Can you milk pygmy goats?

[11langenkamp_w]

Ok so do you leave the baby nurse until its weaned and then you can milk her or put the baby on a bottle?

 

[elevan]

Ok so do you leave the baby nurse until its weaned and then you can milk her or put the baby on a bottle?

If you leave the kid on and don't milk until the kid is weaned you are not going to get much milk and your lactation will be very short. This is because the pygmy will begin producing less milk as she weans since her kid will be taking less "sips" at the mama bar

Pulling the kid to bottle feed or leaving it on will work either way...figure out what's best for you.

If you wanna leave the kid on you'll need to separate the doe from the kid during the day and put them back together at night. You'll get more milk at your evening feeding than at your morning feeding that way.

Bottle feeding will result in more work for you.

I made the decision for me that dam raised was best. eta: The kid gets to stay with mom for the first to weeks and gets all the milk during that time. Only separating them after the milk no longer carries any colostrum.

 

[11langenkamp_w]

Ok thanks
If a baby is nursing for a month would it be hard to switch it over to a bottle?

 

[elevan]

Ok thanks
If a baby is nursing for a month would it be hard to switch it over to a bottle?

I don't bottle feed...but from what I've read on this forum it sounds as if it could be difficult.

If you want to milk and the baby has been on the dam for a month, I would just start the separation technique I described above.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Ok thanks
If a baby is nursing for a month would it be hard to switch it over to a bottle?

Yes.

I know others have had better luck with it, but I've also found that milking does who are dam raising kids is infinitely more difficult than milking those who are not. Maybe it's different if your does are super friendly, but I let one of our does dam raise and milked in the mornings and it was all I could do to catch her each day. The next kidding when she wasn't dam raising she was like a different goat! She apparently didn't feel I was stealing from her kids and milked like a dream. Other folks do dam raise and milk once per day, but I won't be attempting it again.

If you do plan to get pygmies for milking I HIGHLY recommend you milk a pygmy first. Our pygmy cross has permanent first freshener teats! Again, fabulous pet. Her teat size doesn't make a bit of difference to her adorable babies. But not a milker.

 

[Rebbetzin]

I know some people who raise "Nigerian Dwarf" goats...

Are they the same as "Pygmy" Goats?

Here is a sample udder of their goats. I think they wouldn't be that hard to milk.

Both the Nubian goats I milk have really short teats. They have only been bred twice now. Maybe the teats will get longer as they have more kids?

The mixed breed goat, (Nubian/Alpine/Boer) has very long teats, much easier to milk.

 

[Roll farms]

Nigerians are a dairy breed...They belong to the ADGA like other milking breeds.
Pygmies are a different breed altogether, stockier, more compact...smaller udder, smaller teats, less production than a Nigerian.

http://www.sillylilpygmygoats.com/milking_pygmy_goats.html

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Yes, pygmies are a totally different breed. Rebbetzin, your pics are of a superb little nigerian dwarf. Like Roll said, they are a miniature dairy breed and are recognized by ADGA as such. You will NEVER see an udder like that on a pygmy. It's not a flaw on their part, it's just that dairy goats are selected specifically over many generations for milk production and pygmies are not.

Teat size does lengthen through lactation, but it's self limited by genetics. Milking ff DAIRY goats can be irritating, but it's just temporary. Our pygmy cross is 8 years old. It's not temporary- it's genetic.

If you were dying to have a pygmy goat and wanted a little bit of milk here and there, then I say go for it! But if milk is one of your main purposes I think a goat that has been bred for milk production is a better choice. The difference between milking a Nigerian like the one Rebbetzin posted and even a pygmy with a decent udder is not a minor one.

 

[nifftiness]

I think people make milking a Pygmy goat out to be harder then it is. I have Pygmys and I bought them for pets. When I bought my goats the one was bred already. I let her nurse her kids and then got the idea to try milking her for a little milk for making Soap. It wasnt hard at all, and their teats arnt as small when their in milk. When I milk part of my hand is cupping the utter and its pritty easy, takes me a min or two. They dont produce all that much so if your looking for a primary source for drinking milk you would need more then one goat id think. I milked once in the morning and in the evening...when I had time, as well as she nursed her kids. I filled jam size canning jar a day. You would get more but I didnt want to take to much milk away from her kids. And even if i missed a day it didnt effect her milk supply. It did take about a week of milking her to boost how much milk she was supplying. Their wonderfull pets.
If you want more milk, with similar personalities and similar size a Nigerian might be the way to go. I was told I was buying a Pygmy kid that was only a few weeks old at the time, and shes now a year and the friendliest slightly more mellow loving goat, and now that shes about a year im pritty sure she is a Nigerian. Their both great goats. Id say milk for hobbies, go for a Pygmy, milk for Drinking Id lean towards a Nigerian.

 

[elevan]

I think people make milking a Pygmy goat out to be harder then it is. I have Pygmys and I bought them for pets. When I bought my goats the one was bred already. I let her nurse her kids and then got the idea to try milking her for a little milk for making Soap. It wasnt hard at all, and their teats arnt as small when their in milk. When I milk part of my hand is cupping the utter and its pritty easy, takes me a min or two. They dont produce all that much so if your looking for a primary source for drinking milk you would need more then one goat id think. I milked once in the morning and in the evening...when I had time, as well as she nursed her kids. I filled jam size canning jar a day. You would get more but I didnt want to take to much milk away from her kids. And even if i missed a day it didnt effect her milk supply. It did take about a week of milking her to boost how much milk she was supplying. Their wonderfull pets.
If you want more milk, with similar personalities and similar size a Nigerian might be the way to go. I was told I was buying a Pygmy kid that was only a few weeks old at the time, and shes now a year and the friendliest slightly more mellow loving goat, and now that shes about a year im pritty sure she is a Nigerian. Their both great goats. Id say milk for hobbies, go for a Pygmy, milk for Drinking Id lean towards a Nigerian.

Skipping a day of milking a pygmy won't decrease their immediate supply at all...what it will do is decrease the overall lactation length and they will dry off sooner.

But I agree if your primary reason for getting a goat is milk...you need to look at true dairy breeds. If your primary reason is companionship, showing or weed control with the added bonus of a little milk and maybe some meat...then by all means look into pygmies.

Just be aware of what you want and what your goat is capable of.