Hey everyone! Welcome to my last post in my Farm Frenzy series! I hope you are all having a great summer! So, miniature goats, huh? Who would have thought that goats could be great companions? There are so many interesting and very unique pets that are available to us that we might have never considered! That was my thinking behind my Farm Frenzy series, and I hope that’s what you took away from this. So, without further ado, how to care for Pygmy Goats!
Housing:
- Minimum of 15 – 20 square feet per goat
- 75 – 100 square feet for 5 goats, for example
- A shed or large dog house is suitable for a few goats in a small backyard
- A small barn is necessary if you have multiple goats in a colder climate
- The shed should have separate stalls for each goat to have their own space
- The flooring should be gravel with clay and finally hay
- You will need troughs in each stall to feed each goat
- Make sure your goat area is complete with a woven wire fence at least 4 feet tall (taller for taller goats) to keep the goats in and the predators out! For added safety you can put electric fencing
- You will need at least 1/4 of an acre of land per goat
- Make sure you keep your goats out of trouble with plenty of enrichment – this includes picnic tables for them to climb and jump off, tires, piles of dirt or even see – saws
Food and Water:
- Goats can graze on grass though they prefer brush and Forbes (like dandelions and clovers)
- If you have an entire herd of goats, you will need many acres of grazing land
- Make sure you rotate where your goats graze so that you give the plants time to grow back
- If you don’t have grazing land, Alfalfa hay is a good substitute – they will need 2 pounds of it daily unless you are feeding them grans – then they require less
- In the winter, add more grain to their diet such as barely, oats and corn
- Make sure their diets include Vitamin A and D!
- Include minerals such as iodized salt, ground limestone, and steamed and ground animal bones
- Don’t forget to give them a lot of water and change it often so it’s always fresh
Grooming:
- Brush them daily
- Bathe them with warm water (only if they get parasites)
- Trim their hooves (!) when needed
Make sure to visit the vet every year for a checkup and also do additional research to make sure which vaccines, neutering, and additional procedures are needed. One last thing – make sure you purchase at least 2 goats because they are social animals! Thanks for reading and feel free to comment with your questions and concerns about your companion! Follow my blog for more updates and posts like these and like them to let me know that you want more of these types of posts!
Talk from the Tank 