BREEDER PROFILE:
Jordana Heath – Nigerian Meadows
Hello from Nigerian Meadows! We are a small homestead farm in eastern North Carolina, raising
goats primarily for milk. Our herd is a fabulous mixture of color and size, and has morphed over
time, but our love is the Nigerian Dwarf and Saanen/Mini-Saanens.
We bought our first goats around 9 years ago to
help our son. He couldn't digest proteins very
well and had a lot of bone, tooth and nail
deformities and weakness. He needed both
calcium and protein, and raw goat’s milk was the
direction we decided to go because the digestive
enzymes in raw milk would help him digest the
milk effectively.
From those first two goats our herd quickly
expanded to about 13 registered Nigerian
Dwarves on a little half acre. We had such a small
plot of land that Nigerian dwarf goats were all we
could keep (minis were not yet popular or
available), but despite space limitations they were
healthy, happy, and provided an abundant supply
of milk for our family. A couple of years ago we
moved to a larger plot of land and added Saanens to our herd with the intention of breeding quality
Mini-Saanens. We really appreciate the personality of the Saanens and quantity of milk, but they are
rather like small horses and can be a tad difficult for the children to control. Our intention with
breeding them to our Nigerians is to get large amounts of very rich milk in a medium sized goat that
has hybrid vigor, perfect for homesteaders who only want a couple of goats that can adequately
provide for a family of about any size while still being easily managed by children and kept in the
typical small homestead setting.
Here on our farm we homeschool our two children. Both
boys work on the farm within their capabilities and
interests. The youngest enjoys milking and feeding the
goats, while our older son prefers to help with the cleaning
and building projects. You can often find our whole family
down in the pasture with the goats and pigs enjoying time
together and with the animals. The goats provide no end of
entertainment and readily play with the children. Often we
take the goats on walks in our wooded areas, allowing them
to browse and help control underbrush. Mentally it is
soothing to work outside and see the rich benefits of your
hard work in the health و [