Never had goats, so ???

[bourbonred]

My neighbor will probably be moving soon and had recently bought 3 pygmy goats--a male, a female, and a wether? (castrated). I'm good with beef and poultry and have thought about goats or sheep for awhile. I know goats need good fences, but that's about it. I've got the space and the feed and have wondered about a goat to milk and to make cheese in a shumer hits the fan situation. Questions:
-Are pygmy goats a pet or do they produce enough meat and milk to be worth keeping as a goat herd?
-What are the pros/cons of pygmys.
-Is there anything that a goatkeeper needs to know specific to these animals?
-What's a good price for pygmy goats?
As earlier stated I have beef cattle for meat and could milk a few if I needed to, but goats open up much more opportunities, especially these little guys. And I could probably get them pretty cheap.

[LoneStrChic23]

I personally wouldn't want to milk a pygmy......talk about tiny teats!! Not to mention they are not bred for milk production so for me, I wouldn't get enough milk to be worth my time. They are good pets though, as well as decent little BBQ goats. All the ones I've ever encountered were hardy, easy keepers

In my area pymgies are dirt cheap......find them all day long on CL for $15-$50.

For me, pygmies aren't much more than pets. If you want milk, get a dairy goat, or if you like the small size look into Nigerians, miniature dairy goats or Kinders (pygmy x nubian cross). I have my goats for dairy......All goats are edible though so any unwanted/extra males go in the freezer. My mini alpine bucklings were suprisingly meaty.....Not boer meaty, but good enough to make it worth our time to put then in the freezer

[Backfourty,MI.]

Pygmies are really a meat breed goat so you want get alot of milk from them. I think most people have them for pets anymore though.

There are lots to learn about goats, although they are pretty easy to raise there are some basics like feed, wormers, minerals, etc. that you'll need to learn about.

Fiasco.com has alot of info for anyone just starting out that you may want to read too.

[Creamers]

-Are pygmy goats a pet or do they produce enough meat and milk to be worth keeping as a goat herd? Not really enough of either - originally a meat goat, people do not typically breed for meatiness anymore, so they have turned into primarily pets - not to say you can't eat one
-What are the pros/cons of pygmys. Great first goat, cheap, hardy - no real purpose beyond pets anymore- sure. . . you can milk them, I guess you could milk a cat - haa haa - but for the effort, other breeds really serve the purpose far better - I started in Pygmy goats
-Is there anything that a goatkeeper needs to know specific to these animals?goats are tough, esp. in the beginning - special diet needs and mineral needs - not ideal to keep bucks with does all the time - too much breeding for year round breeders like Pygmy goats - you'll need a companion for a doe and a buck or 2 of each
-What's a good price for pygmy goats? healthy ones will run you $100 or more around here; registered stock $200 and up and hard to find - auction stock - $15 and up