# Milking Pygmy Goats?



## AllTheAnimals1315 (Jun 26, 2010)

Hi 
I am currently begging my mom for 2 or 3 goats ( working on my dad) Pygmy. I just would like them mostly to be company and pets. I was wondering though- do you have to milk them? And I think I would be cool to milk them alittle, even though their hard to milk? Could they get sick from me not milking them? Please break it down for me  Also, seeing your pics would be awsome as well.


----------



## Roll farms (Jun 26, 2010)

You don't "have" to milk any goat, unless they're a really heavy milker, and pygmies aren't...if you let the kids nurse / wean naturally, they usually dry up naturally.

You couldn't pay me to milk another pygmy...but I'm used to big dairy goat udders who milk easy.

You don't want to start milking and then stop suddenly, it needs to be gradual.


----------



## chandasue (Jun 27, 2010)

If you want small dairy goats, get Nigerians instead. They're usually a bit easier to milk than Pygmies. They need a buddy, so minimum of 2 goats. But start off with one of them that's already in milk that has been hand milked before. She knows the routine and will make it easier for you to learn how to milk her. Milking goats takes dedication though. Once you start it must be done everyday, usually at about 12 hour increments. Some people manage to milk once a day. They typically have shorter lactation cycles so once you're hooked on the milk, you'll end up staggering the breeding year round. That means babies that you'll need to decide what to do with as well.

Check out  http://fiascofarm.com/ She has a ton of info regarding her management of dairy goats in general.


----------



## ksalvagno (Jun 27, 2010)

You either have to decide to milk or don't milk. You can't milk one day because you feel like it and don't milk the next day because you don't feel like it. Goats need to be milked twice a day if you milk them. If you don't want to milk, that is fine.


----------



## glenolam (Jun 28, 2010)

I agree with Roll Farms - I just got a pygmy doe w/her two 4mo old kids (who are weaned now, though) and you couldn't pay me to milk her either.  I have an alpine/nubian cross doe I'm milking once a day right now and she's got nice long, full teats - my pygmy has teeny tiny teats that I can probably only get my thumb and pointer finger on....

If you do want to milk, you can do only once a day, but it has to be every day and you might want to start with Nigerians or Mini Nubians.


----------

