The worms can consume so much blood that they can cause the goat to become anemic. Provide them with some elevated sleeping areas to keep them entertained and off of the potentially wet ground. However, they can’t always get them back through the fence. What is a pygmy goat? A heat lamp and deep bedding is usually sufficient to keep goats comfortable. During winter, pygmy goats grow a woolly fur vest beneath their fur, which keeps them warm. If you have more space you can try rotating them on pasture. They produce large amounts of milk for their size and food consumption. Alpines are from the Alps, so this breed of goat is used to a cooler climate. The easiest method for my small herd is to bring them warm water twice a day from my house. You may be thinking that there is no way that a pygmy goat doe can successfully nurse four babies at a time. Giving them good quality feed will also help them stay warm. My goats get a high quality grass hay year round. If the goat shows signs of anemia, worm it immediately before bringing it home and spreading the parasites to goats you may have at home. If you’re considering getting goats, then you might want to start off with pygmy goats. I have a blanket on the horse and would love to get the goat one too, but I’m worried he will just destroy/pee on it. They will entertain you with their goofy personalities. They have free choice hay and grain along with water. They have a list of really helpful resources and breeders that can help you find the right goat for you and your family. They need roughage in their diet as well. When you purchase a goat, it’s always a good idea to check for anemia using the FAMACHA scoring method. Most healthy adult goats will not require extra care to stay comfortable though. Because I have only two goats their winter shelter is a large dog igloo packed with straw. You can provide them minerals in a small feeder. The holes are small enough to keep both adults and kid pygmies inside of the pastures. A hay feeder will reduce the amount of hay that is wasted by your goats. Pygmy goats can be any color or color pattern. Our barn became unusable this summer (fire) and so the girls are going to have to winter in the pasture. He also gets a cup of grain each night with BOSS. Winter Goat Shelter. You can purchase heated buckets to make this easier. The grass always seems greener on the other side of a fence and goats can easily get their heads through the fence with horns. Goats will need extra copper and selenium, both of which are found in mineral mixes made for goats. Although most goats prefer to browse, they still enjoy to eat grass. Goats are prone to getting hoof rot, which can be easily avoided by providing them a dry place to escape muddy pastures. Anyway, he tends to get very chilly to the point of shivering if the temperature falls below 20 degrees. Nothing takes the place of good, routine observations for changes in feed availability, body condition scores, and health problems such as pneumonia, parasites, and foot rot. She has raised dairy goats, meat goats, and fiber goats. Bred does will have 1-4 kids at a time. Does can be brought into heat sooner by keeping them in a stall that is dark and shortening the day for them. Here is the link to make the coats! The best way to make sure that your pygmies stay healthy is to feed them correctly. Pygmy kids are weaned at 8-12 weeks of age. I know there are sweaters to keep goat kids warm. If we had extremely cold weather longer than a few days each winter and the goats would be spending quite a bit of day time in their shelter I would want a larger structure of at least 10 square feet per doe. They do have shorter lactation periods than some of the dairy goat breeds and will only be in milk for 120-180 days before drying up. If you’re thinking about keeping a pygmy as a house pet, you might want to consider the fact that while these goats are small in size, they can jump and love to be on top of things. Hay is not as absorbent as straw and costs more, so definitely use straw when possible. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "add8c127845fa0d32beec20d29176160" );document.getElementById("e26b56d18c").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Here on Farming My Backyard you can expect advice on simple living, urban homesteading, and living a more eco-friendly life. Nothing takes the place of good, routine observations for changes in feed availability, body condition scores, and health problems such as pneumonia, parasites, and foot rot. They were very different in appearance from the large standard-sized dairy goats that were found in European countries at the time. This distinguishes them from Dwarf goats, which have a more refined appearance. Make sure they have fresh, unfrozen water, Provide a shelter preferably with at least 10 square feet per animal, Increase food rations and keep those rumens rumbling, Watch out for signs of poor temperature regulation such as shivering. and finally save money and grow delicious vegetables! If that doesn’t work you can create a small square shelter just big enough for the two of them with straw bales. Goats require a lot of water to digest their food properly and will quickly go off of feed if they don’t have water to drink. It’s better to provide them with a goat mineral mixture than a salt or mineral lick intended for all livestock. Despite the small size, they are generally still too large for an indoor pet. Also, they goats should be vaccinated and have their hooves trimmed. You can attach a mineral feeder to the inside wall of their shed or barn. Until toni ght wheb the sun went down he started shivering so I want to make sure I did evry thing I coukd before I go to bed and wake up to him not doing good again.