Goats

Miniature Nubian goats are a new breed; so new, in fact, that they are not yet recognized as a registered breed in Canada. When I first decided I needed to add goats to my farm I did a lot of research to determine which breed would be the right one for me. The pygmy and dwarf goats were appealing because they didn’t require a lot of room and ate a relatively small amount when compared with a full-sized goat. My first farm was only 4 acres, some of which was swap and woodland, so space was at a premium.

I knew I wanted a dairy type of goat because despite the fact that I’ve never been a fan of milk I DO love cheese and the thought of making my own was all too tempting. I scanned the internet, thoroughly weighing the pros and cons of different breeds, and when I finally landed on a site dedicated to Miniature Nubians I was sold.

Unfortunately FINDING Miniature Nubians turned out to be a much larger chore than I anticipated. I scoured the country and found two does in New Brunswick which we carted back to Nova Scotia in the back of my Matrix. I almost resorted to flying a buck in from Kansas but when a beautiful little guy showed up locally on Kijiji I jumped at the opportunity.

Miniature Nubians result from crossing a Nubian doe with a Nigerian Dwarf buck. This first crossing produces first generation Mini Nubians and 6 generations in they’re considered full Mini Nubians. In the first generation or two the Nigerian characteristics may remain fairly prominent, in particular the “airplane” ears. As the generations are further bred and improved however, the goats take on full nubian characteristics but maintain the smaller stature of the Nigerian Dwarf.

A Miniature Nubian can still stand up to 30″ at the shoulder, small compared to a standard nubian but much larger than the goats most people think of as minis. Although the Mini Nubian is petite and eats significantly less than its full-sized counterpart, it still produces up to 2/3 the milk that a standard nubian would give. This milk is very high in milkfat and makes excellent cheese and ice cream, we are discovering! The goats themselves are affectionate and friendly, even my buck is a gentle soul.

I had no idea when I got into goats that they’d be anything other than livestock, but they’ve proven to be pets just like our dogs.

Unfortunately it’s hard to housetrain a goat though, so for now they remain in the barn.

Looking for a goat?

We usually have kids for sale late winter to early spring. We won’t let them go until they are at 12 weeks old. All our kids are disbudded shortly after birth, and males can be castrated upon request.

Because goats are happiest when they have at least one other goat buddy to hang out with, we won’t sell a single kid unless it’s going to a home that already has goats. We require that your new goat will have a dry, draft free shelter and a fenced area to graze and play.

If you’d like more information about our goats, please email Sue@TipsyToadGrove.com.

38 thoughts on “Goats

    1. Hi guys I have a home here in Inverness Cape Breton Lotsa room I got some I get on the weekends and during the week I am a fisherman so I have lots of time to spend with a pet goat but what I’m looking for is A miniature goat they’re just that comical but I think it would be something I could get a Tatch to and laugh at and laugh with and whatever I was looking at a dog but everybody has fun and I want to do something different in these things kind of stole my heart can you give me some information on how to maybe adopt one by one or even what I’m thinking of getting into thank you very much my email is bobbybld3@gmail.com

  1. Hello. I am looking for two female 12 week old kids twins if possible.
    My telephone number is: 705-890-7366. Please contact me.

    Thank you

    Norma Jean Collu

  2. Hi there. We are a family of 4 moving to a farm in nova scotia in the next week. I am very kuch looking forward to getting our chickens and goats. Me and the kids plan on building a play ground for the goats. We love animals very much. We are those type of people that believe “we love and take care of animals, and animals love and take care of us in return”. When we buy goats….they will not be used for slaughter, rather they will live with us and give our family friendship and milk. I’ve been told multiple times that Nubian goats are the ones I should purchase. After reading your blog, I was wondering what the cost is with miniatures. Can you possibly email me @ blindbaygirl@gmail.com? Thank you so much. Looking forward to hearing from.you.

  3. I live in Cape Breton(near Inverness) and retired, would love to have a few goats. I have over 2 acres of land for them to munch on, will be loved to death. Do you have them available now? cost and delivery details would be nice.

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