We selected the Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat for our homestead due to their incredibly rich, nutrient dense milk. Nigerians are the only dwarf dairy goat breed and they consistently provide the highest butterfat and milk solid percentages when compared to all other ADGA registered breeds. Due their small stature, they simply cannot produce the same volume that the larger breeds produce. However, here at Creosote Pastures we never wanted high pounds of milk, we were simply looking for the richest and most nutrient dense milk we could find for our family. In our household, we believe in the many health benefits of raw animal fats, especially milk fats. We have decided to celebrate our four legged friends' ability to provide extremely high butterfat and protein in their milk instead of pushing or expecting them to produce large volumes. We recognize our approach is different than most other Nigerian breeders, but it works for us and we also feel it is best for our does and their udder health as well. We select feed for our does that supports a healthy rumen and rumen pH, and in exchange they provide us with milk that contains higher butterfat percentages and less volume than other herds in our region. 

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Why do we care about butterfat?

First, butterfat, protein, and milk solids are condensed to make butter and cheese. Our family only uses homemade raw goat butter, and we cherish our homemade hard and soft cheeses. Milk that contains higher milk solids produces larger quantities of butter and cheese which helps to keep our pantry full, plus we think it tastes way better with more cream! We love extra creamy milk, and when our does milk 8% butterfat a single glass of ice cold milk is filling and delicious. (To put it in perspective, whole cow's milk at the grocery store is about 3.5% butterfat) We also love that we can substitute our raw goat milk as coffee creamer on a cozy Sunday morning.

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Secondly, we follow the Weston A. Price Foundation's nutritional model that animal fats are crucial to our overall health and well being. Fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) must bind with healthy fats in our diet in order for our bodies to utilize them. Animal fats such as lard, tallow, and butterfat from milk provide a perfect avenue for our bodies to consume and use these vitamins. In our home, we believe our food is the most important "health insurance policy" and we make diet decisions ever day to support our bodies.

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Below you will find our monthly milk test data, as well as important notes that may have affected the does' milk records that month such as our daily temperatures (which can get quite extreme in the desert of Arizona). Our goal for our herd is that our does earn their ADGA Milk Star as a one year old first freshener, specifically in the butterfat category. As of 2022, Nigerian Dwarfs under 2 years of age must produce at least 31 pounds of butterfat within a 305 day lactation period. (see the ADGA's Milk Star Requirements chart for more details). For our own notes and celebration we have highlighted the highest butterfat producer for each test, as well as included the herd averages for butterfat and protein.

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