MGM Nigerian Dwarf Goats

Breeding Nigerian Goats

Nigerian goats are able to breed year round. The gestation period for a doe goat is 145 to 153 days. On average, Nigerian goats are a hearty breed with few kidding problems. New babies average about 2 pounds at birth and then grow quickly. Bucklings can be fertile as early as 7 weeks of age. You should be sure to wean does and bucks separately to help you avoid unintentional breeding's.

Does can be bred as early as 4-5 months of age, or once they start cycling. Many breeders prefer to wait until they are at least 1 year before breeding. Nigerian does can have several kids at a time, 3 and 4 being more common than singles or twins, with some quintuplet births occurring as well. Nigerian goats tend to be good mothers and take care of their babies.

They can also provide a surprising amount of milk for their size. See the Milk Program page for more information about milking.

Bucks can service does as young as 2 months of age and definitely by the time they are 4 months old. Nigerian goat bucks are vigorous breeders but are gentle enough to be used for hand breeding (contained) or pasture breeding where one buck is available for several does as they come into estrus.

Both methods can be used successfully. The biggest mistake a breeder can make is to assume bucklings cannot successfully breed a doe at 8 weeks or the doe is not able to get bred at a young age.

Reference Nigerian Diary Goat Association: http://www.ndga.org/origins-of-the-nigerian-goat.html