Pygmy Questions- *update, got the goat!*

[dwbonfire]

i have the opportunity to trade for a young pygmy doe. i was told she has kidded before, but thats all i know. the owner said she is very friendly and walks on a leash. i have never had goats before, just sheep. i currently have a young jacob ewe and this goat will be companion to her. my real plans are to breed both - if i can find males to 'rent' of course.
with the goat im thinking ahead that i could milk her and use the milk for my pigs that i am going to be raising. im trying to have an opperation where everything works hand in hand and that some of my animals feed the others who eventually feed me. is a pygmy goat a good choice for what i want to do? i would prefer a small size and not to have an overload of milk because it will only be going to the pigs or to making things - the bf has already said he will not drink it so thats not a concern as far as having enough milk to provide for us.
what are some important things to know about the breed?
what questions should i ask beforehand?

also, i do have one pic that her owner sent to me. she has a 'beard' which i thought only billy goats had? is this something pygmies have?

thanks for any info/answers you can give me!

 

[elevan]

http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-pymgy-goat

You'll get 1-3 quarts of milk per day from a pygmy doe...with 1-1.5 being the most common.

Does have beards too.

Ask about health history. CAE, CL, Johnes testing and results. Worm / coccidia problems that they may have had.
Ask if they've milked her...if not then you'll have some training to do.

 

[dwbonfire]

thanks elevan.
i have no idea what CAE, CL and Johnes is, but i will certainly ask and do some reading about it.
i will ask about the milking too and im hoping where shes friendly and still young that i can train her easy enough.

 

[Chickie2378]

beard is not 'boy' exclusive.


but as cool as this sounds, do you really want it?



what are you trading to acquire this pygmy?

 

[dwbonfire]

im trading my jacob wether, i really have no room for him, hes very big compared to the ewe i have. i'd like either another ewe or a doe because i'd like to have some milk so i can feed it to the pigs im raising. plus my ewe needs a companion if i rehome my wether. i suppose if i didnt get the doe my ewe could be companion with my heifer calf?

 

[secuono]

What do you do with the baby if you take so much milk from mom? Kill the baby, like they do with cows???

 

[ksalvagno]

A small goat will probably not be enough milk to feed your pigs. I would think 2 or 3 would do the job and then just dry them up when you don't need to feed the pigs anymore.

 

[dwbonfire]

What do you do with the baby if you take so much milk from mom? Kill the baby, like they do with cows???

no way, i wouldnt kill the baby.

to be honest this is all a learning process for me. i have never done any of this before, so im not even quite sure how all this milking stuff goes. from what i think i know, you either bottle feed the babies or wait til they can be weaned and then keep the momas milking? correct me if im wrong. i know i sound like im going into this not knowing what im doing, and your kind of right but i figured this is an opportunity for me to trade for the doe and until next year comes along i have plenty of time to do my homework and learn how to do it. i dont have the money to go out and buy good milking goats, or any goats really. bf has me on a bit of a leash when it comes to purchasing animals so this is why trading is a good option for me. i figure if im feeding my wether who i cant house properly for his size, nor do i have much use for him i can trade him for a doe that i can possibly get some use out of, and my wether will have a good home.
i dont mean to sound cold but im to the point where i would like to have my animals and be getting something back from them too. i love them all as pets but feed bills keep rising and i'd like to lighten the load of "free loaders" and hope to have everything working hand in hand. maybe down the line i could get another doe to help with producing enough milk for the pigs, but i only plan to have 2 or 3 pigs at a time and just figure the milk will be a good supplement that i dont have to buy from the stores.

 

[ksalvagno]

Probably in your situation, it would be easiest to time everything so that you get pigs when kids are weaned. Then all the milk can go to the pigs and kids will be done. If you choose to bottle feed, make sure you have the time and commitment to do it. Many people do bottle feed but they still need that colostrum from mom. Then when kids are weaned, you just keep milking mom.

 

[currycomb]

you could also sell the wether, buy a bigger goat. it is very hard to milk the tiny teats on a pigmy goat. a larger goat is much eaisier on the body. you will need a stand for any goat to stand on while milking. and then again there is the training the goat to be milked. it is amazing what they can do when you reach for the udder: barnie