Pygmy Goat Information

Pygmy goat is a small domestic goat breed that is alert and gregarious in nature. Pygmy goats are smaller in size and can produce large amount of milk and meat. However, these goats are not raised for milk and meat, but kept as pets in urban and suburban homes. If you too want to bring home a sweet little goat, then the following pygmy goat information will help you make your mind.

Facts
It is always better to know some pygmy goat facts, before learning some pygmy goat info related to their care. Pygmy goats have originated in Africa and made their way as pets in American homes during the 1950s. Pygmy goats as pets for children are very popular today. There are two pygmy goat breeds that are registered as dwarf breeds. These include the Nigerian Dwarf and the African pygmy goat.

The African pygmy goat is the common member of petting zoos. They are about 20 to 25 inches tall and weigh about 50 to 60 pounds. Their milk contains about 6% more butterfat than any other goat milk. The Nigerian dwarf goat is only 17 to 20 inches tall and weighs around 75 pounds. They can produce one quart milk everyday and are happy in 1/3rd of the living space that is basically required for any other full size goat breed.

The pygmy goats have a herd mentality, and what more can you expect out of an IQ of just 60? If you bring home just one goat, it will become sad and lonely, bleat constantly and try to run away at all times. So, it is always better you bring home a pair, for their peace of mind as well as yours. They are very easy to care for, playful and lovable pets.

Temperament
Pygmy goats are good natured hardy animals and very sociable. As you must have gathered from the pygmy goat information, they have a playful and even temperament. This makes them good choice as pets for children. They do not like being alone and very curious creatures. They tend to get stuck in fences and odd places due to their inquisitiveness. They love humans and when handled with care, they will turn out to be very loving pets.

Coat Color
There are many pygmy goat colors according to the type of goat, that includes, agouti, caramels, solid blacks and blacks. The agoutis are dark in color with coat color ranging from silver gray to black. They even have their stocking color darker than the main body color. The caramels are light colored goats that come in white to light brown color. They have light vertical stripes in front of the dark stockings. Solid blacks are totally black in color without any white patches and black are without stockings and have a second color patch around the eyes, ears and nose.

Pygmy Goat Care
Pygmy goat care is very easy as these are adaptable to most conditions. The pygmy goat diet consists of greens and grains. They can be housed in a draft free barn and will panic if left out in the rain. Therefore, you need to house them in a closed barn with a proper roof, or your goats may fall ill. You can feed them a bit of alfalfa hay and a little bit of grain. You need to feed a little grain three times a week as too much grain may ferment in the goats stomach. This will lead to a painful death of your loving pets. Fruits, vegetables, leaves can also be fed. But do not give them onions, oleander, rhododendrons, house plants or any bulb plant. These can prove to be poisonous for your goats. You can speak to a vet and add some vitamin supplements to their feed for extra nutrition.

Pygmy goat care also includes a bit of medical care. You need to give your goats CD & T with tetanus vaccinations annually. Get their hoofs trimmed every 2 to 3 months and worm then every 4 to 6 months. You can even remove their horns with the help of a vet when they are young. This procedure is called debudding, that helps protect the goats from hurting one another or people. Debudding is a safe and least painful procedure that you can carry out when they are young. But make sure debudding is done by a veterinarian and not at home.

You can begin breeding your pygmy goats when the female is about 1 year old. If you begin earlier, it may lead to complications. A female can have her first heat cycle when she is 2 months old. The male become fertile at 2 months old. The heat cycle in females happens after 18 to 20 days and last for 3 days. Therefore, make sure you keep the pair separated during these 3 days. Pygmy goats have a gestation period of about 5 months.

This was a little bit of pygmy goat info that will help you raise them as pets. You can get more pygmy goat information from professional breeders or people who have them as pets. These are very gentle creatures who when treated with respect will give back only love.