This is Lucy and Mina, two very sweet Nigerian Dwarf goats. They are half-sisters, sharing the same father, but different mothers. Nigerian Dwarf goats are smaller than standard goats and require less space. They share a 6X8 Pen, and have a space of roughly 25'X80' to run around in. Nigerian dwarf goats make great pets, and are also great milking goats, producing 3/4 of the amount of milk as a full-sized goat.
Lucy is more curious, and active. She will come right up to you, and nibble on your shoelaces, sleeves, hair, ear lobes, anything she can reach really. Shes gregarious and loves to play. She jumps on and off everything she can. If you stay around her long enough, it's only a matter of time before she starts climbing on you.
Mina is far shyer. She's sweet and gentle, if not a little skittish. Of the pair, she is however, by far the loudest. If you are late bringing out breakfast, all the neighbors know it. Mina will stand at the gate and bellow "MMMAAAaaAA" She is never aggressive, with exception to Lucy. If it is mealtime, and Lucy is anywhere near the grain bowl, Mina will push her aside to eat first. I'm pretty convinced that eating is Mina's favorite activity in the world.
We got Mina and Lucy in 2020, during the pandemic. They were tiny when we got them, Mina still had her umbilical cord attached. We bottle fed them as babies and got to watch them grow into the funny full-grown girls they are today. While they do make great pets, I got them to be milk goats as well. We rented a buck in the very end of October and kept him penned in with the girls until the beginning of January. Goat mating rituals are something!
By the end of March, we had two swollen goats. I could only hope that it was pregnancy, and not too many grains.
April 10th, Grover made his debut! Lucy had her very first kid (only one) and we became goat grandparents. Lucy was a very loving and doting mother to her new baby.
And just a few days later, April 20th Mina had her two baby does, Belle & Mini Mina (Mini). The two girls were born in the middle of the night, and I came out at 5am to find these beautiful girls laying by their loving and attentive mama.
And just like that, we went from having 2 pet goats, to a herd of goats! Now we will begin all the adventures of raising a goat family, milking, cheese making, goat escape tactics, and all the other crazy wacky adventures of keeping goats.
