Nigerian Dwarf Goats on “One Fine Acre” Farm

 

 

Whether you are a homesteader, farmer, into animal husbandry, or just want the excitement of raising animals goats are one you should take into consideration. The does provide fresh milk which can be made into cheese, soap, or enjoyed simply as milk. Harvesting your own milk is the way to go considering that it costs 2 – 3 times as much as cow milk! The stars of this blog entry are Nigerian Dwarf goats. Their milk production is about 2 1/2 pounds (little over one quart) per day. They are 1/3 the size of regular dairy goats making them good for families with limited space.

My family has our own farm called “SHAPE Eco Farm” https://www.facebook.com/SHAPEInt . We decided to add goats to our happy rabbits and chickens. To get started we went to tour the Brown family’s  “One Fine Acre” Nigerian Goat Farm. They started out with raising goats on one acre and then moved to a property with five acres. What started out as wanting goats to keep the wooded area managed, developed into showing goats and then breeding them. They’ve taken their goats to Mountain State Fair in Asheville, The NC State Fair, and others which resulted in now owning champion goats. If you want to get goats in North Carolina that are well loved visit their website to learn more. http://onefineacre.com/index.html 

I quickly discovered that goats are very photogenic. This one grinned for me. In the pictures to follow you will see they have a humorous side as well other various attitudes.

Some prefer to eat from their food bin…

 

While others prefer to stand in it.

 

The brown family converts storage bins and laundry baskets into food bins which is a big money saver considering all the goats they have. If you decide to go that route, just make sure to make the holes big enough, keep it dry, and don't put the lid on lest you might end up with a goat sitting on top of the lid!

These two male bucks are ready for some tackle football.

 

Hmmm.. This goat has an intense glare. I would too if a stranger was taking a picture of me without consent.

The kid goats are so cute.

 
If you get goats you must get at least two or you will have a moody goat on your hands. They like to be protected from the weather. They are browsers and will eat a variety of saplings, grain, tree prunings and vegetable scraps. They have a remarkable taste for sweet gum saplings. Beware of toxic plants like rhododendron, azealea, yew, and laurels.

The Brown family’s dog makes a great companion for the goats.

From left to right is me, my brother, and sister in front of a giant stack of hay. Thank you for visiting my blog! Hope you learned a thing or two. If you have any goat raising tips please leave me a comment.