So, they are not a quiet breed, if that’s what you were looking for.
Even among goats generally, which are very loud creatures,
Nigerian dwarf goats are very loud in themselves.
Many people can put up with this, as they do make great companions otherwise, but they may not be for you.
Let’s look further into this.
Are Nigerian dwarf goats very loud?
As goats go, Nigerian dwarfs are pretty loud.
There are no two ways about it, really.
All goats are loud, as I’ve said, but Nigerian dwarf goats are generally considered the loudest of the common breeds.
It depends on a lot of factors, though.
A typical herd will be made up of mostly females and one, perhaps two males.
Generally, the males tend to be a bit quieter than the females.
But it’s hard to keep many males together unless they’ve all been neutered.
The males, too, will generally get louder when the females do.
So, if you have the two together, it won’t make much difference that the males are generally not as loud.
Their smaller size does mean that their tendency to vocalize a lot is somewhat softened by the fact that they don’t have the capacity to make as much noise as bigger goats.
However, this difference is negligible, especially when they’re making far more frequent noise than others would.
Why is this the case, then?
Why are Nigerian dwarf goats so loud?
The main reason is to do with how often the females go into heat.
Any goat will be much louder when it is in heat for a variety of reasons.
The main, and most obvious, reason, is that they are attempting to attract males.
Even if there aren’t actually any males around, they won’t be able to resist the natural impulse and instinct to bleat to let males know they are sexually receptive.
So, though this is limited to the females, as I said, the males will often respond with just as much noise.
Especially in cases where they’re together but aren’t actually able to breed, due to the male being neutered.
That aside, though, they just are a breed that tends to vocalise a lot more than others.
There are some theories about this, one of which surrounding the environment they were bred in.
The Nigerian dwarf goat had a lot of natural predators in Africa, and so they developed an innate need to vocalise a lot as a way to signal danger.
Indeed, this is one of the main functions of goats vocalizing.
Even if there is no immediate danger, regular vocalizations make clear that everything is still safe.
So, is there any way to keep your goats quiet?
How to keep Nigerian dwarf goats quiet
In short, there’s not really a great deal you can do.
As I’ve said, the vocalizing is a natural part of any goat’s life, and they will make a lot of noise.
If you’re not really prepared to put up with the noise, you should probably rethink whether you want goats in the first place.
That said, you aren’t completely helpless.
Excessive vocalization is still possible.
Make sure your goats have all the food they need, and that they have sufficient space to roam around.
The leading cause of excessive vocalization is going to be food or space-related.
Goats need a good-sized pasture in order to roam and forage, and they will let you know they’re not happy about the space or the food by making noise.
The fact is, though, goats are loud creatures—and Nigerian dwarfs especially!
What breed of goat is the quietest?
Though goats, more or less universally, are quite loud creatures, there are certainly some that are quieter than others.
Swiss Alpine goats are probably the most popular in urban farming environments and don’t make as much noise as other breeds.
Oberhasli, too, are considered pretty quiet as goats go.
Both of these breeds are quite large, though, and there’s always the chance that you get a particularly loud and boisterous individual.
My best advice, really, would be to just prepare yourself for goats to be a noisy pet.
There are not many quiet breeds!
So, there’s really no two ways about it.
Nigerian dwarf goats are loud, and they will be loud regularly.
Many people own these cute little goats as pets, so it’s not as if the noise is simply universally intolerable.
That said, there are certainly quieter breeds out there.
When your dwarf goats are being loud, there’s also not a great deal you can do about it. so, think carefully before you go ahead and buy a herd of dwarf goats.