Pygmy goats are a great, exotic animal. This makes it feasible for a pygmy goat to live in a home. Unfortunately, goat feces have a pungent aroma, and goats often drop feces where they stand. This cannot be avoided, but urination can be trained.
Saanen. Saanen goats are the largest breed of dairy goat, and are second in milk production only to Alpine goats. These popular goats have short, white hair and upright ears, and are known for their easy-going temperament.
15 Best Goat Breeds for Pets
- Pygmy. Pygmy goats are more popular as pets than for dairy throughout the world.
- Mini Alpines. Full-sized Alpine goats originated in the French Alps.
- Nigerian Dwarf.
- Mini Myotonics (Mini Fainting Goats)
- Miniature Silky Fainting Goats.
- Mini Toggenburgs.
- Mini Lamanchas.
- Nubian Dwarf Goats or Mini Nubians.
The price of Pygmy goats can vary greatly, depending on their ability to breed and whether or not they have been registered. While a pet quality Pygmy goat can cost anywhere between $40 and $70, a registered and intact Pygmy can go for as much as $350 or more.
They're beautiful goats with excellent temperaments and are a very hearty breed. Mini-manchas are also known for their ease of milking. You can actually milk them once a day without them drying up and they will continue to produce high butterfat, great tasting milk.
Most people prefer smaller breeds such as dwarf or pygmy goats. As well, female goats and castrated male goats (also known as wethers) are preferred to intact males. This is because intact males tend to get larger and will be more aggressive. Goats are herd animals and should not be kept as solitary pets.
“Once you've seen one, you can't imagine having anything else as a family pet.” The miniature goats, which sell through breeders for $50 to $1,500, are cuddly, affectionate and make loyal pets, Heilman said. They are easily housebroken and love to be petted and bottle-fed.
The Pygmy Goat is a hardy, good-natured animal; a gentle and responsive pet. Pygmy Goats need the company of their own kind and should not be kept alone. Owners not wishing to breed should chose two wethers. These castrated males make excellent pets, with none of the drawbacks associated with the entire (stud) male.
Can I have just one pygmy goat? My answer would be a definitive NO. Goats are social creatures that need another goat, horse, donkey, or similar animal in order to be happy. My goats are twins, and you never see one without the other within 20 feet or so.
Whether Pygmy Goats are a Good PetsNo doubt, pygmy goats are good pets in most of the cases. The reason for this is the fact that they are friendly, easy to handle, social, and love to play. They can also be trained, just like any other pet. Moreover, they are the best companions for the kids and elderly alike.
Plastic slides or playhouses, kiddie pools or see-saws are great options, and goats will also love "big kid" toys as well such as a camper shell or small boat that has seen better days. Because goats love to climb, allowing them on to the roof of a shed, garage or barn is a great way to give them more space.
Pygmy – This miniature goat breed is known as a meat goat but is a fairly good milker, as well. Cross breeding with Nigerian dwarf goats has become so common the kids of such breeding operations may soon have an official breed classification of their own. These are a hardy mini breed that often live up to 15 years.
When I was a kid we two Pygmy goats and they were mostly just fat and lazy, it will also depend on the temperament of your goats. They can be a bit destructive though, you might have to goat proof your yard.
Goats are social animals who need the company of at least one other goat, but also get along with cows, sheep, horses, or donkeys. They also get along with cats and most dogs. Be mindful that an occasional hunting dog may see goats as prey.
One of them is the fact that pygmy goats, like their full-sized brethren, do tend to smell at times. A male goat can produce a particular musky and unpleasant odor. This is not because goats are unclean by nature. Goats tend to groom themselves just as well as any other animal.
Shelter. Goats need protection from the elements. A basic shelter such as a three-sided shed or pole barn large enough to get them out of the rain and wind will do.
Adult fainting goats can weigh anywhere from 50 pounds (even smaller than the diminutive Nigerian Dwarf) all the way to up to 175 pounds (about the size of a Nubian, the largest of all the dairy breeds!) They also come in a plethora of colors and coat patterns!
Myotonic goats are known as “fainting goats” because when something surprises or frightens them, their muscles go stiff for a short time, and they fall over! One explanation is that a natural mutation in a Tennessee goat herd created the gene that causes the stiffness.
All of the miniature dairy goat breeds give around 2 quarts to a gallon of yummy, high-butterfat milk per day. Myotonic goats have a genetic disorder called myotonia congenita that causes their muscles to stiffen when they're excited or frightened. A fainting goat doesn't actually faint.
So can you walk them on a leash? Yes. When properly trained and put on a leash, pygmy goats are able to be led along the sidewalk or trail just like any other kind of pet. It's always a good idea to first try and introduce your goat to loud noises and other triggers that might scare them gradually.
Nigerian Dwarf Fainters (the crosses) can actually be registered with the Myotonic Registry (the registration organization for Fainting goats). Not only are they smaller than a standard size goat (my Fainters and my Nigerian Dwarf goats are about the same size), they do a party trick! They faint.
Each of the four “stomachs” has a particular purpose and function. The rumen is the largest chamber of the ruminant stomach (1-2 gallon capacity) and has no digestive enzymes.
A great general-purpose goat for small farms, a pygmy goat is a small, friendly breed that can be a great pet — and only a few of them are needed for a constant supply of fresh milk to the table. Despite their small size, pygmies can give 1 or 2 quarts of milk per day.
Males are not aggressive if properly raised. But know that males do stink badly. If you plan on having him just as a pet I suggest castrating him and making him a wether. Also goats do not do well on their own I suggest you get another goat as well.
Like all other goat breeds, male goats are called bucks and females are called does.
