Can you tell me about pygmy goats?

Question

i want to know the cost/ cost for food/ for building a pen/ how much land can the share a shelter/ how big do the get/ anything else!!thanx!!

Answer 1

well maybe $600 with building the shelter and gate and food $80 a year for food i guess i have two goats.

Answer 2

Pygmies are great for a "pet" goat, but I think they tend to be shyer than our dairy goats (except for bottle babies, which can be clingy to the point of annoying!)  I recommend looking for a bottle fed senior kid or a young goat that can be worked with.  You do need to spend time with them to get them used to people.  They are very curious, playful and great fun.

They don't require very much space but do need something to climb and play on, such as a rock pile, old picnic table or other play equipment.  With any goat, you can keep about 6 per acre comfortably.  One or two would do fine with less (but I wouldn't recommend getting one - they're social and like a companion).

Most pygmies are under 24", and some stay pretty small.  I've got a full grown doe who weighs... maybe 40 pounds?  My largest is a buck weighing about 65-70, but bucks tend to be stockier and muscular.

A couple of pygmies can be kept in a small shed or run-in, as long as they have protection from winter drafts and wet weather.  During the winter, they usually bed down together to conserve body heat, so it's better to keep them together anyway.

Costs is dependent on what you're looking for.  A pet quality wethers can sell for as little as $25, while a pedigreed animal can sell for much more (my one buck's previous owner paid $800 for him and had him shipped cross country).  Generally, the smaller and "typey" goats and does sell for more.

Food costs for all livestock is up right now, and I recommend anyone with male pygmies use a medicated feed containing aluminum chloride.  Pygmies are very prone to calcium deposits and crystallization in the urine which can lead to potentially fatal blockages.  There are several good quality medicated feeds on the market that sell for around $15 for a 50-pound bag.  Also, they will probably need hay unless they have plenty of weedy forage year round.  Hay is getting expensive!

Be careful with fencing, as pygmies are good at climbing and scooting underneath.  Welded wire that is secured at the bottem or electric seem to work best.

Check out the National Pygmy Goat Association website for more info on the breed.  We love having them - they're like the wind up toys of the barnyard.