San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[LaPetiteFarmer]

I adopted them from a Navy family in Chula Vista. They were bottle fed and raised in a suburban back yard. They had never been outside their own back yard when I brought them up to my eighteen acres in the desert. Ducks to water..... LOL. Look on Craigslist. There are a couple of breeders in Ramona I believe. I hear their milk is much higher in fat content and for their size produce a boat load of milk.

My little dew drop (rip) was the teeniest she came only to just above my knee never was bred. Yet at her third year developed a full sized udder it almost touched the ground. I am told this is rather unnusual but not unheard of. Of course she had no milk.

Keep looking you will find a source.

deb

Thanks deb. Your little ones are lucky to have found you! We almost got a little wether few days ago through Craigslist but the guy sold him to someone else.... which is better because we have to fence our yard and make them a little house before. I heard nigerian are better than pygmy when it comes to milk, that is why we chose this specific breed. Hopefully by next September we will get them. Thanks again, I will keep my eyes open.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
From what I have read Nigerian Dwarfs are dairy goats and Pygmy's are meat goats. When you build your fence pay attention to the lower half about shoulder to the ground (goat height). They wear the fences out in this area rubbing along the fence. All my dog kennel panels have their chainlink bent out in be swooping folds from this. Some are so damaged they broke through the bottom and rolled back the chainlink to make their OWN doors right next to a gate that was already open..... dang little brats.... LOL.

Vertical pickets work well to keep them in and give them something to rub on Pickets on the inside of their pen. If you put up wire make sure they cant get their heads caught through the wire. I started with field fence and saw rather quickly that if my goats had had horns they would have been caught. Even Chainlink I wouldnt do again unless I had a rub board about goat shoulder height.

Horns are an issue for me both from a safety point for the goats but for a safety point for people. Though they do provide good handles ..... LOL for capturing an errant individual.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Deb I cant wait to get the goats next year! I want a pygmy one with floppy ears lol

LOL... Pygmy is a breed. Their breed standard doesn't have floppy ears. Like I said bulldozers with fur.... LOL.


these are Nubians they have floppy years but are definitely not a dwarf breed.


deb

 

[All-American-Chick]

Since we are on goats Ill post a cute picture of our last set of kids.

Chewy the cat and molly the goat.She is much larger now and ready to be breed in October to a black buck,.Oh they will be gorgeous.

 

[vannaHaines]

Ooooo! I love the pygmies. I'm gonna hafta move my butt out to an unincorporated area so I can have me a farm *giggle*

 

[Aumlet]

I love the personalities of pygmy goats.

I don't have much experience with other breeds, but a friend had a pygmy goat I adored.

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

Thanks Deb for all this great info regarding the fence, I will never I thought they could bend it! Whenever we get goats, they will be disbbuded because of my young kids, I just don't want take the chance. How much does it cost to take care of them (feed, deworming, shots, etc...)? Mine won't have the chance to be roaming around, they will be in a little enclosure, with some toys (picnic table, tires, playhouse... ) and their barn. I am trying to know how much pygmy and nigerian dwarf eat a month.... do you give them grain and hay? Do you cut their hooves by yourself?
I agree pygmy goats are more for meat and nigerian for milk.
The one with the floppy hear are nubians, BUT they also have the nubian dwarf (so cute) which is the result of crossing a nigerian dwarf buck and a nubian doe.

 

[perchie.girl]

Thanks Deb for all this great info regarding the fence, I will never I thought they could bend it! Whenever we get goats, they will be disbbuded because of my young kids, I just don't want take the chance. How much does it cost to take care of them (feed, deworming, shots, etc...)? Mine won't have the chance to be roaming around, they will be in a little enclosure, with some toys (picnic table, tires, playhouse... ) and their barn. I am trying to know how much pygmy and nigerian dwarf eat a month.... do you give them grain and hay? Do you cut their hooves by yourself?
I agree pygmy goats are more for meat and nigerian for milk.
The one with the floppy hear are nubians, BUT they also have the nubian dwarf (so cute) which is the result of crossing a nigerian dwarf buck and a nubian doe.

Mine is a different situation from other goat keepers. I have All Withers now. They are pets. The feed requrements of a milking doe are different. I also cannot feed daily because my home is 60 miles away. I go up there every three to five days.

Withers or does that are not pregnant and or not milking have very simple needs. Shelter from wind and rain and cold, a place to play, a very secure yard. I buy a goat block for them for their mineral requirements My three withers eat one in about a month. They are about twelve bucks and weight about twenty five pounds or so. I feed them straight alfalfa the good kind you can feed horses not Cow hay. Then when ever I need to catch them I keep COB around which I sprinkle on top of their hay pile so no one can hog it all. COB is a grain mixture of Corn Oats and Barley. It comes either wet or dry. Dry has no added ingredient Wet has Molasses (de sugared its a byproduct of the sugar making process). They like either the molasses adds minerals and makes the grain smell yummy but if you taste it it wont be sweet.

Because I free feed I cant tell you how much it will cost to feed alfalfa. I give the three boys a whole bale of alfalfa set down in their yard. I dont even pop the strings. They eat it in about a week and a half but they also waste a lot of it I would say probably about a third. I dont have a manger built for it to keep it off the ground. (Next on the things I need to do) A bale of alfalfa runs between 15 and 22 dollars depending on the time of year. Right about now its running around 17 dollars a bale.

I suspect a Nigerian dwarf dairy goat will have lower calorie requirements than a Nubian but the feed types will be the same There is volumes of info on the internet from trimming hooves, which I do and if you can prune roses you can trim goat hooves, to shelter construction and feed for milking goats. I have only wormed once in the six years I have had them because my environment is closed. When I did I found the ninformation online and found you can worm with straight ivermectin horse wormer One little tube of the stuff wormed all four of my goats. They were beating each other up over getting a turn too. The womrer I had was apple flavored and dispenses like toothpaste from a syrringe. Worst case is you will have to hold one by the collar while sticking the tube in the corner of their mouth to dispense the wormer. Easy enough to do by myself Uber easy if you have someone to help or a stanchon. Tube of wormer is about 5 bucks.

Whew I wrote a book. feel free to email me.

deb

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Thanks Deb for all this great info regarding the fence, I will never I thought they could bend it! Whenever we get goats, they will be disbbuded because of my young kids, I just don't want take the chance. How much does it cost to take care of them (feed, deworming, shots, etc...)? Mine won't have the chance to be roaming around, they will be in a little enclosure, with some toys (picnic table, tires, playhouse... ) and their barn. I am trying to know how much pygmy and nigerian dwarf eat a month.... do you give them grain and hay? Do you cut their hooves by yourself?
I agree pygmy goats are more for meat and nigerian for milk.
The one with the floppy hear are nubians, BUT they also have the nubian dwarf (so cute) which is the result of crossing a nigerian dwarf buck and a nubian doe.

All goats should be on free feed alfalfa and loose (not block) minerals.

If you are milking them they will also need grain while "on the stand" while milking.

Bucks and Wethers (neutered males) do not get grain but should get ammonium chloride in their feed to help prevent urinary calculi.

I have 6 Nubians and they eat about 9 bales a month, (obviously two Pygmy's would eat much less). And about 6 bags of grain a month.

The bag of minerals is about $20 bucks and lasts several months.

They will also need de-wormed and vaccines once a year or so.

You will also want to make sure they have been health tested for CAE, CL and Johnes before you buy them, and again once a year after that.

Yes you will need to trim their hooves about once a month to every 6 weeks or so.

And lastly, once a year if you want a continued milk supply you will need to rebreed your doe(s) once a year so she has babies again. Easiest way is to find a breeder (that's tested clean) and board your girl there for a week or so, it can add up in expense though. If you decide to keep a buck he will have to be kept on the opposite side of the property away from the girls so the milk doesn't end up tasting funny.

Hope this helps!

 

[RHRanch]

I havn't bought any goats from this person, but the goats are gorgeous, CAE free herd and located in Vista (North County) http://www.vistasnigeriangoats.com/