Pygmy Goats Care

[BlueIce]

Hi Everyone!
I am planning on getting 2 baby pygmy goats in a while to keep as backyard pets and needed some advice on their care.

First off - How much food (pounds) do they eat each day?
Second - This is the feed I was planning on purchasing (Goat Feed), would this be enough or do I have to add different types?
Third - How do I keep them from getting sick and keep them healthy?
Fourth - Will they eat all my backyard grass?

If ya'll can answer my questions in great details it would be really helpful!!! And if you could tell me your credibility as well (e.g. if you have owned healthy pygmy goats for years without issues) that would really help me as well!

Thanks Ya'll!!!

 

[chickensrus2]

I have reg sized goats, but with pygmy goats, I know you can't overfeed them and they have delicate stomachs, like any other animal that can't throw up. Make sure they have fresh water everyday. My goats have clear water. If you can't see the bottom of the water container well, clean it out. Also, my goats eat grass, but not many weeds but they are also very picky eaters. Pygmy goats probably will

 

[Serenity06]

Well, I haven't owned healthy pygmy goats for years without issues. I have owned healthy pygmy goats for nearly 2 years with only one issue! The only issue was when they got into some azaleas, but they made it through just fine. I do know that they don't really eat grass unless there is nothing else to eat. They browse for weeds and leaves. I would like some answers for how much feed to give them too. I've always given mine a cup a day, and they have free choice hay. And I agree about the fresh water. I empty it every day and put fresh, because if it's dirty they won't drink it. Also, goats can't eat anything. There are A LOT of plants that are toxic to them. This link helped me learn what to stay away from http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/goatlist.html Hope this helped.

 

[cassie]

I have owned a lot of goats over the years but only one pygmy. I would feed them good quality hay free choice. If it isn't good quality hay they won't eat it. Goats are not grazers although they will eat some grass especially if it is young and tender. They are browsers. Which means they won't find your backyard grass particularly attaractive, but they will love your roses. They need a salt block and, as other posters have said, they need plenty of fresh clean water. Access to clean water goes a long way in preventing urinary calculi. I would feed them a small amount of grain while they are babies, but they don't really need grain as adults except maybe if they are pregnant or nursing. Pygmies tend to get fat if overfed. They will need shots for tetanus and entertoxemia. Get a vial of CD/T vaccine from the feed store or livestock supply and that will take care of it. They need a dry shelter to get out of the wind and rain. They need shade in summer. Pygmies make delightful pets and if their basic needs are provided for they are easy to care for. Do not use tarps for shelters, even for shade. They will chew on them and if they swallow enough pieces it will cause an impacted stomach and the result is a dead goat. That is what happened to my neighbor's pygmy. Plastic, such as plastic grocery bags, can do the same thing.