# Pygmy Predicament



## GoatFaerie (Sep 3, 2011)

Hi All! New to goats and doing my homework before I get some in the spring.

I live in the Pacific Northwest so my climate is pretty mild.  I want my goats (I'm thinking 4) for milk as well as companions.  I'm thinking pygmies cuz my boyfriend thinks they are the cutest (and I agree) and also my research says that they produce good quality milk in a little goat.  But my county extension office said that they are considered a meat breed.  I can't eat my pets!

My questions are this, first off, are pygmies a good choice for me? Secondly, what advice do you have for a new owner? You know, what's that one thing you wish you'd known from the get go?  

Finally, I'd love to get some feedback and maybe pic's from people in my area to see what sort of set up they have for their goats in my climate.  It's pretty mild year round with a couple 90+ days in the summer and a couple days of snow and below freezing in the winter. 

Thanks all for your feedback!!!


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## elevan (Sep 3, 2011)

Pygmies are indeed considered a meat breed...though you don't have to eat them  

An African Pygmy goat isn't going to give you a lot of milk but you can certainly milk them (I'm a big proponent of doing so).  BUT if one of your primary criteria is MILK and a criteria of a small breed then I would look into Nigerian Dwarf goats, which are a dairy breed.  Both breeds were originally bred from the Cameroon Bush Goat and are similar in size.

I would think that just about any breed would work in your climate.  You may even want to consider some of the mini dairy breeds such as mini-nubians, mini-alpines, mini-lamanchas...they are created by breeding a standard breed doe with a nigerian dwarf buck.

What do I wish I'd known before I got goats?  That they're like potato chips...very addicting    Seriously though...I wish I'd done a little more research rather than jumping in feet first...but I'm very happy I got goats!


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## GoatFaerie (Sep 3, 2011)

We really don't need a TON of milk, its just the 2 of us, so the milk is kind of secondary.  My boyfriend is allergic to animals and so I can't have indoor pets.  But the milk would be a nice plus, and I've read its high in milkfat and so good for cheese making, which is a HUGE plus to me


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## elevan (Sep 3, 2011)

Pygmy goat milk is indeed high in milkfat.  If you're not concerned about quantity then I certainly say "Why not? Go for it with pygmies"  
They have smaller teats which can be difficult for some to milk by hand.  I would recommend getting a mechanical hand milker...I have a list of links on my website  that may be of interest to you.


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## GoatFaerie (Sep 3, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> Pygmy goat milk is indeed high in milkfat.  If you're not concerned about quantity then I certainly say "Why not? Go for it with pygmies"
> They have smaller teats which can be difficult for some to milk by hand.  I would recommend getting a mechanical hand milker...I have a list of links on my website  that may be of interest to you.


That's very good to know!  I'll ad that to my list of necessities!


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## kstaven (Sep 4, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> Pygmy goat milk is indeed high in milkfat.  If you're not concerned about quantity then I certainly say "Why not? Go for it with pygmies"
> They have smaller teats which can be difficult for some to milk by hand.  I would recommend getting a mechanical hand milker...I have a list of links on my website  that may be of interest to you.


I don't know how the pygmy goats fare with them, but have seen no end of serious teat damage caused by the maggidan milker on full sized dairy goats.


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## elevan (Sep 4, 2011)

kstaven said:
			
		

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I really don't know why someone would get one for a full size dairy goat.  But they do fine with pygmies - which is what they were designed for.  I have never had a problem.


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## jmsim93 (Sep 4, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> :
> What do I wish I'd known before I got goats?  That they're like potato chips...very addicting    Seriously though...I wish I'd done a little more research rather than jumping in feet first...but I'm very happy I got goats!


This IS a very hard practice to live out but one that is worth it.  I researched for over a year...reading books, reading on this forum and others, ect...   Then I spent 6 months saving, building fences and shelters...buying medications and supplies.  The wait was horrible!!!!  I finally got my 2 Nigerians in March.  It has been so rewarding.    Thanks to the advice of those on this site and patient research, my adventure has gone well so far.  I know there will be struggles and hard times but you can eliminate alot of heartaches by listening to the wisdom of those more experienced than yourself.  That's what so great about this site!  Do your research and take your time.


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## elevan (Sep 4, 2011)

jmsim93 said:
			
		

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Growing up we had "bush goats" basically just the mutt of the goat world.  So I had no particular attachment to any specific breed.  When I decided to get goats again we went with pygmies because of size.  Now I want more milk so I've added ND...and I really want a LaMancha.  If I'd really planned it out and researched it, I probably would have went straight to the LaMancha to be honest :/  I wish it were like chickens where I could get one or two or three of each breed to decide what I liked best


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## TigerLilly (Sep 4, 2011)

I have a pygmy doe in milk now. I get a minimum of 12 oz, but I only milk her once per day at this time. I don't drink that much milk, so that's fine for me. I am working on weaning her twins, though & hoping that I start getting a little more--you can never have too much--and I freeze the excess. I plan on learning how to make butter & cheese at some point.


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## GoatFaerie (Sep 11, 2011)

jmsim93 said:
			
		

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I hear you JMSIM! I'm startig to build this winter and I'm already addicted to perusing craigslist, forum, and local farm paged drooling over goats. Its SO HARD wating!!!


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