Enclosure for Pygmy Goats?

[Dawnclucks22]

It is possible we might be getting a pair or a trio of Pygmy goats for the first time. We don’t have any prior goat experience and would love recommendations as to what to house them in and how much space they need. We have a fairly large yard, so we are fairly flexible. Thank you!

 

[Alaskan]

What sort of climate do you live in?

And are you planning on breeding?

But in general... excellent fencing is the basic need.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

What sort of climate do you live in?

And are you planning on breeding?

But in general... excellent fencing is the basic need.

We live in a very hot climate. Winter rarely gets below 45 and summer can get 100 at its worst. We do not plan to breed, we want them mainly as pets and also to keep our lawn from overgrowing.

I’d like to add it only gets up to 100 a few days in the summer. Most times it’s around 80 or 90.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

We would probably get 3 at most, we want to keep it small.

 

[Alaskan]

In that case you would want a 3 sided shelter with very deep overhangs...even better if the roof comes out far and casts shade over a good sized space in front of the shelter where you could put a hay feeder that would be safe from sun and rain.

It would be nice if the shelter had large screened windows that you can close if the rain comes in sideways. And the front part, you want to be able to make dog/predator-proof but not stop ventilation.

Usually the biggest predator is stray dogs (or wolves and coyotes) but bear can be an issue depending on where you are.

So... make sure that their pen is such that dogs can't get in.

As to space... bigger is always better... I can't remember the standard numbers that are tossed out... but for 3 pygmies I would make the 3 sided part 10x10, and the shade overhang 10x10 and the pen as large as possible.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

In that case you would want a 3 sided shelter with very deep overhangs...even better if the roof comes out far and casts shade over a good sized space in front of the shelter where you could put a hay feeder that would be safe from sun and rain.

It would be nice if the shelter had large screened windows that you can close if the rain comes in sideways. And the front part, you want to be able to make dog/predator-proof but not stop ventilation.

Usually the biggest predator is stray dogs (or wolves and coyotes) but bear can be an issue depending on where you are.

So... make sure that their pen is such that dogs can't get in.

As to space... bigger is always better... I can't remember the standard numbers that are tossed out... but for 3 pygmies I would make the 3 sided part 10x10, and the shade overhang 10x10 and the pen as large as possible.

Thank you for your advice!