Nubian in Milk or Bred Pygmy? (Purchasing Question)

[Organic Cowgirl]

DH has ALWAYS wanted a pygmy or dwarf goat....for as long as I've known him.(since I was 15. ) I would like to have our own milk. (Mind you, we go through very little milk, about a gallon a week.) The last factor is that we have young kids around who would like to help as much as is possible and safe. I'm leaning towards the first goat I'll mention, but would LOVE your input.

I'm looking at two goats on craigslist. The first is a bred pygmy who always has thrown twins, black with grey ear tips, very sweet, part of a 4H group. She's about four weeks out. $150

The other is a 4 yr old Nubian. "Raised a great doe kid this year, now raising triplet Boers. Great bag and gentle." $200 firm

I haven't seen either goats in person yet and, honestly, won't know too much what I'm looking at yet, anyway. I know, from reading, the importance of good udder attachment, etc., but don't know if I'll be able to tell anything myself. I don't have any goaty friends to tell me, either.

Thanks in advance, folks!

[ozark_jewels]

Is the Nubian broke to milk?? Tested CAE free(or are they willing to get her tested)?? Herd has no CL??
Also, "great bag" can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Most people who I have had say "great bag", they are usually looking at the most pendulous, saggy udder in the herd. Because its big, they see a "great bag". So for me.....I'd want all those questions answered before I decided on anything.
The Pygmy also needs to be CAE and CL free. Even for a bred Pygmy, $150 is a lot of money. I can pick up pygmys anytime in this area for $20-$60. Most pygmys are not CAE tested.
Huge deal breakers for me is the CAE and CL. Especially CL!!
If you do want some milk, I'd go for the Nubian. Pygmies can be *really* hard to milk due to *tiny* teats. Also, few pygmies are broke to milk.

[Organic Cowgirl]

I haven't found a SINGLE person around here who tests for CAE or CL. I've been looking for a goat for over a year now, no exaggeration. I finally decided I'd take my chances and buy them and test myself. You can eat them if they test positive, right?

What about milking if they're positive? I'm just thinking that if I got a doe who did test positive, I could keep her around for milk until she got uncomfortable, then butcher her. Is that a terrible idea?



ETA: The Nubian is broke to milk, leads, broke to a halter, will go to a milking stall on her own, etc. While I was speaking to the husband on the phone, his wife was out in the round pen giving a seminar on showing goats. Now, I withhold judgement 'til I see them, of course, but they did seem to be knowledgeable and professional on the phone. I'm pretty sure we covered vaccines/worming when discussing this goat, but as I've called about several, I can't recall for sure and would have to clarify it with him.

The pygmy lady didn't seem as knowledgeable. She said her goats were a 4H project that got carried away. I know it would be a total guess for y'all, but what might you think she'd take on the pygmy. I've not seen ANY goats around here for less than $75, unless they had injuries or some other major flaw. This doe had her CDT vax and worming last month. She has all records, she says.

How would I go about testing and approximately how much does it cost?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Testing:
http://www.biotracking.com/

Don't get the Pygmy. That's not a milk goat, it's too small, and you just really can't milk one that small easily. I've tried.

Get the testing done on any milk goat you get and find a healthy wether pygmy for a companion for her.

[RiverPines]

For those prices they should be tested and registered!!!

And dont buy one goat they can not live alone!

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by Organic Cowgirl

I haven't found a SINGLE person around here who tests for CAE or CL. I've been looking for a goat for over a year now, no exaggeration. I finally decided I'd take my chances and buy them and test myself. You can eat them if they test positive, right?

What about milking if they're positive? I'm just thinking that if I got a doe who did test positive, I could keep her around for milk until she got uncomfortable, then butcher her. Is that a terrible idea?

Yes, you can eat them if they test positive for CAE. CL is not a disease you want to even bring on your place, so do a very thorough hands-on check of that goat and the entire herd she comes from. Look for any lumps, bumps or open sores. Especially in the throat, head, chest and flank areas. See anything like this on *any* goats in the herd, pass on the goat.

You can keep a CAE positive doe for milk for humans, chickens, calves, etc. You do *not* want to feed it to kids though. So keeping her in milk will become problamatic since you will have to breed her.

On the pygmy, if you really want her......I might see if she would take $75?? But I really do not reccomend a pygmy. They are almost give-away goats in my area.

On the price for the Nubian.....is that $200 with the kids or by herself? Just as a comparison price, my tested CAE negative, CL-free, friendly, milkstand-broke, registered purebred Nubian milkers start at $250 and go up to $400 depending on their quality. So if she is healthy, a good milker, only four years old, milk-stand trained(be sure to milk her before commiting to anything), etc. $200 isn't too bad for even a decent grade milker.