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Barnyard Buddies:  How are your Mini Goats?  |
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Yesterdayfarm
True Blue Farmgirl
82 Posts
Laura at
Columbia
Ky
USA
82 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 10 2011 : 1:00:17 PM
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Ladies, I raise standard size saanens. But, a year or two ago my husband was given a pygmy buck. It was late in the fall so I bred all of the goats to the pygmy. I did not wont to keep any of the offspring;but, one just sorta stayed. She kidded this spring and is giving a little over a quart of milk a day. My saanens give around 3 quarts a day. Is this a normal amount for this little girl to give? Is she milking to little, or about normal? And, will she do a little better next year? I really like the cross! She eats like a mouse and is not hard to keep in good condition. Also, she has great feet. Have any of you raised this cross before and what should I expect from her offspring?
Come and see what is happening at Kentucky's Yesterday's Farm! http://yesterdaysfarm.weebly.com/ |
Edited by - Yesterdayfarm on Jun 10 2011 4:32:17 PM |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2011 : 2:41:48 PM
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pure pygmys give around 1 to 2 quarts a day , depending on size and age, so if she is pygmy size, sounds good to me...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Yesterdayfarm
True Blue Farmgirl
82 Posts
Laura at
Columbia
Ky
USA
82 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2011 : 4:22:17 PM
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Miss Tina, Thank you for your comment! Sounds like you know alot about pygmys, I may have more questions for you in the future. :)
Come and see what is happening at Kentucky's Yesterday's Farm! http://yesterdaysfarm.weebly.com/ |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2011 : 5:41:32 PM
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I have always had a few around, and my daughter raised them for several years for 4-H, and I have boer/nubian crosses that I breed for milk and meat also...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Yesterdayfarm
True Blue Farmgirl
82 Posts
Laura at
Columbia
Ky
USA
82 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2011 : 7:39:25 PM
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Hello Miss Tina, I have had milk goats every since my husband and I married 27 yr.s ago. I have 4 saanens,1 nubian alpine cross,the little half pygmy,5 saanen doelings and 1 reg. saanen buck at this time. All of the big girls are milking. I hand milk the girls. I feed a 16% dairy goat ration, alfalfa pellets, and good hay. I feed my extra milk to my husbands wattle hogs. I have had alpines, lamanchas,Nubian's, and several crosses of these milk goats, but I never thought of Pygmy's as milk goats until this little one came into my life. Are Pygmy's long lived? And, if I bred her back to my saanen buck do you think her daughters will still carry the good characteristics of their mother?
Come and see what is happening at Kentucky's Yesterday's Farm! http://yesterdaysfarm.weebly.com/ |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2011 : 7:52:20 PM
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Laura, My pygmys have all lived long lives, 10 - 15 yrs, all my livestock live out their days here, and as far as a breed back, if her lineage is all sweet and good producers, why not, just make sure you breed her to a small buck, cause otherwise you might run into kidding problems, and have to do a emergency c-section...You feed your goats well, do you run into any weight problems with your feed selection? Also pygmys will eat more than they need sometimes, so watch her weight...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Yesterdayfarm
True Blue Farmgirl
82 Posts
Laura at
Columbia
Ky
USA
82 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2011 : 8:06:51 PM
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Miss Tina, I don't have any weight problems, or at least I hope not to. I have a 15 min. rule of thumb. If the girls have not cleaned up all their feed in that amount of time I remove the rest of the feed until the next feeding. The little girl dose not eat as much as her larger family members do. But, this past kidding season I had alot of triplets! As a matter of fact the only one that had a normal amount of babies was the 1/2 pygmy she had twins. I read that fat goats sometimes have multiple births because of being to fat. I wonder.....
Come and see what is happening at Kentucky's Yesterday's Farm! http://yesterdaysfarm.weebly.com/ |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 08:59:40 AM
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fat goats also can have trouble conceiving, miscarring, and other troubles
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Barnyard Buddies: How are your Mini Goats? |
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How are your Mini Goats?
