after a bath it might not be a good pick. In my experience a shaggy dull coat in a kid has always been a sign of something wrong with the goat. Goat kids should be smooth or fluffy not shaggy. And I haven't met a goat who didn't think she was beautiful, they are very full of themselves, so a hunched over goat with its head and tail down is normally a bad sign, a healthy goat wants you to look at it and holds its body like that's all you came there to do, cocky and spunky body language is a good sign, but aggressive body language not so much. That was way too long... I'm sure you've done lots of research and these are just a few things I wish I'd been told when I first started with goats. Maybe its obvious and repetitive stuff but maybe it will help in some way? Either way good luck and have fun!

3 seems to be the magic number of goats with just 2 you risk one being a bully and one being upset and depressed plus if something ever happened to one goat you are left with just one very lonely and loud goat while you scramble to find her a buddy. You always try and keep them safe but kidding is never 100% safe and either is life when your a goat that looks tasty to predators and fun to roaming dogs.

 

[randomtree]

I also use a shoulder-height (to the goats) electrical fence wire along the fence, to keep them from breaking the welded wire down by rubbing against it

 

[drdoolittle]

I have Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy goats. I feed them 1/2 flake of hay each 2x a day, and 1/4 cup of Noble Goat feed each 2x a day. You also need to have loose mineral and salt and baking soda available to them on a free-choice basis. I don't know why someone said that if they are only NDGA regisyeted, they might as well not be registered at all.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I have Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy goats. I feed them 1/2 flake of hay each 2x a day, and 1/4 cup of Noble Goat feed each 2x a day. You also need to have loose mineral and salt and baking soda available to them on a free-choice basis. I don't know why someone said that if they are only NDGA regisyeted, they might as well not be registered at all.

I said that it my area, NC if they were just registered with NDGA or MDGA and not registered with AGS or ADGA they might as well not be registered. I also said that I did not know how it was where the original poster is which is Iowa. I also don't know how it is where you are at.



The reason is everyone here who wants registered animals want AGS or ADGA.

Probably because all of the dairy goat shows in this area are ADGA sanctioned shows, and they will not accept NDGA or MDGA registration, only ADGA or AGS.

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

I have Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy goats. I feed them 1/2 flake of hay each 2x a day, and 1/4 cup of Noble Goat feed each 2x a day. You also need to have loose mineral and salt and baking soda available to them on a free-choice basis. I don't know why someone said that if they are only NDGA regisyeted, they might as well not be registered at all.

Thank you!!! This gives me more of an idea of how much feed they go through. I'm thinking of either giving them 1/2-1 cup of food a day, or giving them all they can eat on the milking stand. (I heard of someone doing that, but they might get to much while I am learning to milk properly. )

 

[randomtree]

I have Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy goats. I feed them 1/2 flake of hay each 2x a day, and 1/4 cup of Noble Goat feed each 2x a day. You also need to have loose mineral and salt and baking soda available to them on a free-choice basis. I don't know why someone said that if they are only NDGA regisyeted, they might as well not be registered at all.

Thank you!!! This gives me more of an idea of how much feed they go through. I'm thinking of either giving them 1/2-1 cup of food a day, or giving them all they can eat on the milking stand. (I heard of someone doing that, but they might get to much while I am learning to milk properly. )

If you feed goats on the milking stand, it does help them stand still, but it creates a dependence. In the future, they won't stand still without the food, so it's up to you, if you want to train them that way.