We'd like to get some Nigerian goats, but my husband seems to think that milk from a mini breed will taste "stronger" and "goaty" than milk from a larger breed. Is this true? Also, any Nigerian breeders out there from western Connecticut?

-- Christina Watkins (introibo@address.com), August 22, 2000

Answers

I am milking two Nigerians now, and I milked a different one last year. I will say that all the ones I have milked have had INCREDIBLY good milk. Very high in butterfat, and sweet and creamy, with NO goaty taste. Tasted like half-and-half. I made ice cream with some of it. Yum!

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), August 24, 2000.

I milk a pygmy--I know, not a dairy goat--and she gives half a gallon a day of the richest, best tasting milk I've ever had.

-- Teresa (otgonz@bellsouth.net), August 24, 2000.

Can you ladies that milk the dwarf breeds comment on teat size? I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, and don't think I could milk a goat with teeny little teats -- also, my husband would probably have to do the evening milking, and he has big hands.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), August 25, 2000.

Nigerian milk has a butterfat percentage of about6%, compared to half that from most of the other breeds. I think I've read that it is also higher in protein.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), August 25, 2000.

I have been milking Nigerian Dwarves for several years now and have found their milk to actually be sweeter than that of their standard sized counterparts. Mine have ranged from 6.5 to 9.8% butterfat and they milk between 3-4# daily. Considering there are about 9# of milk in a gallon, 1/3 to 1/2 gallon per day is pretty good for a goat no more than 22.5 inches tall! As for teat size, my ND's have larger teats than those of some "big goats" owned by friends of mine-you just make sure it's a trait you look for when you purchase animals. If you'd like more information on the breed please feel free to email me.

-- Julie Strepek (sstrepek@btc-bci.com), August 26, 2000.

Many Nigerians have small teats, and if you try to milk those the way you milk a big goat, youll go crazy. My second fresheners teats are about the size of the last joint of my little finger, but a bit wider at the base. (She was not hand milked during her first freshening. I think hand-milking tends to increase teat diameter & length a bit.) My first fresheners teats are maybe a quarter of an inch longer, and about the same diameter. My Oberhaslis teats are about two inches long, and an inch and a half wide at the base, and well-delineated. Pretty nearly perfect, as I understand it. My right wrist tends to get sore when Im milking my Ober, because I have to keep my wrist kind of cocked back to point the milk in the right direction. Milking my Nigerians, I use my thumb against the first joints of my first two fingers in a kind of soft, rapid tapping motion. There are many more squirts per second, but the pressure is much less and the positioning is much more comfortable for me. My thumb does eventually get tired, at which point I either slow down for a few seconds or take a break to massage the udder. So I guess it would depend on what kind of motion causes problems for you. I dont think hand size would make any difference at all the way I milk.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), August 28, 2000.

We have a show in September in Breham Texas for our full size girls and a huge show full of Nigerians. And yes though they have small teats they are normal looking for their size and I have milked Lamancha's who had smaller teats than they had. Definetly if you are going to be hand milking look at the dam and daughters in milk and make sure you aren't buying a small teat size for even a nigerian! I think that this is a really great buy for homesteaders, the market is just starting to take off for these little dairy goats. If I was going to seriously raise them a milking machine would be in order! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 28, 2000.