# What is on your must have goat list???



## Christina's Dream (Apr 24, 2011)

so I just brought a goat home from auction on Friday...what a doll she is.  She is a little pygmy doeling.  She is weaned.  I went to the feed store and got hay and grain for her.

She also has lice, but I already posted a question about that and got some great advice.

So what else is on the must have list for her???


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## elevan (Apr 24, 2011)

Ivomec 1% (cattle / swine) injectible (lice, mites, worms)...I inject for external parasites and give orally for internal
Loose Minerals (an absolute must)
CDT vaccination (now and a booster in 3-4 wks)

There are several good lists on here if you want to do a search...but at the very least that is what you should start with.
Here's a good one to read:  http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9159

Congratulations on your new goatie!  Pet pygmies are my passion!  Love them!


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## Christina's Dream (Apr 24, 2011)

Here are some pictures of my new little Lilly


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## helmstead (Apr 24, 2011)

She's adorable, but she's no Pygmy 

I would almost say she's got some Boer in there, a way's back - her color pattern DOES occur in dairy goats, but not commonly.


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## scrambledmess (Apr 24, 2011)

She is really cute!  What a sweetie!


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## Christina's Dream (Apr 24, 2011)

helmstead said:
			
		

> She's adorable, but she's no Pygmy
> 
> I would almost say she's got some Boer in there, a way's back - her color pattern DOES occur in dairy goats, but not commonly.


Ohhh you're not even funny....there better not be a bigger goat in her.  They sold them as Pygmy....  She is so tiny and the adults that were there are also tiny.  

Well if there is I guess that is what I get for buying from an auction not a breeder.


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## helmstead (Apr 24, 2011)

it's not to say she'll GET big - it doesn't take many generations to get them down to mini size again.  And...it could be Nigerian Dwarf in there (why I mentioned her color pattern CAN occur in dairy goats)...

A lot of people refer to any small goat as a Pygmy, but Pygmies are an actual breed...so more correctly, she's a miniature goat .


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## scrambledmess (Apr 24, 2011)

The dwarfs often have a bit more color.  So maybe they just mislabeled her that way.   How old is she?  My nubians are just under or at 4 months and they are quite a bit bigger then she is.  But they were pretty tiny too as newborns.  One only weighed aroudn 4 lbs.


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## warthog (Apr 24, 2011)

She is so lovely and cute.

I couldn't help notice her food and water dishes, are they glass?

If so, I would add new dishes to your wish list.  She is probably too small to break them, but don't take the chance.


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## elevan (Apr 24, 2011)

Many auction places and some sellers will label any small goat a "pygmy".

That does not make them a Pygmy.  Pygmies don't ever present with that color combination.

National Pygmy Goat Association Website (for information) 

It could be a pygmy crossed with a Nigerian Dwarf...or it could be a pygmy crossed with another breed...or it could be a ND crossed with another breed.

Do you know how old she is?  And how much does she weigh?

We might be able to guess if your "pygmy" is gonna get big or not  

No matter what, she is cute!


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## julieq (Apr 24, 2011)

She's SO cute!  Congratulations!  Have you gotten some good loose mineral salt for her (made for goats)?  You'll need a pair of hoof clippers for sure.


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## Christina's Dream (Apr 24, 2011)

I'll weigh her tomorrow.  And I'm good with what ever you guys think she is......just as long as she doesn't get big.  Hubby will try and bbq her if she gets too big.

And I'm adding everything you guys are mentioning to my shopping list for the truck to deliver on Wednesday.  

She does have lice so i'm going to stop on my way home and get the small stuff tomorrow after work.

Tomorrow i'll post more pictures of her and some stats like height and weight.


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## RabbleRoost Farm (Apr 24, 2011)

Baking soda for stomach upsets, Nutriti-Drench for quick energy, CD/T vaccine (or toxoid if you aren't sure on the status of her shots and need to give her some quick protection. It won't last like a vaccine however) and several syringes and needles, leashes, collars, hoof trimmers (I just use "hoof rot shears", they work well enough), loose minerals or a protein pail left out free choice (the pail is filled with a molasses-y mineral supplement they chew on, minerals are just loose and they lick them up), Blu-Kote is good for wound care, iodine, hand sanitized (for me!). Hmm... What else..?
Basic first aid stuff and treats are good too. 
I usually have raisins somewhere so I can give them a couple.

And all the hay they want. Usually a lot will get wasted on the ground, but I use the waste as their bedding on top of whatever other material thats on the floor in the barn. I switch between straw and pine shavings myself.

Maybe some Bag Balm for chapped skin and udders?

I might add other things if I can remember them, hehe.


Edit: Dewormers for emergency situations. I personally have Ivomec injectable right now, ivermectin is safe to use in pregnant does without risk of abortion as far as I've read.
I don't deworm on a regular schedule, just when I notice their eyelids becoming lighter or their body condition start to appear off - basically only when needed.
Look up the FAMACHA (or something) scale if you've never heard of checking work load by their eyelids. I use a simplified scale for my own goats: dark pink is fine, lighter is getting more worrisome, and practically white means deworm NOW or risk death pretty much. I haven't had to deworm since I bought them, so I count myself fortunate.


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## Christina's Dream (Apr 25, 2011)

Ok so she is 10.6lbs (according to the wii) and she is 12" tall at the shoulders.  

She is fully weaned eats and drinks on her own.  

So how old would you guess???  And any more ideas on the breed???


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## 20kidsonhill (Apr 25, 2011)

8 week old weaned boer goat, would weigh 30 to 60lbs, so she isn't close to that weight. 

NOrmally they are atleast 6 weeks old to be eating and drinking on their own. 

Did I miss how old she is? How many teeth does she have? 

A boer kid could easily weigh 10 lbs at birth, so she has a lot of something small in her.


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## Livinwright Farm (Apr 25, 2011)

It is possible that it is a pure bred caramel pattern pygmy. Looking at the NPGA 's page, the top two pictures are of the lighter caramel patterning..., and we all know that the coloration of a kid can get darker or lighter as they age(exhibited by the pictures shown on the site, left & right pics are of the same goat).  Just because this little doeling has more dark chocolate/black on her head & neck right now than is typically seen, does not mean that she is not an actual Pygmy. She could just be a nonconformist(As mentioned in other threads here: livestock auctions/stock yards usually don't get in the best representatives of the breeds). 

Also, the Pygmy is not strictly a dairy breed, they are also a meat breed.

Not discounting that she could be a mix breed goat, just so the rest of you posters know. I am simply saying that it could very well be what the OP was told it was.


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## Christina's Dream (Apr 25, 2011)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> 8 week old weaned boer goat, would weigh 30 to 60lbs, so she isn't close to that weight.
> 
> NOrmally they are atleast 6 weeks old to be eating and drinking on their own.
> 
> ...


Ok I counted her teeth...and not an easy task... but there are 8 in the front on the bottom, and i hope you nont need me to count the ones in the back


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## 20kidsonhill (Apr 25, 2011)

Christina's Dream said:
			
		

> 20kidsonhill said:
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Well, I thought I would be smart and look it up for you, wasn't sure myself, but I see this isn't going to help us at all.  Looks like they all have the same amount of teeth until almost a year old then they start loosing the baby teeth and getting adult teeth. Hmmmm.   I new you could tell a goat was older than one by the two center teeth being larger, but never really realized or thought about how many teeth they had when they are born, 

Sorry no help with the exact age. But my guess is that is going to be a pretty small goat as an adult. 

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/4H/meatgoats/meatgoatfs11.htm


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## Christina's Dream (Apr 25, 2011)

I looked at all the pictures of the goats on that site....hmmm none of them even look close to her.  And her body just kinda looks off compared to them also.  I'll take some more pictures after dinner and see what we can figure out.


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## Christina's Dream (Apr 25, 2011)

any guesses???


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## Livinwright Farm (Apr 25, 2011)

http://www.montereybayequestrian.com/images/goat120.jpg
The size of your doeling looks about the same as this pygmy kid... and the coloration(of yours) looks like someone let their caramel pattern & solid black or black pattern pygmies breed. Where it is more difficult is the fact that your doeling has the white/light cream cloaking her muzzle. Your doeling also has a pygmy muzzle. from the eyes to the mouth is compact, where it isn't in most other breeds(Boer being one of the exceptions).

Also, going off of her horn growth, it is my solid guestimation that she is 6 weeks old. Your girl's horns are roughly developed to the same point as Marly's were when he was 6 weeks old. Marly.


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## chandasue (Apr 25, 2011)

Well I can't say I've ever seen Pygmy babies, only adults and she doesn't appear to be built like a barrel on posts... Her body shape seems more like my Nigerian Dwarfs at that age. Possibly a cross from way back. Sort of hard to tell whether she's just got a lot of nice hair or if she's meaty. It's really anyone's guess. 

Edit: They change a lot as they grow so in a year it might become more obvious based on how she develops.


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## elevan (Apr 25, 2011)

Livinwright Farm said:
			
		

> It is possible that it is a pure bred caramel pattern pygmy. Looking at the NPGA 's page, the top two pictures are of the lighter caramel patterning..., and we all know that the coloration of a kid can get darker or lighter as they age(exhibited by the pictures shown on the site, left & right pics are of the same goat).  Just because this little doeling has more dark chocolate/black on her head & neck right now than is typically seen, does not mean that she is not an actual Pygmy. She could just be a nonconformist(As mentioned in other threads here: livestock auctions/stock yards usually don't get in the best representatives of the breeds).
> 
> Also, the Pygmy is not strictly a dairy breed, they are also a meat breed.
> 
> Not discounting that she could be a mix breed goat, just so the rest of you posters know. I am simply saying that it could very well be what the OP was told it was.


Not even remotely close.  Sorry.  There is ABSOLUTELY NO POSSIBLE WAY that she is a purebred pygmy.

The picture on the site that you are referring too is a light caramel pygmy and not white at all.

And yes, pygmies are classified as a meat / pet breed...not dairy...they can still be milked though.


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## Livinwright Farm (Apr 25, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> Livinwright Farm said:
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The site does say: "The caramel color pattern can range from white or caramel hairs intermingled with white in the undercoat making the topcoat appear to be a shade of white." even though that particular doe pictured is a cream.


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## elevan (Apr 25, 2011)

I am not saying that your goat is not mixed with a pygmy...what I am saying is that she is in no way a purebred pygmy.

As to how old...my guess would be anywhere from 8-10 weeks.


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## Christina's Dream (Apr 25, 2011)

I dont' care what she is as long as she isn't going to out weigh me...  lol.  

How old not a clue I'd guess 6-8weeks....but really no clue


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## elevan (Apr 25, 2011)

Christina's Dream said:
			
		

> I dont' care what she is as long as she isn't going to out weigh me...  lol.
> 
> How old not a clue I'd guess 6-8weeks....but really no clue


I'm guessing that at that weight and that approximate age that she'll be not bigger than a pygmy or ND...

If boer were thrown in there somewhere, you could be looking at a little bigger but I think she'll stay small.


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