Shelter

Goats require a waterproof shelter where they can seek refuge from the elements. Unlike, sheep goats hate the rain! A three-sided, roofed shelter is ideal as this will provide ventilation. If you live in a rainy area, a raised shelter or shelter with flooring may be preferable to keep hooves dry and prevent hoof rot.

Goats have a thick woolly coat in winter, which they shed in summer. They cuddle up to each other to keep warm. Some straw for bedding may add additional comfort in cold winters. Goats can be susceptible to skin cancer, so it is also important to provide a nice, shaded area for them.

Fencing

Goats are agile and skilled at finding weak spots. A good fence for Nigerian Dwarf Goats should be about 1.2 meters high, made with grid lock and electric fencing. A good gate and latch should be considered that can withstand pushing and rubbing. Goats are highly intelligent and can master opening basic latches, simply by watching and copying you.

Vaccinations and Worming

Goats should be vaccinated every 6-months. Additionally, we vaccinate pregnant does one month prior to kidding, so that antibodies are passed on to newborns. Newborn kids receive their first vaccination at 6-8 weeks old, with a booster shot 4 weeks later.

Vaccine can be purchased from stock feed stores and administered subcutaneously. You can do this yourself or have a vet do it for you.

We do not routinely worm our goats, as this can lead to herd resistance, instead we regularly do a FAMACHA check, which assesses the colour of the goat's eyelids against a chart. A great time to do a FAMACHA check is whilst they are on the milking stand.

We also undertake fecal tests, which you can take into your local farm supply store, like Elders, to identify the worm load and type of worm in your goats.

There are also some great products on the market such as BioWormer which is a natural biological control which can be added to your goats' feed. We highly recommend this product.

We recommend building a good relationship with your local vet and engaging them for advice on the best practices for goat husbandry, specific to your individual needs.

Diet

Whilst goats have reputations for eating everything, they are actually quite fussy! They use their lips to mouth food to see if they will like it.

Goats are browsers, not grazers like sheep. They enjoy a variety of roughage.

We feed our goats a mixture of oaten chaff, goat muesli, pellets and oaten hay. They also enjoy a selection of different snacks which include things like carrot sticks, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, apple, pear, banana, pumpkin, mulberries and weet-bix (all in moderation).

We have large paddocks for our goats, and they love to find weeds to enjoy. Additionally, we cut a variety of branches.

Goats also require minerals; Olsson's Goat Lick is a good option.

It is important to note that diets may need to be adjusted to suit your individual property and goat housing style and we always recommend you seek veterinarian advice.

Goats also require access to fresh water.

New Owners

For new owners of 77 Acres Miniature Goats, we will guide you through goat ownership and are happy to host you on property by appointment to gain an understanding of fencing and shelter requirements so that you and your new goats have any easy transition of ownership.

Our goats are our family, and all new owners must be able to demonstrate their ability to safely house and care for these special creatures as an agreement of sale.

To keep goats, you must have a Property Identification Code (PIC) which you can obtain through the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development (DPIRD), it can take up-to 8-weeks for your application to be processed. You may also need to check with your local Council, that you are permitted to have livestock in your area.

Our Accreditations & Standards

At 77 Acres we are a Dairy Goat Society of Australia and Dairy Goat Society of Western Australia registered breeder.

We hold a Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) Certification and an LPA Certificate of Animal Welfare for Goats.

As part of our accreditation, we maintain and uphold the highest standards of farm management and animal welfare, including but not limited to biosecurity, property risk, stock foods, pasture treatment and livestock movement records.

We conduct herd testing for CAE undertaken by our vet, with laboratory testing. We hold a current herd CAE negative vet certification.

We keep detailed health records of each of our goats including medical, vaccination, feeding and kidding. All records are transferred to the new owner of our goats.

What's included when you buy from us

• Goats are fully vaccinated
• Disbudded (horns have been removed)*
• NLIS RFID ear tagged
• Tattooed (Registered goats only)
• Registered with the Dairy Goat Society of Australia (Excluding Wethers)
• Males will be desexed unless purchasing an intact buck
• Kids will be weaned from mum or trained to take a bottle, subject to the new owner's preference
• Up-to-date health records provided
• Hoofs trimmed and neatly groomed

Pricing

Wethers (desexed males) are from $600.00 each, noting that you may need to buy two if you do not already own goats. Goats are herd animals and must be sold in pairs or to homes that already have goats.

Breeding does and bucks vary in price depending on the percentage, genetics and quality of breed standard. As a guide, prices start from $1,250.00 up to $5,500.

All our prices include GST.

Contact Us

It's important for us to meet or speak to prospective 77 Acres goat owners, so if you are interested in welcoming Nigerian Dwarf goats to your family, please Get in touch with us to discuss. Kindly note you must have a Property Identification Code (PIC) to own goats, and we will not sell goats to you without this.

We prefer to make kids available to new homes from 10-12 weeks of age once weaned from mum, eating solid foods and both the initial vaccination and booster shot have been given. Kids may be available earlier to homes who would like to bottle feed and administer vaccinations themselves.

*Whilst every endeavour is made to ensure kids are fully disbudded, sometimes not all the horn growth is removed during this difficult process and scurs may occur, this has a higher probability in intact bucks.

Free Nigerian Dwarf Goat Buying Checklist

We created this free checklist to help others learn from our own experiences buying goats when we were starting out. It can be easy to get caught up in the excitement, and forget to obtain useful information, fact check and ensure you are making a good purchase. Unfortunately, not all breeders are well informed, and can mislead new buyers unintentionally, whilst others can be deceptive in trying to move on stock with health or behavioural issues. We hope this checklist will assist you in making a good purchase decision.

Nigerian Dwarf Goat Buying Checklist