I am now a pygmy goat farmer!!

famer_manda · #1 03/25/06, 03:18 PM

I was promoted today to goat farmer instead of just chickens and ducks. My husband and I bought 2 sister pygmy goats. I really would love to go by for the male but maybe we will some time this summer. The one pygmy goat MIGHT be pregnant the guy said. It definately is fatter than the other one. Is there some way to know for sure if its pregnant other than waiting for awhile (up to months) and waiting for more signs? I know goats are pregnant for 5 months. When my husband was loading it up, I did see udders. Can they be of any use to telling me anything other than it was a female like I already knew.

I am going to be hanging around here a lot. I have relatively no goat knowledge. I just know a bit about what the owner had told us. He had so many types of goats. I was in goat heaven over there

Amanda

SHELBY · #2 03/25/06, 03:45 PM

Try feeling on her right side more towards the underneath and towards her udder. That's where we felt ours and found out that she was expecting.

Good luck..

famer_manda · #3 03/25/06, 04:52 PM

I found that one of them has swollen udder whereas the other one the area is flat besides for the udder finger thingies. That means she would be less than 6weeks to go right? I found a webpage that said the udders start getting ready around 4-6wks.

**mygoat** · #4 03/25/06, 04:57 PM

Where are you in MI? I am in Brooklyn. I have two buck pygmies (unregistered) and I am willing to stud them out. (I wouldn't own bucks myself if I knew someone with a stud, they're gross creatures, hehe) Welcome to pygmy goats!! See them at www.freewebs.com/mygoats/

Ramblin Acres · #5 03/26/06, 07:43 AM

Amanda,
Vets can ultrasound a goat to give you a more defintinate answer too. You said the guy you bought the pygmies from had many other types of goats.Hopefully he did not run a large breed buck in with your pygmy does as this could cause some problem to the doe while giving birth.

If the doe is pregnant make sure you de worm her the day she freshens.Otherwise welcome to the wonderful world of pygmies.I too raise pygmies and have 4 breeding bucks,but I am too far away to offer any kind of stud service.But if you do decide to buy a buck or rent one,make sure his conformation compliments your does and I feel the temperment of the buck is one of the most important factors for me.I will not use a buck that is aggresive in any way be that he is pushy,rearing up trying to head butt you or biting is just unacceptable to me.

Again welcome...

famer_manda · #6 03/26/06, 06:13 PM

Yes there was larger breeds of male goats all in the same penned area. The thought crossed my mind but I am just hoping that the big white goat didn't mess with my little one

I think he would have been wayy too big to mate with a pygmy though. The goat was more than twice her size though I suppose stranger things have happened!

What is "freshened"?? and where is a good place to buy wormer meds and is it easy to give?

famer_manda · #7 03/26/06, 06:17 PM

I live in Mason county.. Brooklyn is probably far away lol.. I could get a buck from the same place but I think the bucks scare me.....I hear they pee all over themselves :P lol

Ramblin Acres · #8 03/27/06, 05:33 AM

Amanda,
A large breed goat can and will breed to a pygmy,size does not matter to them.I would be extremely watchful of these 2 does as they can and more then likley will have difficulty giving birth. Hopefully you can find a vet close by incase you may need him at delivery time.

Freshing is when the does give birth and start to produce milk,its the technical term.

As far as buck they do pee on themselves but believe it or not this is what makes the does attractive to the buck.We have 4 pygmy bucks here and a nubian buck.I don't ever regret having my own bucks but then again all of my boys are sweet even at breeding times.

famer_manda · #9 03/27/06, 07:38 AM

Well I hope that its the pygmy that found her when she was in heat then. I would hate to have problems. This area has some vets but is there a difference in what vets do? Are some strictly domesticated animal vets? About 6 miles from here there is an animal hospital with a few vets that work out of it. I suppose I should figure that out incase of problems .