Holiday cover for a Nigerian Dwarf goat has to fit a small, clever, productive animal: this miniature dairy breed can be milking heavily despite its size, climbs and squeezes like a much larger goat, and worries noticeably when separated from its companions. A sitter used to dogs, or even to large livestock, will underestimate both the milking commitment and the escape risk unless your instructions spell them out. Write the sheet around her actual day: milking if she is in milk, feeding and minerals, pen security, companionship, and the short list of changes that mean a same-day phone call.
Cover Milking First If the Doe Is in Milk
A Nigerian Dwarf doe in milk sets the timetable for the whole cover period. Give the exact milking times, morning and evening, and explain that they cannot drift by hours because a full udder quickly becomes uncomfortable and production drops. Walk through your hygiene routine in order: wash hands and udder, strip the first squirts into a strip cup and check them, milk out fully, dip teats afterwards, and chill the milk promptly. Say what normal milk looks like and what does not, including flakes, strings, wateriness or a hot, swollen half of the udder, all of which mean calling you and the vet the same day rather than waiting for your return.
Write Down Feeding, Minerals and the Wether Warning
A Nigerian Dwarf's feeding notes should separate hay, any milking ration, and minerals into three clear lines. State the hay type and rough amount, the measured ration a milking doe gets on the stand, and a firm instruction that goat mineral is left out free-choice at all times, because this breed needs the copper in goat-specific mineral and must not be switched to sheep mineral if both species share the farm. If a wether or dry doe is in the pen, note that extra grain is kept away from them, since rich concentrate feeding is a poor fit for non-milking animals. Add where each feed is stored so nothing is substituted by guesswork.
Treat Latches, Fences and Companions as One Section
A Nigerian Dwarf escapes through gaps that look secure, so describe the pen like a puzzle the sitter must reset daily. Name the gates that need both a latch and a clip, the corner where she climbs the fence or the feeder to get height, and the low gap under one gate that gets blocked with the board stored beside it. Explain that she stays with her named companion goat at all times, because a Nigerian Dwarf alone will cry, pace and try harder to get out. Ask for a head-count and a latch check at every visit, morning and evening, written as a habit rather than a hope.
Close With Health Checks Written for a Small Dairy Goat
A Nigerian Dwarf's daily check is quick but specific. Ask the sitter to watch her eat with enthusiasm, check that droppings are normal pellets, feel the udder at milking for heat or hardness, and look at eyelid colour and body condition once during the stay. Set the call-now list plainly: off her feed, bloated or grinding her teeth, scouring, straining, a hot udder, or a goat found out of the pen. Leave the vet's number first, then yours, then a goat-keeping neighbour who can help catch or hold her. Sending all of this through a KinsLe Care Pass means your sitter carries this little doe's milking times, mineral rule and latch checks together, with access that closes when your holiday does.