Nigerian Dwarf Milk Goats.

[smwon]

This may seem a strange question because I don’t live in Alaska, although I have thought many times about moving back there.

I am very interested in Nigerian Milk Goats. I have read that some one has kinder goats and another has a pigmy mix. Does anyone have Nigerian Dwarfs? I am wondering if I were in Ak how would I get these goats. Could they be shipped with out much trouble? What kind of housing is usually used for goats in general, in Alaska?

I guess there are more than just a couple of questions.

How about chickens? When I was growing up in the Birchwood area, I believe we killed our chickens every year. Can they be kept all winter? And if so, what kind of housing would they need?

Linda

[Gabby]

See the thread on "Chickens". It's very informative.

[smwon]

The milk from Nigerian Dwarf Milk Goats is supposed to be very rich in protein and the fat is easier to digest. It taste very good and creamy. I am very interested in these types of milk goats. I wonder how they would do in the cold Alaska climate. Anyone one have any experience with them?

[Jenny]

Sorry Linda. Didn't mean to let this thread slide. I've never talked to anyone who has them, but they're probably here somewhere. They do sound interesting. We've always bought goats from folks in town, then flown them out in the air taxi. If you bought from someone in the lower 48, they may have experience with shipping goats on commercial airlines. If not, I'm sure you could contact some of the airlines for that information.

When we first looked into goats, everyone told us the same thing ---- they're basically pretty tough animals and can handle lots of cold, but the important thing is to give them shelter from the wind. We're not in a particularly windy spot, so that hasn't been a problem. Everyone we talked to does things differently regarding housing. We had the goats in one side and the chickens in the other, with a thin wall between. It was big enough to sleep the goats we had, but since we "free ranged" them like the chickens, they got their exercise while out browsing. The outside walls and ceiling of their house were insulated. I think the set-up worked pretty well, but didn't allow for much expansion of our herd and flock. Next time we may build something partially underground on a hill, and/or have a woodstove in the center with the various animal areas and a milking room around it. Once Chuck talked about building a 6 or 8 sided log house. We may experiment with the design and structure by scaling it down for the animals. However, I don't know if Chuck will find that idea as appealing as I do

Jenny
Alaska HOMESTEADING Journal

[smwon]

That is interesting about free ranging them like chickens. That sounds like a good idea. Nigerians are small and give about 1 to 2 quarts of milk a day, not bad for such a small animal. They usually have twins or triplets to so they reproduce nicely.

Jenny said:

Once Chuck talked about building a 6 or 8 sided log house. We may experiment with the design and structure by scaling it down for the animals. However, I don't know if Chuck will find that idea as appealing as I do

A man after my own heart! I really like the idea of an octagon house... and Jenny that is exactly what I had thought about doing. I also am wanting to connect my buildings together so I wouldn't need to go outdoors in very bad weather to take care of the animals or to fetch firewood.

[smwon]

I was looking around and found a farm that has Nigirian's in Alaska, not in 'The Bush' per say but Alaska none the less! This is in Wasilla.
www.silveraurora.com/nd.html

[Freeholdfarm]

Jenny, you might want to think really hard about the octagonal log structure. I thought it sounded really efficient, too, but a man in Tok built an octagonal log house, using three-sided (D) logs, and when we talked to him he said never again! He said the angles were a real pain in the neck. What you might do instead is palisade style. Point the ends of the logs, and char them or put preservative on, and just stick them in the ground. Then cover the whole outside with tarpaper, and pile dirt up around it.

Or look into something along the lines of a Mandan earth lodge.

Linda, I'm the one with the Kinder goats (though I just added an Oberhasli X Boer doe who is due to kid with 3/4 Boer kids in about a month). One thing to keep in mind is that larger bodied animals retain heat better in cold weather. Also, larger goats could be more useful -- packing, cultivating the garden, pulling a sled, or cart, or firewood in out of the woods. That's why I just got this new doe, because the Kinders are a little small for packing. I hope to trade her kids for some large dairy kids or half Boer kids that I can raise to be packers. (Her babies, being 3/4 Boer, probably won't have good enough feet and legs for a lot of walking.)

I do like the smaller goats, as they are easier to handle, and they do have wonderful rich milk. If you get up there and can't find what you want, at least at the present time you can still have just-weaned kids flown up, just like puppies. I had a ram lamb flown up when we lived in Tok.

Kathleen

[smwon]

Kathleen… I don’t think I would be building with D logs… but it sounds to me like it wouldn’t be that hard. I wonder what kind of log system he was using. I had thought if I were to build an octagon, I would either use a saddle notch or use piece-en-piece construction. Either way would be simple construction, nothing fancy, just old fashioned building. I was just thinking yesterday about how with an octagon there wouldn’t be any corners for the cold to get trapped and so it would be easier to heat in the winter.

I know my desires are not quite like a lot of y’alls because I am not to worried about pack animals. But for those that are, Kathleen, may be right in the fact that the small Nigerian wouldn’t make a very good pack animal, or I don’t think they would. I could just see that now… a goat that barely comes to your knees loaded down with a pack. Of course the males are bigger and taller. ;D I know having pack animals is a very serious consideration for a lot of those who live in the bush...

But Nigerians make very good milk and I am sure would be very good to eat as well... I've also read they are very hearty animals and stand cold very well.

[Freeholdfarm]

Maybe this ought to be going to the building section, LOL! But here's a thought. Get some sticks, or maybe some dowels, and see if you can build a model of your cabin, however you think you'll want to build the real thing. There is a rule of thumb for construction, which is that if you can't draw if, you shouldn't try to build it, and I think another rule needs to be added, that if you can't build a model you shouldn't try to build it. Don't just do a cardboard architectural model, but a realistic one, with every stick and board in miniature that would be in the real cabin. This will not only help you decide if you really want to build it that way, but also it will help you figure out how to do some things that might have had you stuck when it came to the real thing. The fellow we knew who built the octagonal cabin was using the three-sided logs, notching them, and I think splining as well (I never got a really close look at it while he was still putting up the walls). If you did butt and pass, it would be easier. You would just need to spike the logs securely to one another.

As far as the goats and pack animals are concerned, of course everyone has to figure out what will work for them. I just like the idea of having every facet of my farm serve as many useful purposes as possible. I know that if I was living on a remote homestead, I would want pack animals to drag logs back to the homesite, for building or for firewood. They wouldn't be needed for that kind of work every day, so it would be good if they had some other purpose as well, such as milk or meat.

The Nigerians can be used for meat, of course -- any animal can. But if meat production is important to you, you might want to look at something else. Perhaps add some sheep or something. Because the Nigerians are not only small, they are also a bony dairy breed and won't have much meat on them. They are cute, though, and the milk should be excellent. You could probably make a bit selling kids, too, if you start with registered stock. I think the main thing with animals is to have ones that you really like!

Kathleen

[smwon]

Kathleen, you are probably right, this should be in the building forum! LOL And I agree with making a miniature house out of dowel rods first also. A very good idea! I have considered doing that.

I will have enough other type of animals on my little piece of earth; the Nigerians not having a lot of meat wouldn’t be a problem, I think from what I saw there would be enough. It would be nicer if they were a more ‘meaty’ breed though. I think sometimes we get to caught up in things like the commercial meat industry to realize we don’t have to have it ‘just so’. I don’t like lamb or mutton. But there are breeds that are good for milking and meat and I do like the milk a lot. Those would be a consideration and perhaps I could learn to like mutton… . I do hope I am not coming off as argumentive, but if I am I apologize… I do not mean to.

[Freeholdfarm]

No, you aren't coming across as argumentative! We are just having a good discussion, and exchanging ideas!

Kathleen