Nightmare: The Goat That Started It All

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backyarding with kids and every day house projects

When we first stepped into the goat world, we were brand new to everything.
We had the excitement, the dreams, tiny bit of knowledge for what we were doing.
But we were ready.

One of the very first goats we brought home was a little Nigerian Dwarf doe named Nightmare. Now before you panic over the name, let me explain.

Nightmare is actually one of the sweetest goats we own. She just somehow ended up with a name that sounds like she should be starring in a horror movie instead of standing in the pasture looking adorable with her beautiful blue eyes.

Her name actually came from Mr. Nightmare, a YouTuber my daughter loves listening to. At the time, my daughter was always watching his videos, so when it came time to name this little blue-eyed goat, “Nightmare” somehow felt perfect.

The moment my daughter saw Nightmare’s photo, it was over.
Love at first sight.

And honestly? Nightmare knew it too.
Since she was a bottle baby, she bonded hard with my daughter. Everywhere my daughter went, Nightmare followed close behind like a tiny four-legged shadow. Feeding goats, walking around the yard, carrying buckets, sitting outside — there was Nightmare, right there in the middle of everything.

Bottle babies have a special kind of personality.
They are sweet, affectionate, and completely convinced they are people.

Nightmare definitely fits that description. She loves attention and, like most goats, she also believes she has very important opinions to share at all times. If there is news happening anywhere on the property, Nightmare is determined to announce it to everyone with dramatic goat commentary.

She also has two half siblings that share the same father but have different mothers, which somehow makes family gatherings in the pasture feel slightly like a soap opera.

This year was especially exciting because Nightmare had her very first kidding.
And she did not do things halfway.
She gave us triplets!

Of course, being goats, she decided the best time to deliver them was during the wee hours of the morning while we were asleep. We were honestly disappointed we missed it because we really wanted to be there for her first kidding.

But walking out that morning and seeing Nightmare standing there proudly with her three babies beside her was worth it.
She had this look on her face that practically screamed:
“Yeah… I did that.”

And honestly, she deserved to brag a little.
Her babies eventually went to a wonderful home where they are loved and spoiled, and luckily for us, we still get updates and pictures of them.
Now that Nightmare is in milk, she’s doing well on the milking stand… mostly.

She becomes just a little dramatic when my daughter is nearby because apparently eating grain from the feeder like a normal goat is unacceptable. No, Nightmare would much rather have my daughter stand there and hand-feed her like royalty.
Spoiled?
Absolutely.

Being a first freshener, she is not producing a huge amount of milk yet, but that is completely normal. We are excited to see how she matures and what her production will look like after her next freshening.

No matter how many goats join our herd over the years, Nightmare will always hold a special place in our hearts.

She was one of our first goats.
One of our first bottle babies.
And one of the goats that taught us just how easy it is to fall completely in love with this crazy goat life.