Description:
Goats from West Africa are achondroplastic. Horns are present in both sexes and in males they curl outward and backward. Men sometimes have manes and beards. Features include a somewhat long neck, large chest, and straight back. The udder is small but normally well-shaped, and the legs are short. The majority of goats have short, stiff hair that can range in color from black to red to white to multicolored. Dark brown with black tips is perhaps the most typical color.
Behavior:
Goats from West Africa are typically smaller in size. But their nature is typically one of strength, energy, and playfulness. These goats are often able to reproduce between the ages of 12 and 18 months.
Benefits/Uses:
Goats native to West Africa’s rural villages play a significant role in the region’s rural economy. The trypanotolerant and hemotolerant Nigerian West African Dwarf Goats are resistant to Trypanosoma infections (they resist infections with the gastrointestinal parasite nematode Haemonchus contortus more effectively than other breeds of domestic goat).
Goats from West Africa are able to reproduce at twelve to eighteen months of age. Twin pregnancies are typical, while triplet pregnancies are commonplace. The time between kiddings is typically around 220 days. Families often keep these goats as livestock and collect or sell the milk and meat.
It is a versatile goat breed. There are several reasons to keep the breed. Nonetheless, the breed is primarily bred to provide milk and meat. Goats can be raised there as pets as well.
Origin/History:
A traditional breed of West and Central Africa is the dwarf. Its dwarf traits might have developed in response to local environmental factors, such as the damp woodlands. The goats were initially used as zoo animals or for lab research before being transported at various points to European and American nations. The American Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf in the United States, the Pygmy in the United Kingdom, the Dutch Dwarf or Nederlandse Dwerggeit in the Netherlands, and the Tibetana in Italy are only a few breeds that are descended from these imports.
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