Can i breed my pygmy doe with a dwarf nigerian buck?*advice please*

[redhen]

Okay..heres the scoop...i am really wanting to have my own fresh goats milk. I have a pygmy doe and a wether french alpine....so, i was thinking of getting a nigerian buck to breed with my pygmy...how is their milk? and how much milk per day do pygmys put out?....i CAN get a already bred doe from this person also..or a just kidded doe from this person...and a seperate line buck, for further breeding. the thing is, my space i have for them all.(my shed/barn is only 8x8 it will be 8x12 in a few weeks though..(my hubby is enclosing the porch)...so..i already have the 2 goats (doe pygmy and wether alpine)...can another nigerian buck also go in the 8x12 barn with them? is that enough room for them? they only sleep in there...goat Guru's please help!..thanks, Wendy...**also, i DO have 4x5x5 tall wood log cabin play house i was going to use for my ducks this spring..i could use that for a kidding house...**

 

[redhen]

 

[griffin45]

We have one Pygmy doe and she will soon be bred with our Nigerian buck. According to Storey's pygmy goats are not known for their milk, but they can be milked. We didn't want a pygmy but she was not in the best of care, so we rescued her and brought her here to our farm where she could live with other goats. She will be a first time freshener this summer and we will milk her if at all possible. The biggest problem that I see is that their udders are a bit small. Smaller than the Nigerian doe's that we are trying to milk now. It sounds to me like you have plenty of room for one more goat. We have a huge stable for the goats and they will all crowd into one small stall at night if it is cold. Or if it is warm they will stay out in their yard in a tight group. Go ahead and do it! You can't help yourself, You just gotta do it....

 

[redhen]

heehe..i know!..i really want to do this!...i'm just not sure which way to go.

....does all goats milk taste the same? as in, does a pygmy's milk taste like a nigerians?

 

[griffin45]

Good question! We have not had a Nubian freshen yet, just a Nigerian and a Cashmere. Our bucks are still with the does so the milk we are getting is for soap purposes right now. We will not have Nubian mil until summer. We are trying to make mini-nubians right now and the Nigerian buck is a bit short.

 

[redhen]

Quote:

he needs a step stool...

 

[helmstead]

Of course you CAN. I have crossed my ND bucks over Pygmy does repeatedly...and they are the MOST adorable kids.

BUT...my best Pygmy producer makes 6 oz a milking...and I really had to WORK at it with those bitty teats. So if you're going for milk, try again

look for a milking breed.

 

[redhen]

thanks helmsted! .. darn! now i dont know what to do!...6oz of milk wont cut it here!...

.....can 4 goats sleep in an 8x12 barn and not be to crowded? it would be my pygmy and wether alpine AND the doe/buck nigi's...waaaaaahh!..i dont think i have the room!....

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[Chatychick]

Check and see what his milking lines or his parents breeding are that will help your doe produce more milk. I have a buck with Great milking lines as his dam is a Grand champion and I got him really reasonable. He produces really Great kids but yet to freshen his doelings yet. My milking does have excellent udders. I have read that the buck helps with the udders on the does also. I read this on Dairy Goat Info. I have bred crosses before. Just find a good buck.

 

[PortageGirl]

That space, considering the one is a pygmy, would probably be ok if they aren't in there too much, and they all get along. BUT... I really advise against getting an intact buck. Get a milk goat, and get her bred elsewhere. It's not worth the trouble and the wasted feed and the smelliness and mischief having a buck around full time will cause. If you have limited room, it's SO not worth it.

8x12 for three goats would be a bit cozy, but if they are able to come and go freely and mostly only sleep in there, I'd do it. It would probably NOT be big enough for a buck and two or three others though IMO. Maybe others will pipe up who have more experience, my goat days were long ago, and I had Nubians and Nubian crosses, (crossed with what I have no idea LOL) and never had a buck. [edit to say I did have easy access to a buck, do a little research in your area]

Something you can do to "ADD" space is to build a platform... sort of like a bunk bed, mine always loved to be UP... one liked napping underneath it maybe they were part mountain goat?