Basic Care of Pygmy Goats

Taking care of pygmy goats means more than simply offering feed and water. A pygmy goat is a social animal and likes company, whether it's another goat or a human. Even if you have more than one pygmy goat, spending time with your goats every day is a cornerstone of good goat care.

• Housing: Provide a three-sided lean-to for this goat breed. The shelter should be large enough so that all of the goats can move around freely. It should also contain buckets or a trough for water, and a separate hay rack. Face the open side of the shelter away from the prevailing direction of wind and bad weather in your area. That generally means having a south-facing entrance.
• Feed: Pygmy goats will browse the pasture for most of their feed, but hay should always be available for them. If your pasture grass is not high in vitamins and minerals, make grain supplements available. Bahia grass is a great choice for goats, packing lots of nutrients. Goat feed should be kept up in a hay rack or in a place where it will not get dirty.
• Fencing: Your pygmy goat pasture should be fenced. The fence keeps the goats in and animals such as coyotes and dogs out. The fence should be at least four feet high. If the fence is lower than six feet, put barbed wire around the top and at the outside bottom to deter predators.
• Water: Water should be changed every day. When the water is changed, the bucket or trough should be washed out and rinsed carefully.

Since pygmy goats are social animals and have a nice, even temperament, owners should go out and play with the goats and show them some attention each day. The goats should have at least an hour of interaction every day, though it doesn't have to be all at once.

Goats need a yearly booster of tetanus C & D. This prevents the goats against tetanus and enterotoxema (overeating disease). If you live in an area where selenium is not abundant in the soil, you may have to supplement with selenium.

Pygmy goats also need their hooves trimmed regularly. The hooves can be trimmed with pruning shears or sheep hoof trimmers.