# "Micro" Nigerian Dwarves?!



## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

I won't post a link to the Craigslist add, because there are rules against that now. But I recently came across an add advertizing "Micro" Nigerian Dwarf goats. Is that what I think it is? People are breeding Nigerian Dwarves to be ridiculously tiny? The doe kid being offered is 11 inches tall, 10lbs, and 3.5 months old. 

I'm almost a little disturbed. Almost seems like the 'teacup' version of a Nigerian Dwarf. Do they breed stunted goats like they do to get teacup dogs? What is the stock is not actually genetically stunted (like a buck who had a bout of coccidia that reduced his size will still throw normal kids). How are the does even safely bred? 

It almost seems that breeding anything "micro" "teacup" "mini" means unhealthy animals. The West African Dwarf (which led to the development of the ND and the pygmy) was a small breed of goat to begin with. But reducing the size even more just seems...wrong.


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

Maybe the doe kid was stunted by severe cocci, so the term "micro" is what they're dishonestly calling her? Or maybe they are just genetically small, so they continue to breed into those genes......
I agree, raising goats that small will only cause trouble when it comes to breeding and kidding. And there would be so little meat and milk, what would be the practicality of them? Unless you want micro pets, but still......


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## Everfree (Nov 15, 2013)

When I had pygmies, one of the breeders was breeding for the tiny ones. They were about 14 inches at the withers, sometimes smaller. She ended up with goats that couldn't give birth and was selling them spayed as pets. They were adorable, but not at all functional. It was sad.


Everfree Farm
Kiko and Nubian


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

When I was first looking at bucks I came across a buck that was literally only a few inches taller then my doxin?? I was shocked. I was new to goats and thought wow those are some tiny goats. Then realized that that wasn't the norm for Nigerian dwarves.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

It seems to be a trend. The "micro" pets are a fashion statement, it seems. Look at all the tiny toy dogs out there. The toy size pigs. I've even seen some cats that were pretty much useless for anything except house pets (and that was only in a controlled environment!). We humans tend to decide something is "cute" and then we start breeding for it, whether it's functional or not. Look at most English Bulldogs....they can't even have their babies naturally, they almost always just get scheduled for a c-section! It's sad.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Yep the micro, mini, teacup animals are all the rage everywhere. Some people don't even care if they are unhealthily because their 'cute'. I find it disturbing and avoid them. I see the point in breeding something to be smaller like cows for instance but when you start making them so small that they start to have problems functioning normally you need to stop.


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## kc8lsk (Jan 10, 2014)

Yeah I saw the ad and it disturbs me too I love her colors but the price and the size are outrageous if you all want to see her she is on Northern Mi craigslist I accidently stunted :-( my babies from last year but I would never consider selling them as micro or anything these baby's are my friends I would sell them but as a Mistake and not for full price as they have alot of growing to do hopefully they will catch up with their age group in a year or so


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Yup, I've heard of micro minis before. The website I read said that they need to be pampered because they are more delicate than ordinary Nigerians.


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

Awww, this is so horrible and disturbing!! They are probably stunted from improper care and nourishment or severe worms/Cocci load and yet they are trying to profit from it! Ugh!! That's horrible!! Does anyone know if these are these registered Nigerians??
Poor things :-(


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

The ones I saw were registered;-(


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

That specific add now seems gone, like the animal was sold or removed. Though there is ANOTHER person advertizing "Micro" Nigerian Dwarves on a facebook group called Michigan Goats. Oye, the goats are "6-7 generation micro pure Nigerian dwarfs, mature 12-15" tall, all pure and from registered stock about 6 generations ago (makes it sound like they aren't actually registered, because who would register kids like that?)". 

Those does definitely must have problems with kidding. I mean, even normal sized goats can have kidding problems. Because one of the main problems with stunting animals is that their body frames are stunted, but their organs tend to be a normal sized. 

Nothing can really be done though. As long as there is a demand for ultra tiny, unhealthy animals, there will be 'breeders'. I like Nigerian Dwarves because they are smaller than other breeds of goats, but refuse to support shrinking them more for fun. I think they're a good size how they are now!


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## COgoatLover25 (Dec 23, 2013)

Seems like the smaller they go the worse it gets :/ why make Nigerians smaller? There is enough small lines out there anyways


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

The goat magazine "Goat Rancher" had an interesting article about the difference of form over functionality and showed a bull dog from 1915 
vs. now, a Bull Terrier (looks nothing like a BT now) and a German Shepard Dog that actually used to stand up on it's back legs like Rin Tin Tin, 
and talked about how Boer goats are alot different now than when first imported. I understand how people want pretty and functional, but sometimes we (people) breed animals
into something that isn't remotely close to functional, much to the animal's detriment! (If I am not supposed to name periodicals, sorry!)

I agree, breeding for tiny and cute does not do the animal any good!


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Can you imagine trying to go in and reposition kids? Oye...it's hard enough on a normal size mini!

Carmen, Co-Owner Oleo Acres LLC, Nw Ks


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## COgoatLover25 (Dec 23, 2013)

kccjer said:


> Can you imagine trying to go in and reposition kids? Oye...it's hard enough on a normal size mini!
> 
> Carmen, Co-Owner Oleo Acres LLC, Nw Ks


OMG , you could probably just count the doe dead


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## GroundGoats (Sep 17, 2013)

I have a 17" buck, weighs 25-30lb., that I believe was bred to be small. His mom was so short, dad wasn't that big either, maybe 26".
So I went and got myself a 30", 65-70lb. doe who has huge babies. The breeder was stunning her kids so she could show them.
I just got my first set of babies from them, they're average sized I guess, 2.0lb. doe, 2.5lb. buck, 2.7lb. buck. No defects, growing steadily. 
We'll see how they turn out. If they're ridiculously small, then I'll know not to breed him or the offspring. I think they'll be pretty decent, since I'm specifically trying to breed up in size from dad and down from mom.


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## GroundGoats (Sep 17, 2013)

Oh and on the normal organs/small body thing for a stunted animal, my buck was bred small but all was stunted from coccidia before I got him. 
His rumen is so large in comparison to his frame, I sometimes thought he has bloat and watched him constantly for hours waiting for sure signs of it! His testicles are way too large too. Like, so large that everyone that sees him HAS to comment on them.
I mean, what the heck do you say to that?!
On a top view comparison of him to Angel, my ND doe, they're equally as wide. He eats about the same volume too.


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## 4seasonsfarm (Jan 22, 2014)

I raise Nigerians and pygmies I have never had a problem with their height until last year. I bought 2 doelings from my breeder who is a very reputable man!!! His two doelings I bought hardly ever grew. One of the doelings later died from stomach parasites that my dewormer didn't kill. The other doeling however seems to be healthy she is a year now and hardly grew!!! Next my FF doe gave birth to twins and boy and a girl. They hardly grew. The mother is a taller pygmy and the dad is a regular sized pygmy. I refer to them as micro pygmies as well. Here is a pic of two of my micros.






the first goat was the FF that gave birth to the micro babies. The grey one is her son and the black and white one is the other doe I bought from the man. The brown goat in the shade has hardly grown but he is growing a little bit.

Sent from my iPod touch using Goat Forum


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