Nigerian Dwarf
Breed Standard
GENERAL APPEARANCE: Robust. Dairy Type with triple dairy wedge, feminine does, masculine bucks, well blended, no tendency to coarseness, well proportioned.
HEAD: (Skull, eyes, ears, mouth, nostrils): Medium length. Facial Line – dished or straight. Ears medium sized & pricked. Well-developed muzzle. Polled or disbudded, eyes large & bright & set well apart, can be either brown/gold or blue with no preference given to either colour, no coarseness
NECK: Blending smoothly into the shoulders with no coarseness, with or without tassels. Does, long and feminine. Bucks, masculine and strong.
BACKLINE: Backline strong, straight & horizontal.
FOREQUARTERS: Fine withers, blending firmly into shoulders, wide & deep in bucks with medium width & depth in does.
BODY(barrel): Triple dairy wedge with good spring of rib with clean flat bone and proportional length to height.
HINDQUARTERS: Gradual fall (gentle downward slope) from hips to tail, good width between hips flaring out to thurls, rump level across thurls.
LEGS: Forelegs Straight and parallel viewed from the front and side. Hind legs strong and parallel viewed from the rear. Hocks slightly bent when seen from the side. Hocks well apart. Flat bone, with pasterns short & strong (nearly upright/vertical). Hooves sound & well shaped with good heel depth.
UDDER: Broad attachment high at rear and well forward in front (at least as far forward as the front of the hip bones) and no pocket, not pendulous or unduly divided, side well attached to inner thighs, strong medial ligament, soft textured and showing good capacity. Skin tan to black.
TEATS: Set in the centre & lowest point of each udder half, to be a reasonable size to enable hand milking or ease of cup placement.
TESTICLES: Two testicles in a well attached scrotum which is relatively even (in summer may have the appearance of being pendulous).
RUDIMENTARY TEATS ON BUCKS: Two good sized teats set slightly to the fore & side of the scrotum.
HEIGHT: Does – maximum 57cm (22.5”), minimum 43cm (17”). Bucks – max 60cm (23.5”), minimum 43cm (17”). Measurement to be taken after reaching 3 years of age.
COAT: Soft, hair is short to medium length. Bucks may have a longer coat.
COLOUR: Any colour & pattern. Skin tan to black.
DIFFERING FROM THE IDEAL: Horned. Uneven Tassels.
FAULTS: Roman nose. Roach or sway back. Dip behind the wither. Shallow body. Narrow chest. Steep rump. Flat rump (no gradual fall from hips to tail). Width decreasing from hips to thurls. Toe in or out. Cow or bow hocked. Dropped, weak or long pasterns. Postiness. Dew claws different sizes. Splayed feet. Fleshy, pendulous or unduly divided udders. Pocket in udder. Undefined medial ligament/flat sole. Pink skin. Teats: different sized teats, bulbous, extremely small/thick, sideways pointing. Bucks: unduly pendulous divided testicles. Under recommended minimum height and over recommended maximum height.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Wry face. Double or supernumerary teats. Double orifices. Blind teats. Spurs/sprigs on teats. Pendulous ears, La Mancha ears. Undescended testicles in bucks or one testicle only. Obvious undershot or overshot jaw (side profile). Over breed standard recommended maximum height or under the breed standard minimum height when measured at 3 years of age (or older) disqualifies animals from registration in the herd register and purebred sections.