After researching many dairy goat breeds, we chose Nigerian Dwarf goats because we believe they are one of the best options for small homesteads.
Their small size makes them easy to handle and manage, while requiring less space and feed than standard-sized dairy goats. For a tiny urban farm like ours, that’s a significant advantage.
Despite their size, they produce remarkably rich milk that is well known for its exceptional flavor and naturally high butterfat content. The higher butterfat gives the milk a creamy texture that many people find far more enjoyable to drink, and it also makes excellent cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and other dairy products.
Nigerian Dwarfs are also hardy, efficient, and generally easy to keep. Combined with the right genetics, they can provide an impressive amount of milk relative to their body size.
For us, they represent the perfect balance of productivity, manageability, and quality—everything we were looking for in a family dairy goat.
Like many new goat owners, we made mistakes.
Our very first goat was ADGA registered, and at the time we thought that was enough. We didn’t know how to read pedigrees or evaluate dairy genetics, so we simply bought the first registered doe we found.
She was a wonderful goat, but she produced only about one cup of milk per milking—roughly two cups a day. For a family dairy goat, that simply wasn’t enough.
As we learned more about Nigerian Dwarf genetics, we went back and studied her pedigree. Only then did we realize that her bloodline had been selected primarily for conformation and show qualities rather than milk production. Her ancestors had very little documented evidence of strong dairy performance, so her low milk production wasn’t surprising—it was genetic.
That experience completely changed the way we build our herd.
Today we don’t select goats simply because they are registered or beautiful. We study pedigrees, milk records, and the production history of the entire family. We look for generations of proven dairy goats, with special attention to extended lactation, productivity, sound structure, excellent temperament, and overall health.
Our first doe taught us a lesson that has shaped our breeding program ever since: registration alone doesn’t make a great dairy goat. Genetics do.
Today our herd consists exclusively of purebred, ADGA-registered Nigerian Dwarf goats selected for exceptional dairy performance, extended lactation, sound structure, and excellent temperament.
Good dairy genetics should be traceable. That’s why we keep only registered purebred goats with documented pedigrees. Knowing the production history of parents, grandparents, and entire bloodlines allows us to make thoughtful breeding decisions rather than relying on appearance alone.
Our farm is tiny, and space is one of our most valuable resources. Every animal must earn its place by contributing to the farm while living a healthy, low-maintenance life. Because we can keep only a small herd, we focus on highly productive dairy goats with strong longevity and calm personalities.
When we started our herd in 2024, we invested in three outstanding dairy does. They have remained on extended lactation ever since, allowing us to enjoy fresh milk without breeding every year.
In 2026, we added Twin Pear New York Fashion Week as our future herd sire. His dam, Milan Fashion Week, is known for exceptional milk production and outstanding extended lactation. We selected him specifically to strengthen these traits in future generations, and our does will soon be paired with him as we continue building the herd we envision.
Our goal is simple: to breed the ideal Nigerian Dwarf doe for the tiny homesteader.
We believe a small family shouldn’t need a large herd to enjoy fresh milk. Our breeding program focuses on does that produce well above average, allowing most families to meet their family’s dairy needs with just two or three goats.
Extended lactation is one of the most important traits we select for. We want goats that continue producing quality milk for long periods without needing to freshen every year. Fewer pregnancies mean fewer kids to raise or rehome, less stress on the doe, and a simpler, more sustainable dairy system.
Temperament matters just as much. We select for calm, friendly goats with quiet voices that are enjoyable to keep close to the home.
Health and resilience are equally important. Our ideal goat is naturally healthy, structurally correct, productive, and easy to manage. Animals with health problems or traits we do not wish to perpetuate are not included in our breeding program.
We are not breeding show goats. We are breeding practical family dairy goats—animals that fit naturally into a small homestead and produce abundant milk while requiring as little intervention as possible.
Beyond milk production, our goats are an essential part of our farm ecosystem. They transform hay, browse, and garden trimmings into nutrient-rich manure that helps build healthy living soil, closing the fertility loop on our tiny urban permaculture farm.
From time to time we have ADGA-registered kids, breeding stock, or fresh goat’s milk available. Because our herd is intentionally small, availability is limited and changes throughout the year.
If you’re interested in our goats or would like to join our milk availability list, we’d love to hear from you.
DOB: February 23, 2020
Freshening: 2nd lactation
We purchased Rose in November 2024 from a farm in Lebanon, Oregon. At the time, she was already about nine months into her 2nd lactation and was producing approximately one quart of milk per day while being milked twice daily.
Her previous owner expected that she would be bred again that fall because she was nearing the end of a typical lactation. Instead, I decided to see what would happen if I simply kept milking her.
Over the following months, I experimented with both once-a-day and twice-a-day milking schedules. No matter the routine, Rose consistently maintained about one quart of milk per day. She continued milking for another eight months without freshening, and in July 2026—well over two years after kidding—I finally decided to breed her for her third lactation.
Rose is one of the smaller does in our herd, but she is wide-bodied, confident, and very much believes she should be the herd queen. She has a strong personality and isn’t afraid to let the others know it.
What makes Rose truly special, however, is her remarkable extended lactation (she has been in milk for 28 months). Her ability to continue producing milk for such a long period without wanting to dry off is exactly the kind of genetics we hope to preserve and build upon in our breeding program. For a small homestead looking to reduce the need for annual kidding while still enjoying a reliable milk supply, this is an invaluable trait.
We are planing to pair her with our herd sire Twin Pears New York Fashion Week this fall. We are aiming at improving production of milk while preserving extended lactation traits.