I am getting Goats! Help!

[Chicken0Boy]

OMG you guys! Look what I found on craigslist...

http://greenville.craigslist.org/grd/2231615702.html

I am not goona get them soon, but I just thought they were adorable and CHEAP!

 

[scrambledmess]

Dwarfs or Pygmies are excellent choices for pets. They are usually really friendly and they don't eat near as much as the larger breeds, nor do they need as much space. We started with 2 pygmy wethers. We just fell in love with them!

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Thats great! It seems like I making a good choice by getting 3 Nigerian Dwarf wethers. I don't know how much space I am giving them. I will measure when I get home. I am thinking anywhere from 1/2 - 1 acre. Is that decent for 3 goats of my choice?

 

[tiff812]

I have 3 pygmys. One is a whether and two are Does. They are all three equally friendly. I bottle raised all 3. They were only a week old when I got them. I think they do see me as a member of the herd, they definately thought I was their Mama when they were babies

Pygmy's make great pets. That's what mine are. They definately do come running when they see me and recognize my car when they see me coming down the road! I take them on walks and don't even have to put them on a leash, they just stay right beside me! They are in our backyard. The area fenced is probably a little over a 1/4 acre. They are the best pets I have had!

 

[Chicken0Boy]

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That is so sweet! Sounds like a plenty of room though!

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

If you get them as little babies, you will need to get milk replacer or have a source of goat milk. Bottles are messy and stinky too. But the bonding time you have when you are bottle feeding them is priceless. I used to breed and raise Nubians. Three is a good number. You should not get a buck unless you plan on castrating it. They pee on their faces to "show off" and attract the females and they drink the pee too. And they run around with their tongue hanging out and they stink so bad. You will smell like them if you stay in the barn too long. If I never smell a buck again it will be too soon. plus you will have to deal with babies if you have two girls and a buck. And then if you keep any of the babies, you cant keep them all together or they will inbreed. It is way too complicated if you just want them for pets. If you want girls, does that are grades are cheaper than show quality does, but whethers might be a more economically friendly option. The dairy's sell their whethers and bucklings for super cheap sometimes. One around here had them for $10. A good way to find out what breed of goat is right for you is to go to a fair, if you are not planning on getting them super soon. That way you can see all the goats and even talk to the people there about what their favorite breeds are and why.

 

[Chicken0Boy]

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Thanks for all that! So, after rteading that what is your favorite breed and why?

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

I like nubians, they are really dog-like. Mine used to follow me around the yard when we would let them out, without a leash. We used to walk them by their collars up and down the road too. My brother used to sleep in the barn with some of the babies right after they were born (pic). I also like Lamanchas. They have a nice personality too, and are super unusual, since they dont have any ears. I also think that nubians have a sweeter face than alpines, togs, saanans, pygmies and nigerians. But the Nigerians are super cute too. They might be harder to find since they are a little rarer than the other standard dairy goats and pygmies, though.

This is a picture of a picture of our goat kids.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

Have you really thought about what you want them for? Do you want milk or are you interested in fiber and spinning? Pygoras are absolutely adorable and you can get wethers and still use them for pets and fiber.
I personally like Oberhaslis and I use them for milk but you have to be prepared to sell the babies. I am also trying to decide on a fiber breed. The ones I am looking at are Cashmere, Pycazz and Pygora.

 

[genuck]

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Those look just adorable! I got some goats last year to see if I liked them. They had not been handled and still don't like me, they are wild. So this year I am getting 3 pygora bottle babies. They are keeping them for me until they are weaned so I don't need to worry about that part.

Good luck with your new babies!