Rural Heritage June/July 2026

better the volume of milk that the Nubians give and would result in a goat that was more “milkeable” than the tiny-teated Nigerian, yet with richer milk than the Nubian. Though the Nubian is known as the “Jersey of the goat world” with its high butterfat content in the milk, it’s the Nigerian dwarf that actually claims the record for butterfat at 11.3%. Typically, the Nigerian gives milk with around 6.5% butterfat, which still eclipses the Nubian at 4.7%. Because the conformation of a Nigerian Dwarf is very much like that of a larger dairy goat, but simply in miniature, crossing the two breeds results in a goat with a well-attached udder, often as large as a full Nubian, with a more open stance to aid in milking. Babies often come in multiples. It is common to have twins with a first fresher, and the babies typically display some of that famed hybrid vigor that the purebreds can lack. The barrel-like build of a mini Nubian reveals the classic milking animal capacity for digestion so essential in great producers. Aside from all this, their size, which I would generally describe as” Nubians on short legs,” make them easier to corral with one’s knees, or incorporate as part of young children’s chores on the farm. Because of their shorter stature, I find that my kids are more involved with them, and, as a result, my mini does are much tamer. The breed is affectionate and inquisitive, yet less needy and far less vocal than the Nubians. Of particular interest to homesteaders, the influence of the Nigerian Dwarf in their genetics give them a propensity to breed year-round, making it possible to stagger milk production to meet your family’s needs. Perhaps the mini Nubian’s biggest selling point is that it eats about half what a full-grown Nubian will consume. The Miniature Dairy Goat Association keeps a registry of these experiments in breeding. The standards for the mini Nubian (as detailed on their website) are: “a mid-sized goat being of mixed Nigerian Dwarf and Nubian origin. Known for being a graceful, elegant animal standing between 23 to 31 inches. Comes in any color or pattern of short, fine, glossy hair. Known for its ease of milking. Emphasis is placed on a structurally correct animal with a well attached mammary that milks with ease. Originally designed for small farms and homesteaders who milk by hand.”

the grocery store instead of harvesting them from our field and stocking our farmstand. There were no hay bales to stack down in the barn before the first snow flew. We had spent the year restless, blue, disoriented and largely unfulfilled. By fall, we were the unexpected owners of a Chinese Pug. One day, my daughters were talking as they looked out the window at a field where we used to pasture our Jersey cow and could see the abandoned chicken coop. I heard them voice my own thoughts: “I wish the farm could come to life again!” I remembered the article I had read a decade earlier. I realized I needed to work harder at working smarter and slower. My physical limitations were not a reason to stop farming, but a reason to farm more creatively and to open myself up to new possibilities hitherto unconsidered. At first, I thought all that had to change was my approach, equipment and helpers. But that was short-sighted. The solution was in plain sight from the very beginning. An internet search for Nubian goat breeders yielded very little affordable options for a starter herd. Yet mini-Nubians seemed to be within easy visiting distance all around our farm. I had always considered mini livestock to be gimmicky — a way of turning real farm animals into backyard pets. Having learned with the pug puppy that smaller size did not translate into less work, I looked on minis with disdain. “Why bother with a mini and get a pint of milk when you can do the same work and get a gallon?” I thought. One day I drove to the Minnesota-Iowa border to look at a pair of purebred Nubians that I hoped would be the does to begin afresh with. When we got them home, I realized my mistake very quickly. The younger doe had been dam raised but was still big enough to wrench my arm (and back) when I collared her. The older doe was more placid, but pushing 175 pounds. She eclipsed my 6- and 8-year-old’s ability to help with her at milking time. Certainly, any doe will be pretty hands-off when she settles into a daily routine, but given my physical handicaps and the average age of my “crewmates” we couldn’t wait that long. Mini-Nubians are a relatively new American experiment. Breeders noticed that crossing Nigerian Dwarf goats with purebred Nubians, would eventually lead to a goat that came close to giving two-thirds or

June/July 2026

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