# Couple questions about minis or Nigerian Dwarf



## bdasko (May 15, 2015)

Hello everyone!

I've been lurking for a bit but have registered finally because I'm going to be taking the plunge into goat ownership finally  I have decided that minis would fit better in my situation so I have a few questions.

1. One of my biggest obstacles has been the cost of fencing. I'm off-grid and so I don't have consistent power, and even a solar charged electric wouldn't be consistent here. I know the field fencing doesn't always do great longterm with goats because of rubbing, but is this still a problem with the mini ones?

2. I'm not sure how to visualize the milk pail since they are so short. What do you all milk into? Do you need a special sized stanchion?

3. Do they have any problems with sharing housing with chickens and cats (assuming you keep them out of the chicken food of course)?

4. I'll be going after unregistered to start with, since I just want them for milk, are they generally the same price as full size goats?

5. How much milk do you get on average?

6. Is there some kind of cheap DIY stanchion I can make?

ANd any other words of wisdom regarding the little ones is most welcome  I've been researching for a looooong time and finally am at the point where I'm almost ready to buy and get set up. I've got 2 4-H kids that are super excited about this project and I am excited to have all that milk!


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## LibertyHomesteadFarm (Feb 1, 2014)

1. as long as your fence is nice and tight, it will hold up to normal use.

2. I milk my NDs into a stainless steel mixing bowl

3. as long as they don't have access to each other's food and the cat isn't in the hay, they can mingle freely

4. quality minis are the same price or more than quality standards

5. average milk production for a mini is 1-2 quarts per day

Hope that helps!


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## glndg (Feb 8, 2013)

3. It would be safest if your cats are adults and not young cats and kittens. Adult cats are less likely to shed toxoplasma gondi which can be transmitted to goats causing toxoplasmosis.

6. If you put in the search terms "milk stand plans," you will get a number of results. Here is one: http://pholiafarm.com/milk-and-milking/build-a-pvc-milking-stand/
I bought a wooden Nigerian-size stand off of Craig's list for $30 or $40. The man I bought it from got a plan off the Internet, made a bunch, and sold them.

Good luck!


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## bdasko (May 15, 2015)

Oh - yes they are adult cats. I just think it would be helpful to house them all together for wintertime heat and whatnot as opposed to the cats having their own outdoor house, since they are outdoors only.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

milking stand thread:

http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f203/stanchion-milking-stand-insctuctions-135000/


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Good fencing is worth the initial cost. We went with welded wire fencing at first and it lasted a couple of years, but the woven wire is going to last a lot longer.

I milk into a cup. I milk with one hand, so I hold the cup in my left, and milk with my right. When the cup is full, I dump it into a waiting mason jar, with a strainer. Works really well, especially if they decide to kick your hand out of the blue, you haven't lost all of your hard work.

As long as the goats cannot eat the chicken food, and the chickens do not get feces in the goat's food or water supply, I'm ok with them together. However since chickens like to jump on the rim of buckets and will get their feet in the water, keeping the water clean may be an issue. Maybe hooking the water bucket up a little ways from the ground will keep the goat's water supply clean.

The cost depends on your area. Unregistered does go for $200 around here, but those are the quality ones that could be registered if the owner chose. I am in NJ, so my prices may be different than yours. This is another thing that is worth the initial cost - even if you chose to go unregistered, be sure you buy from an owner that takes awesome care of their animal, and has the disease testing papers to show you. It may be more money up front, but having to deal disease will be a lot more money and heartbreak in the long run.

First fresheners usually give me two to three cups per milking. My seasoned doe gives me over a quart per milking at her peak. Be careful buying Nigerians, as you will need to buy from producing lines. If you just buy any Nigerian, she may not produce. You'll want to find someone who breeds specifically for production.

Have fun, and welcome to the goat spot!


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## ms_mac (Oct 7, 2012)

I have Nigerian dwarf goats (3 presently) I was new to the milking process but I knew their milk had high fat content and I wanted all I could get. After many tries I bought a small milker from Dansha farms. It keeps the milk very clean because it is not exposed to anything dirty. It was under $100 and the people at Dansha farms have a video on Youtube if you want to investigate. You can also make one yourself (it is pretty simple device) for around $40. Welcome to Goat Spot! I have sure appreciated their help on many occasions. Ms Mac in East Texas


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Oh yes, we actually use a hand milker too. I can milk by hand but it gets tiring - I usually start off with the milker and finish by hand. If you want to milk completely by hand, look into buying kids from a doe with large teats. Nigerian teats can be on the small side. I have one doe who has larger teats than her dam and it is such a breeze to milk her! Make such a difference.


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## bdasko (May 15, 2015)

Thank you everyone! This brings up another question - I've been planning on milking by hand because I don't have a dishwasher or a hot water heater (I have to heat water in pots on the stove), so I was thinking to keep things as easy to clean as possible. Are the milkers (the cheap ones) hard to clean? is it even a good idea to use one if you don't have a dishwasher?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

It would probably be better for you to milk by hand.


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## WitchHazel (May 5, 2015)

I'm not sure if this applies to NDs, but we use baby alpaca halters (as opposed to goat kid halters) for our mini Nubian kids. They are smaller, and they fit really nicely. And with minis, whatever fence you use has to have very small openings at the bottom. NDs, especially, are notorious escape artists.


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## purplemountain (Jun 2, 2014)

If buying unregistered, ask if you can see dam milked. Will give you an idea of quantity and taste. Nigerian dwarf can vary hugely in amount of milk, which is why we went registered. Even then, ask about quantity. We get close to 2 quarts each at peak milking doing once a day milking.

Also, unregistered goats around here frequently have horns and don't seem to be regularly tested for CAE or CL.

Start with the best you can afford. You can sometimes get a good goat from a reputable breeder w/o papers and they can tell you exactly why no papers. You can get lucky and get a great unregistered goat, too, but ask lots of questions. I love my alpine/saanen/lamancha mixed goat sisters that I bought at a garage sale. After asking lots of questions, turns out lots of registered champions in the dam, granddam, and grandsire pedigrees.


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## purplemountain (Jun 2, 2014)

Oh, and we built our own stand out of pvc. Works great for nigies and is light weight and waterproof. Didn't like the idea of wood getting nasty. Plus I had all the materials and cost was under $10. Found plans online.


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## bdasko (May 15, 2015)

Oh thanks for the tip about PVC! I like the $10 part, too 

I've settled on a local breeder who will be selling me two registered does (bred) with an exchange for one of the kids for each (and $200 each). CAE/CL free, and both are dehorned so I think it will work out well for each of us. We're going to visit them on Friday - she breeds for milk production and conformation, so I think it will work out well for us. I'll see if we can have a better idea of milk production but she does have a bigger herd so I'm not sure if individual milk production is easy to track with a bigger herd?


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