First time Pygmy goat owner?
Image by Linn County Fair
2010 4-H/FFA Dairy Goat Show – Photos courtesy of Todd Hunt & Dae Ann Holub
Question by : First time Pygmy goat owner?
I am about to get my first pygmy goats soon and I have been reading up a ton about them. I have never had goats before only horses and im so afraid o doing something wrong with my goats. I have a couple of questions that may seem ridiculous but in the horse world i find them important so if you could please answer them for me and provide me with any tips or tricks you can think of it would be GREATLY appriciated.
-Can pygmy goats reach to drink out of horse sized buckets or should i buy the smaller sized ones?
-Im planning on getting two goats do they each need their own food bucket? how do I know they’re eating their own feed?
-if i get them spayed or neutered are they still able to be shown at fairs?
I know those may seem stupid to some goat pro’s but I want to make sure i’m doing it right. As i said any extra help is GREATLY appriciated =] thanks
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
2 Responses to First time Pygmy goat owner?
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I have pet sheep but see lots of people with goats and have learned a few things about them – mostly that they can climb fences!
they dont usually need their own food buckets, and I hate to say they can drink out of horse buckets or not because there are lots of sizes of buckets for horses…
neutered goats are called wethers, and if you can show them or not depends entirely on show rules and regulations in your area – obviosly they cannot be showen in breeding classes
here is a neat link you might like
http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/goats-and-sheep-the-basics/
CF_
March 23, 2014 at 4:19 pm
ok i am a new goat owner too…well been a year now and have had horses all my life. they can do big buckets of water and you can even buy small buckets at home depot or they can share with the horses. My small pony cannot stand the goats but all of my big herd loves the goats. I wouldnt fix female goats just the boys. the girls do fine intact the boys pee on everything seriously worse than male dogs and get aggressive and just plain annoying. My goats are on pasture grass and work by clearing my blackberries. I throw a flake of orchard grass in their stall at night but have done zero livestock feed for them as it is intended for fattening up dairy goats. Do buy a mineral salt block for them in the field. best snacks or treats for goats atleast mine are banana peels and raisins. oh and goats are cuddlers since you are getting two they will share everything even if you bought seperate things. they sleep on top of eachother or curled up. make sure you get them vaccinated (usually the breeder will do this for you) if they are still nursing buy a bottle and use regular milk for them just plain cow milk. also have your farrier do their feet every 6 months. my horse guy does my goats for free. these were the most helpful websites to me when i was getting into the swing of things
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/index.htm
http://goatworld.com/
oh and i never had my boys disbudded so they still have horns they are la manchas and pretty big. i break tennis balls and put them on the goats horns so they cant hurt anyone with them on accident or get their horns stuck in the fence. it was a great tip from my vet. goodluck
FarmGirl13
March 23, 2014 at 5:06 pm