West African Dwarf Goat Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The West African Dwarf goat is known as the father of most of the smaller breeds of goat such as the Nigerian Dwarf goat and the Pygmy Dwarf goat.

They are pretty, active, mischievous and fun loving happy little goats that make great family pets.

They love to play and are quite intelligent loving to figure out how to get through any obstacle that may be in their way of finding out what is around the corner.

West African Dwarf Goat Quick Profile Overview

These little goats are very playful and have withstood some very harsh environmental conditions in West and Central Africa.
Country of Origin:	West and Central Africa
Other Names:	African Dwarf, Chevre naine de Savanes, Cameroon Dwarf, Chevre de Casamance, Chevre naine de l’est, Djallonke, Dwarf West African, Diougry, Forest goat, Fouta Djallon, Grassland Dwarf, Guinean, Guinean Dwarf, Kosi, Pygmy, Tibetana
Breed Size:	Small
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Main Purpose:	Meat, milk and pets
Can be used for	Breeding ,Meat, Milk, Pets
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Temperament:	Fun, active and friendly
Good with Kids?	They are okay around supervised kids
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Ideal Environment:	They can adapt to any environment and are able to forage for food in the harshest of terrains and environments
Ideal Climate:	All Climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Status/ Rarity: Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Goat?	Yes, they make a good starter goat and a great family pet
Goat Associations:	No known goat associations
Goat Clubs:	No known breeders’ clubs
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Short, lean, compact and robust with thing long strong legs for such a little goat
Color(s):	Dark brown with black patches it the most common coloring. Then there are the white, pied, multicolored, black and red colors There are no color differences between the doe and buck
Goat⇒	Doe	buck
Breed Weight:	22 kg	25 kg
Breed Height:	30 cm at withers	50 cm at withers
Hair:	Short and coarse	Short and coarse
Ears:	Tubular and stand erect from the head	Tubular and stand erect from the head
Horns:	Small and rounded they touch the back of the neck	Small and rounded they touch the back of the
Matures at age:	5 to 15 months	3 to 15 months
Puberty Age:	4 to 10 months	4 to 9 months
Breeding Age:	18 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	1 Breeding cycle	Cover 20 to 30 does in 1 season

DOE BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION

They can be bred once a year or with breeding intervals or around 220 days.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 12 to 36 hours Ave. 21 days/18 to 24 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 148 to 155 day but most are 150 days
Kids:	Mainly twins or triplets
Good Mothers?	They make really good little mothers that will care for and wean their kids
Lactation Period:	Usually around 250 to 284 days. Most common is 284 days
Milk Quality:	They produced a good quality milk throughout their lactation
Milking Level:	They are easy and calm to milk
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GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT THE WEST AFRICAN DWARF GOAT

A little more information on this small mighty and fun-loving goats
Where to buy them:	They are not really found in America
Agility:	They are very quick and agile able to get through the most obscure gap if the mood takes them
Interact with other animals:	They do not mind socializing with other farm or domestic animals that do not pose a threat to them or their young

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The West African Dwarf goat plays an important role in the poorer rural economies of West Africa. They are raised and used by a lot of the poorer small sized farmers in the area.

They are small, but they are also very strong, durable and hardy able to withstand very harsh environments and economic situations in their homelands.

They are a very playful and mischievous breed that loves human interaction.

They are not really used for leather production but that is not to say that they have not been used for their skin as they are used as a meat goat. Meat goats pelts that are viable are used in various leather manufacturing businesses.

They are good little meat goats that are usually slaughtered at around 45 days old

HISTORY

The West African Dwarf goat is believed to have originated from the coastal regions of West and Central Africa. It is thought to be the ancestor of the Nigerian Dwarf goat breeds from America and the Pygmy goat breed from the United Kingdom.

It is believed that the West African Dwarf goat developed in response to the conditions and environment of the humid West and Central African forests.

There are many types of the West African Dwarf goat with numerous breeds founds along the coat of west and central Africa.