Nigerian Dwarf Height Standards

Hi guys,

I am hoping you can help me understand a bit of Nigerian Dwarf history (only going back a few years). I am writing this from Australia so please forgive me for being ignorant about past events in the US.

This is the situation as far as I understand it - please let me know if my figures are out of date or otherwise incorrect.

Height limits:

AGS Does 22 1/2 inches, Bucks 23 1/2 inches

ADGA Does 22 1/2 inches, Bucks 23 1/2 inches

NDGA Does 21 inches, Bucks 23 inches

Now I understand that in around 2011 there was a move by some breeders within the ADGA to raise the height limit for bucks to 24.7 inches. I gather that this move failed. Is that correct?

I am interested in this because I am involved in a new group that will, in the future, be setting some Australian height standards for new breeds, and I found the arguments I read to raise the height limit for Nigerian Dwarf bucks in the ADGA quite convincing and am looking to use similar logic to propose height standards for new breeds in Australia. So I am interested as to why the proposed change didn't succeed.

Cheers,

Tom

You are correct that the move to raise the height standard failed.

Height controversy among ND breeders is nothing new. NDGA was formed as a result of a height controversy when AGS raised the minimum back in the 1990s. Most people are against raising the minimum for bucks because only a very small percentage of bucks go over the current height standard. Most people breed goats with the goal of being within the current standards, and the thought is that if the height minimum is raised again, people will just start raising bigger bucks. Most bucks are not more than an inch over-height, but if the minimum is raised by an inch, people will start to push that limit, and bucks will get even taller.

The people who were trying to get the height increased seemed to focus their argument on the 2-inch difference in buck and doe height minimums for larger breeds. However, there is a difference between saying that a buck should be at least a certain size and setting a maximum height. I have a theory that one reason we don't see too many cases of birthing dystocia with NDs is because the bucks are not that much bigger than the does, and I worry that we may see more problems with birthing if we start using larger bucks, especially when there are does out there that are only 18-19 inches tall.

Also, a 2-inch difference for a goat that is three feet tall represents a smaller percentage increase in height than a 2-inch difference in a goat that is less than 2 feet tall, so I never understood the argument that the height difference should be like the standard breeds. If you look at the percentage of height difference between bucks and does, the current standard is closer to meeting that criteria.

Finally, height limits for NPGA pygmies, which are almost the same height as NDs, has only a 1.25" difference between bucks and does, and the height limits for NDs in the Canadian Goat Society are 22" and 23".

I also think that the final size of a goat can be partially dependent upon what they're fed. I'm not saying they'll be an inch or two taller, but they might grow 1/2 inch or even 1/4 inch taller, which is enough to disqualify them from a show. Some breeders only feed their bucks grass hay, pasture, and browse, while some feed them alfalfa and grain (with ammonium chloride added to prevent urinary calculi).

My opinion is that height is only one part of a goat, and if people didn't make such a big deal out of it, then some breeders wouldn't feel the need to raise the standard because thy have a buck now and then that gets a little too tall. There is not any part of the standard that is met by 100% of goats, and no one has ever suggested changing another part of the breed standard because a few goats didn't meet it. Unfortunately people will gossip a lot more about an over-height ND buck than they will about a crooked face or a bad bite, both of which are disqualifications.

Replies

Deborah Niemann-Boehle June 22, 2014 at 2:18pm

You are correct that the move to raise the height standard failed.

Height controversy among ND breeders is nothing new. NDGA was formed as a result of a height controversy when AGS raised the minimum back in the 1990s. Most people are against raising the minimum for bucks because only a very small percentage of bucks go over the current height standard. Most people breed goats with the goal of being within the current standards, and the thought is that if the height minimum is raised again, people will just start raising bigger bucks. Most bucks are not more than an inch over-height, but if the minimum is raised by an inch, people will start to push that limit, and bucks will get even taller.

The people who were trying to get the height increased seemed to focus their argument on the 2-inch difference in buck and doe height minimums for larger breeds. However, there is a difference between saying that a buck should be at least a certain size and setting a maximum height. I have a theory that one reason we don't see too many cases of birthing dystocia with NDs is because the bucks are not that much bigger than the does, and I worry that we may see more problems with birthing if we start using larger bucks, especially when there are does out there that are only 18-19 inches tall.

Also, a 2-inch difference for a goat that is three feet tall represents a smaller percentage increase in height than a 2-inch difference in a goat that is less than 2 feet tall, so I never understood the argument that the height difference should be like the standard breeds. If you look at the percentage of height difference between bucks and does, the current standard is closer to meeting that criteria.

Finally, height limits for NPGA pygmies, which are almost the same height as NDs, has only a 1.25" difference between bucks and does, and the height limits for NDs in the Canadian Goat Society are 22" and 23".

I also think that the final size of a goat can be partially dependent upon what they're fed. I'm not saying they'll be an inch or two taller, but they might grow 1/2 inch or even 1/4 inch taller, which is enough to disqualify them from a show. Some breeders only feed their bucks grass hay, pasture, and browse, while some feed them alfalfa and grain (with ammonium chloride added to prevent urinary calculi).

My opinion is that height is only one part of a goat, and if people didn't make such a big deal out of it, then some breeders wouldn't feel the need to raise the standard because thy have a buck now and then that gets a little too tall. There is not any part of the standard that is met by 100% of goats, and no one has ever suggested changing another part of the breed standard because a few goats didn't meet it. Unfortunately people will gossip a lot more about an over-height ND buck than they will about a crooked face or a bad bite, both of which are disqualifications.

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