Thelina began in 2019 with the addition of Australian Miniature goats to our small hobby farm.
In late 2020 we had the opportunity to add our very first Nigerian Dwarf, Kirrasumm Kidz Lil Kilimanjaro ND100 to our herd. In 2021 Jaro produced a number of gorgeous first cross Nigerian Dwarf kids who have gone on to be outstanding pets and home milkers for their owners.

Captivated by the Nigerian Dwarf breed and their sweet, clever, delightful personalities we took the leap and purchased our first 100% does from Michael and Ulrike Garwood at First Fleet Dairy Goats. In early 2022 we welcomed First Fleet Karina and First Fleet Louise, followed by another buck Kirrasumm Kidz Jim Beam ND100. Subsequently our first homebred 100% kids were born in October 2022. 
As complete beginners, we first ventured into the showring at the 2023 All Breeds Show at Deloraine in Tasmania, where First Fleet Karina was kindly awarded Best in Show in both the DGSA and MGBA rings, the first time this was ever achieved.
In the 23/24 show season we had the pleasure of achieving AGB Australian Champion titles for Karina and Louise. We also earned Runner Up State Champion Nigerian Dwarf for Karina and the Tasmanian Udder Breeder award with AGB. Our team continues to be highly competitive in both DGSA and AGB shows, bringing home multiple Best in Show, Reserve Best in Show and Best Udder awards. 

In the 23/24 season we made our foray into milk testing for DGSA. Our goats were the first Nigerian Dwarf goats to earn milk awards in Tasmania. First Fleet Karina and First Fleet Louise earned their *Q* awards, and as first fresheners, Thelina Lyanna and Thelina Katia earned their Q*2 awards. With a wonderful butterfat score of 7.73%, Lyanna also won the highest Butterfat on a 24-hour test award with DGSA Tasmania for the year! Having the milk production data to showcase the quality of our genetics and prove that fullblood Nigerian Dwarf goats really are serious dairy goats is very rewarding.

As our breeding program has developed, it became clear that incorporating Artificial Insemination would be vital to the genetic development of our herd. Our first AI kids were born in 2023, sired by TX Twincreeks RM Watermark ++*B. We then invested in the training and equipment to perform AI ourselves, resulting in our first in-house AI kids being born in 2024. 
We are so proud our achievements so far and how our herd has flourished since welcoming our first Nigerian Dwarf in 2020. We look forward to continuing to share our journey and our experiences with this wonderful breed!