pygmy? nigerian dwarf?

Either would do well for you Doc. I have both and I love them to pieces! My Pygmies have a range of personalities so they are not all bossy etc. My Destiny is sweet as can be.

Pygmy colors are more limited then ND but there is still quite a few possibilities.

There is the gray agouti (most common), it comes in light gray, gray and dark gray agouti.

Brown agouti

Carmel, light, medium and dark.

Black, black with frostings

Check the NPGA for their color standards. I will look it up and post a link when I find it.

I am breeding my pygmy to a ND this year since they are just pets and not registard. I am figuring I will have all black kids since the buck is black and one of my girls is black, the other is brown agouti which is basically genetically black. I may get a brown agouti to. Who knows.

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here it is:
http://www.npga-pygmy.com/resources/...olor_chart.asp

color chart
http://www.npga-pygmy.com/resources/...or_samples.asp

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I'd have to thow my vote to the Nigies. I've had Pygmies for years, and now have a Nigie, as well as our dairy goats (full size). The Pygmies were harder to keep in, harder to train to lead, just more wild and flightly than the full size goats, even when bottle raised. Our Nigie was wild, never had been handled at all, and at 6 yrs old, is just now learning that people are her friends. She's taming down pretty quickly and is starting to come for grain and a scritch. I have a feeling that by the time spring is here, she'll be as tame as my big girls. Once tamed down, we will be looking for a new pet home for her as I prefer to stick with the bigger goats for milking.

As you are just looking for pets, I guess it depends on what you like better once you actually meet some of each. Take your time and pick goats with a really nice temperament, friendly, easy to lead, etc.

actually I have a opposite situation here. My pygmies settled down and are now friendly while my ND is still flighty at times. She will come up to me when my back is turned or I have grain but other then that she runs off. I have had her since she was 3 months old (very skittish then, so we are making progress) and she is now 11 1/2 months old. I work with her daily - but not as much as I would like, but she gets the same attention as the other goats.

It truly depends on the goat, not the breed.

Some say Nubians are loud, others differ. (THer are other examples but my brain is fried, long day!) so it really depends on the individual goat.

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Boy, I'll say - it sure seems to depend on the goat's personality. But all your stories make me smile. One Q: type of fence needed and minimum area enclosed for two?

I would like to find rescues, but that may not be possible. I live in central NC if anyone has suggestions about where to find them? Both breeds, that is.

A lot of 'rescues' are going to cost you quite a bit in the long run. You get what you pay for, I am now a firm believer.....I used to take in unwanted goats...but after the vet bills to get them 'right' or the space to bury them when they died soon after, it just wasn't worth it.
MANY MANY rescue goats are not gentled, and THOSE are the ones who will never warm up to you, no matter what the breed....it is frustrating.
You are by far better off, finding a reputable breeder to start off correctly. Don't let the asking price deter you......as more times then not...it will save you in vet bills and heartache.
As for fencing...you can go as cheap as nailing pallets together. We have dog kennels here too. We now have graduated to stock fencing with three lines of hot wire, but it is an investment. If a goat can get a running start or can jump on their house and get a running start........they CAN jump out.
We had a 7 week old pygmy dwarf that could clear a 4 1/2 foot fence from the ground.

I have to disagree here. I got two Mini Manchas that were wild as March Hares. Now they are both very good milkers, and quite gentle and affectionate.

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