# Nigerian Dwarf growth chart?



## kids-n-peeps

I have been looking online for a sort of growth chart/curve for Nigerian Dwarf goats. Since my family is fairly new to having them, I am curious what average weights are, esp. say for 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and then maybe 2 years of age. I hope that made sense!


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## StaceyRosado

I have never seen anything like that, sorry.


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## ProctorHillFarm

I havent either- but it would be interesting to see.

Maybe next year I will try to keep track of all of mine as they grow and then I can average the weights out, that would be neat to see!


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## ProctorHillFarm

I havent either- but it would be interesting to see.

Maybe next year I will try to keep track of all of mine as they grow and then I can average the weights out, that would be neat to see!


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## kids-n-peeps

That would be great ProctorHillFarm. A friend who has goats thinks my girls are much smaller than his, but then I've seen some of a similar age and younger that were way smaller than mine . . . it has really left me at a loss for what would be a normal range or an average weight for different life stages. 

I also hear people talk about waiting to breed until they know their goats are a good weight. I know all but one of mine is too young, but was curious for the future to know what a good weight would be before breeding.


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## StaceyRosado

40lbs for a nigerian dwarf is good for breeding but mostly you want them old enough. 

Many lines of the nigerian dwarf beed take a little longer to mature.


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## kids-n-peeps

Thanks, Stacey, for that info. I know mine are way too young - I see them as babies at six months still  However, when they are old enough I will doublecheck weights to make sure they are at least 40 pounds before going forward. 

On a side note, I feel sorry for our older doe who kidded once before we got her. Each time she goes into heat since we got our buckling, she stares off at him for days at a time. She'll just lay down and look at him for hours on end. He's physiologically capable, but he can't come close to physically reaching her. I suggested to my husband that he could build a little stand for the buck to reach her and that we could leash her (which she is used to) to keep her in place in front of the stand. He laughed at me. Patience.


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## ProctorHillFarm

Just today I bred one of our Nigerian bucklings born this year (in Feb) to a nubian doe born about the same time, which of course is twice her size. I put her slightly down hill from her and he got the job done very easily. :ROFL:


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## capriola-nd

Size and growth have a lot to do with how the kid is raised. A kid raised with good management practices (good feed, coccidia treatment or prevention, if needed, etc) will always grow stronger and faster than a kid not raised this way, regardless of slow-maturing lines. 

Let's see. Trying to remember this correctly. I will try a growth chart next year. Our kids are about 2-3 lbs. at birth. By two months, my kids are about 15-20+lbs. (bucks weigh a little more). They are not fat, just healthy and well-cared for. My does are usually large enough to breed when they are 7 months old (they are about 40 lbs. at this point), but I prefer to wait until they are about 9 months old.

I've heard of people using bales of hay. Stand the buckling on a bale of hay and the doe right near it. Everyone whose tried it says it works.


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## StaceyRosado

capriola-nd said:


> Size and growth have a lot to do with how the kid is raised. A kid raised with good management practices (good feed, coccidia treatment or prevention, if needed, etc) will always grow stronger and faster than a kid not raised this way, regardless of slow-maturing lines.


that is not true actually. I do agree though that proper care does play a part it isn't the deciding factor in how well a kid grows.

last year I had two does from two totaly different lines both just one month apart. I had them since they were kids so I know they were raised the same way.

One doe was ready to be bred at 10 months while the other was half her size! but by the time they both reached a year old and a couple months the slower grower caught up and they are both the same size (well the slower one is actually bigger now).

Another factor in size is how many kids were in the birth. kids from quads or quints tend to be smaller a birth though not always and that can directly effect how fast they grow.


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## kids-n-peeps

Hmm . . . I just weighed my two who just turned six month olds and they are each 30 pounds; however, they did have coccidia issues and for 4-6 weeks it seemed they barely grew - we were really worried about them. Lately, though, I've been pleased with their growth, so I'll just hope that continues. Actually I am amazed that the one who had coccidia more severely has caught up with her half-sister :thumb:


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## kids-n-peeps

I forgot to add that (if needed) I'll remember to try the hay bale or the downhill breeding for my oldest doe. I'm sure the one neighbor who can see our property will get some entertainment that day :ROFL:


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## capriola-nd

> that is not true actually. I do agree though that proper care does play a part it isn't the deciding factor in how well a kid grows.


Guess I didn't mean for it to come out like that. From my experience, management plays the larger role in the growth of a kid. Lines of course, play a part as well.

But we do not really have slow-growing lines here in the NW. Or none that I have worked with anyways. :shrug:


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## Sweet Gum Minis

I go first with a minimum age of 7 months at least and then if they've passed my size expectation. Most do, but some always fall just behind the mark.


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## farmergal

This thread is so helpful! I have just been watching my girls, who have suddenly become madly in love with my buckling. Wow, I had no idea how hilarious goats could be when it comes to breeding!! The buckling and does are normally separated by two fences but I took the girls adjacent to the buck pasture for a few minutes so I could see if I was right about who was in heat. 

The buckling of course started blubbering all over himself and making those old-man noises (I don't know what else to call them) and the two does who were in heat were wagging their tails and nuzzling him and just hoping for, ahem.  Then when I put the girls back in their pasture, Sedona (my most flirty of in-heat does) climbed onto the roof of the shelter just so she could watch the buckling in the other pasture. Boy did she have it bad. 

Sedona (also my oldest doeling) was born April 3, and I haven't weighed her yet but she feels a bit shy of a sack of feed.... so I'm guessing/hoping she's around 40 pounds. I'm thinking of breeding her for her next heat cycle (3 weeks from now). Assuming I weigh her and she passes the test, am I good to go? (They still ACT so young, and this is my first time, so I just want to make sure I do the right thing... She is super healthy and seems to get bigger every day, especially being the alpha goat who eats the most feed of everyone.)


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## capriola-nd

Like Ashley (Sweet Gum) mentioned, I also check the width between their hip bones (right across their rumps). If it seems nice and wide for kids to pass through then I go ahead, IF they are 40 lbs. Before breeding, I would deworm (if needed) and give a Bo-Se shot or selenium gel form. Then you're pretty much "good to go". It sounds like you are having a lot of fun with your goats. They really are a blast!


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## Di

Well, my new rule is I don't breed any mini goats before 12-14 months. I almost lost Pepper last April. I bred her at 10 months, she was good weight and size, I thought. Well, she had a single pretty large kid and it got stuck. I had to bundle her up and off to the vet for a c-section. I'm still afraid to breed her again. I will probably wait till Feb, I guess. The vet said she should be fine this time. 

Isn't there a measurement (how wide the pelvis is)? I forget. But, since NDG breed all year I decided there is really no hurry. I know goats are "livestock" but, I tend to treat mine like "pets", and that can get expensive after awhile!


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## Harley Guy

I know this is a real old thread but I was wondering if anyone ever found or made growth chart? I have a doe kid born 6/4/11 that was a single I purchased still on her dam around Christmas time. She is as big as any of my full grown girls and the same size as her mom!


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## ColaZig

I have a question, I got two pygmy dwarfs from a gentlman, and he stated he thought they were 4/5 weeks old. They were being feed milk replacer, which I am continuing and weighed them today, which I have had them for about a week and the buck is only 6.38lbs and the doe is 4.84 lbs. I have been trying to find a reference chart to figure out their age so I can figure out if I need to feed them more, or do something to make sure they are gaining properly. Please help


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## Sweetwaterbees

someone should make a book with this type of information on all goat breeds. I would buy it.


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## Sweetwaterbees

I remember when I got (2) 4 week old pygmy goats that they weighed about 9 lbs each, so I think yours need to gain some weight, or might not be as old as you think they are.


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## craftychick

Just to add to they weight thread. Like you we got goats at an uncertain age. Both bucks a nigerian and a lamancha. One thing for sure both had umbilical cords. Within 2 weeks they weighed around 12 pounds. I estimate they are now 12 to 14 weeks old (3 months old). They weigh 25 and 22 pounds. They are browsing with a little supplemental grain. Super spoiled. vet says they are at a good weight for their age.


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## Toni Mello

kids-n-peeps said:


> Thanks, Stacey, for that info. I know mine are way too young - I see them as babies at six months still  However, when they are old enough I will doublecheck weights to make sure they are at least 40 pounds before going forward.
> 
> On a side note, I feel sorry for our older doe who kidded once before we got her. Each time she goes into heat since we got our buckling, she stares off at him for days at a time. She'll just lay down and look at him for hours on end. He's physiologically capable, but he can't come close to physically reaching her. I suggested to my husband that he could build a little stand for the buck to reach her and that we could leash her (which she is used to) to keep her in place in front of the stand. He laughed at me. Patience.


You should really wait until they are at least a year old before breeding to avoid complications.


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## ksalvagno

This is an old thread from 2009.


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## Toni Mello

ProctorHillFarm said:


> Just today I bred one of our Nigerian bucklings born this year (in Feb) to a nubian doe born about the same time, which of course is twice her size. I put her slightly down hill from her and he got the job done very easily. 🤣


That's too young! Better for the doe to wait until she's a year old! Would you want your daughter to have a baby at 12 years old? Same thing, they can but shouldn't!


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## ksalvagno

Again, this thread is from 2009. Closing it.


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