Imagination Nigerian Dwarf & Myotonic Goats

The whole herd tested negative as of June 2011 for CL, CAE, TB, and Brucellosis!

Imagination Acres is home to a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf and Myotonic Fainting goats. Nigerian Dwarfs are an African descended breed of goat bred to produce a surprising amount of milk for their small size. Nigerian Dwarfs have all of the dairy aspects larger breeds are known for in a smaller, more manageable package. We chose them for their gentle, curious temperaments, the plethora of color combinations they come in and of course for their ability to produce high quality milk while consuming a smaller portion of feed than their standard sized counterparts. Myotonic goats are a unique breed native to the United States, they are considered to be a meat type of goat, they suffer from an interesting condition when they are frightened or startled - their muscles lock up, a condition called myotonia for a short while and then relax. The stiffening of the muscles and subsequently the falling over from the myotonia is how these goats got their nick name, "the fainting goat."

Both Nigerian Dwarf Goats and Tennessee Fainting (Myotonic) Goats are listed on the American Livestock Breed Conservancy Priority List.

When we took the plunge into goats we started out with 3 Nigerian Dwarf wethers (castrated male goats) We purchased the 3 wethers from a farm in West Virginia as 8 week old babies. It was a joy watching them grow up from tiny little toddlers into proud, confident adults. Our 3 original goats Banjo, Tambourine and Fiddle provide companionship to our producing goats and are our beloved pets. All of our wethers with the exception of Banjo and Fiddle (due to congenital heart defects and nerve damage from a meningeal deer worm) are leash trained and are in training for goat packing and carting. We have alot of fun walking our wethers around, taking them hiking with their packs and having them drive the cart around.

Our Myotonic goats are fairly new arrivals to the farm, they joined us in the spring of 2011 and are always amusing us with their silly antics.

We maintain a very small goat herd to ensure that each goat gets plenty of individual attention and so that our land and pastures do not become overwhelmed by the goats browsing. Our goats are pasture raised, they are free to browse and graze in our paddock and woods as they wish, their diet is supplemented with fresh grass and alfalfa hay and nutritionally balanced grain mix. They have free access to loose minerals and baking soda and are supplemented as needed with copper and selenium. See our herd health and management page for more information on how we manage their care including information on hoof trimming, disbudding/dehorning, health testing and vaccinations.

Kidding season is always in the spring, summer or early fall so the babies can grow up during milder weather patterns, all babies are dam raised to ensure good goat manners, they are handled from birth which makes them very friendly to humans. Since our herd is so small our sales generally consist of castrated male goat kids (wethers) as companions and occasional doelings. Please see our kidding schedule page for more information about expected baby goats.

Our breeding program for the Nigerian Dwarf goats focuses on health, temperament and dairy characteristics including; conformation, udder capacity, teat placement and size, along with ease of milking.

Our Myotonic breeding program is just starting out and we don't expect to have any kids until 2012 at the earliest but our program will focus on health, temperament, high levels of myotonia, musculature, conformation and ease of kidding.