How to Raise Pygmy Dwarf Goats

If you are looking for a pet to keep in your backyard or to add to your herd, the Pygmy goat is a good choice. This animal also requires its own way of care, but once you know their needs it shouldn’t be difficult. In fact, Pigmy dwarf goats can grow well in most climates, as long as you prepare them for a decent home. You also need to provide the right food and monitor the dwarf goat’s health so that you can be friends with them for many years to come.

Table of Contents

Provide shelter and entertainment for goats

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Determine the type of barn. Consider the weather where you live to determine the type of barn to build. If you live in a temperate climate most of the year, your goats probably don’t need the kind of sustainable barn found in other regions. At a minimum, you need to build a structure with 3 sides to block rain and wind. However, for areas with harsh winters, you must make a discreet cage to protect livestock, even a small cage. Mainly cover them in bad weather. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Consider the number of goats. The size of the barn will depend on the number of goats. In general, you need to set aside 1.5 – 2 square meters for each goat. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Thus, if you only raise one goat, you should make a barn with an area of 1.5 – 2 square meters, ie 1×1.5m or 1.2×1.5m. If you have 5 goats, the goat house needs to be about 7 to 9 square meters, which is about 2.5×2.7m or 3x3m.
In fact, you can use a large dog house to house a dwarf goat if you keep it in your backyard. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Make a barn wall. If you have a lot of goats, you need to make a partition so that each one has its own space. The ideal barn foundation for goats is gravel with clay on top. This foundation is easy to clean, and after a few years you can apply another layer of foundation. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Hay is a suitable base material. Usually goats don’t eat things on the floor. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
In addition, you also need to attach the feeders for the goats. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Feed the goat properly

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Let the goats graze on weeds. Goats can eat grass, shrubs and herbaceous plants, although they prefer the latter two to grass. Herbaceous plants are weeds such as dandelions or clover. In the summer, your goats may just graze on the pastures, if you have ample land. ^{[10] X Research Source} You will need about 1,000 square meters of land for each goat. ^{[11] X Research Source}

If you have a whole herd of goats, you will need a lot of pasture to meet their needs. In addition, you should rotate the grazing areas to give the plants time to regrow.

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Try feeding your goats alfalfa hay. If there is not enough pasture for the goats, you can feed them alfalfa hay instead of grazing in the field. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Each goat needs about 0.5-1 kg of feed per day. However, they will eat less if given cereal. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Add grains to the goat’s diet. Goats have a greater need to eat in winter. In addition, young and lactating female goats will need a grain-fortified diet even in summer. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Suitable grains include corn, barley, and oats. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Provide plenty of water for goats to drink. Like all animals, goats need water to live. ^{[16] X Research Source} Water is especially important for goats because they are ruminants, which means they need more water for food processing than other animals. ^{[17] X Research Source} You need to make sure the goats always have clean water to drink.

Remember to regularly clean the water troughs.

Keeping goats healthy

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Brush the goat once a day. Use a stiffer brush to remove visible dirt from the goat’s coat, then use a soft brush (horsehair brush) to brush the goat’s coat. In addition, you should check the goat’s skin for lumps, as these are signs that they are infected or scratched. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Usually you don’t need to trim your goat’s coat, unless you want to prepare it for a show. ^{[19] X Research Source}

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Bathe goats only if they are infected with parasites. Usually, just brushing the goat’s coat is enough. When bathing your goat, be sure to use lukewarm water so it doesn’t get cold. Rub in pet-friendly bath oils or goat-specific bath oils. Use shower gloves to make the job easier. Rinse off the soap. ^{[20] X Research Source}

If the goat has a collar, it will be easier, since you have room to hold the goat while you bathe it. ^{[21] X Research Source}

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Provides vitamin A. Pygmy goats need vitamin A in their diet to stay healthy. They usually get this vitamin from green grass or when grazing in the field. However, if they are not getting enough of these foods, try adding corn to your goat’s diet. ^{[22] X Research Source}

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Add vitamin D. Just like humans, goats need vitamin D to absorb calcium, thereby maintaining bone health. If you often graze goats outdoors, they will absorb vitamin D through sunlight. But if the goats don’t get much sun, you should feed them sun-dried hay (not heat-dried) or irradiated yeast. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

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Add minerals to pasture goats. For goats that only eat pasture (instead of alfalfa grass and grains), you should feed them a mixture of iodized salt, limestone (crushed) and animal bones (steamed and ground). ^{[24] X Research Source}

In general, you can just keep these mixtures in separate buckets and feed the goats as they please. ^{[25] X Research Sources}

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Inject selenium. Selenium is an essential nutrient, and it is especially necessary if leukoplakia is endemic in the area, because selenium has a preventive effect on this disease. Newborns should also be given selenium injections. ^{[26] X Research Sources}

This disease calcifies the muscles and turns them white, hence the name. ^{[27] X Research Source}

Warning

When raising baby goats, you may need to trim the goat’s horns when they are young to avoid being hit by the goat when they grow up. You can cut the goat’s horns when they are 2 weeks old. ^{[35] X Research Source}

Steps

Provide shelter and entertainment for goats

Feed the goat properly

Keeping goats healthy

Warning

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