Time for a nap
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325720)
Rockingham, Australia
October 4, 2018 5:42pm CST
There are many breeds of goats. Some are bred for milk production and others for meat. Angora and mohair goats are bred for their fleeces. Only a very few of the dairy goat breeds were represented at the Perth Royal Show in Western Australia.
The great attraction for the public was the two pens of part-Nigerian dwarf kids – six little does (girls) in one pen and four bucks (boys) in another. This breed in new to Western Australia and there was much red tape to go through before the foundation animals were allowed in.
My nephew provided a bale of hay and small coffee tables as ‘toys’ for the kids and if they weren’t sleeping they were springing from the hay to the table and back again or charging round their pen at a great rate of knots. I managed to catch three of them at a quiet moment.
Dwarf Nigerians are around 21 to 23 inches high () and give a surprising amount of milk for their size with a higher protein and butterfat content than most other milks. The high butterfat content makes the milk ideal for cheese, soap and cream production. Their small size, friendliness and ease of maintenance makes them popular as a source of milk for a family.
What I didn’t really know is that, because they are ruminants (they chew their cud meaning food is regurgitated to be chewed a second time) they spend up to 14 hours a day eating. And they come in some gorgeous coat patterns, sometimes even with blue eyes. What’s not to love about a dwarf Nigerian goat?
24 people like this
24 responses
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Oct 18
They look more like pets than working animals.
6 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Oct 18
I've seen them at the fair before....in the petting zoo part. The children adored them.
4 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (95136)
• Marion, Ohio
4 Oct 18
I am thinking of getting a doe for milking and the rest will be the pygmies that I get. They are more a meat goat.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (95136)
• Marion, Ohio
5 Oct 18
@JudyEv Hoping to raise a few, wanting to try goat but I spoiled Billy too much to eat him. So maybe after I get the next batch lol
1 person likes this
Well, goats are kind animals after all. I love goat milk and also the dishes made from goat meats.
@RasmaSandra (73408)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
5 Oct 18
What adorable goats! I remember the story my mom told me of her childhood I think she was just five. Anyway, she spent her summer in the country in Latvia because her mother did not want her spending all summer in the city in Riga where they lived. So on the day, she had to return she decided she would bring a goat with her because she wanted a pet. The relatives who put her on the train did not notice the goat going with her. Figure that one out I have no idea. Anyway, she arrived in Riga and knew how to get to her mom's apartment and up the stairs with the goat. Her mom, of course, had a fit. So for the next couple of weeks my mom the naughty little girl wound up walking the goat in the nearby park until the relatives could come to the city and pick it up.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73408)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8 Oct 18
@JudyEv if my mom had known about the story of Heidi she would have loved it and thought of herself as Heidi
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325720)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Oct 18
@RasmaSandra It was the first thought that came to my mind.
1 person likes this
@SilentGrizzly (5)
•
5 Oct 18
I live in Hungary Central europe and my grandparents had a farm i remember they had danish landrace goats for milk production. when i was about 6-7 years old i feared them bcouse they eyes. but it was a good thing that they had them so i could drink milk without the fear from cow milk alergie.
Yes u can say that they are wierd animals or dumb but they have a variety of uses.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325720)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Oct 18
I don't know of this breed but the Danish Landrace pig was very popular in Australia some years ago. It still could be but I don't keep up the trends so much now. Do you have an allergy to cows' milk?
@Letranknight2015 (51511)
• Philippines
5 Oct 18
Those are really cute goats, I bet they would still try to hit you with their little horns 
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325720)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Oct 18
I'm sure these wouldn't - not less you teased them and then you'd deserve it.
@Hate2Iron (15730)
• Canada
5 Oct 18
Just look at those little faces. How could you not fall in love with them!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325720)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Oct 18
They're very cute. If our fences were better I'd be having one or two or three - or more. 
@DeborahDiane (40053)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Oct 18
@JudyEv - They are adorable and look very content. As I have mentioned before, one of our daughters, who lives in the Napa Valley in California, has a few goats and they really enjoy them.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325720)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Oct 18
They make great pets and these little ones really seem drawn to the children.
@Swayamsiddha (4358)
• New Delhi, India
5 Oct 18
Well .. .it is difficult to answer.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325720)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Oct 18
That's okay. Pretty much everything about them is lovable.
