Wide World of Pygmy Goats

First, a little about Pygmy Goats.  They originated in the Cameroon Valley of West Africa as the “Cameroon Dwarf Goat.”  In the 1950s, Swedish and German zoos imported the little cuties as “exotic animals.”  My, how times have changed.  A family in California (the Rhues) and the Catskill Game Farm in New York imported pygmies to the states in 1959. 

And what do these goats “do,” you may ask.  Not much.  A Goat Show friend of ours aptly described this breed of goats as the teacup poodle of goats.  They have absolutely no purpose other than to look cute.  Technically, the Pygmy Goat is a meat goat (versus a dairy goat).  However, most people just keep them as pets.  Silly Wikipedia said that these goats are milk producers and “working animals.”  I would like to see one of these little goats “work.”  Maybe pull a cart? Unlikely – way too stubborn.  Pack animal?  Nuh unh.  They aren’t even effective at grazing down fields or vineyards because they are picky eaters.  They can, however, “work” at the petting zoo.

I have lost count of how many times people ask me, “Do they really eat anything? Like tin cans?”  Well, I am here to tell you definitively that the answer is a resounding NO.  Ours will pick through a bale of alfalfa hay to eat the delicate leaves and strew the remaining stems (about 50% of the bale) in a messy heap around the feeder.

The other question I get a lot is, “ Do you make cheese? Or use the milk?” Nope.  First of all, if you have ever spent much any time with a male goat (called a buck) you will immediately notice that goat cheese smells remarkably like goat urine.  We eat brie, gouda and cheddar here.  No goat cheese.  Second, these little dwarf goats stand 16-23” to the withers (top of the shoulder blade), which means that the teat to the ground distance is about 6.”  Very inconvenient.  Think instead of those tall leggy dairy goats.  There is a very practical reason to breed dairy goats to be so tall: infinitely easier to milk.  We milk pygmies from time to time IF we have a bottle baby or a doe with mastitis, but the process involves virtually lying on the ground to reach the teats.

So pygmy goats stand around and eat, poop and sleep all day, with no real purpose in life.  Like a teacup poodle.  But that’s not totally true, because we show them.  Perhaps their true calling, once they migrated from Africa to Swedish and German zoos, was to be spectacular show specimens.  Regal and glorious.

They are short, chubby animals with animated expressions (sometimes) and kind temperaments (sometimes).  They come in four colors: black, gray (agouti), brown, and caramel.  In a later post, I will rant about the recent lawsuit about colors, but I just don’t have the energy at this moment.  They usually don’t have horns because most owners burn the horns off (“disbud”) for the safety of the other goats around them and the handlers.  At least, that’s how I think of it.  I’m sure there are other “appearance” reasons.  They weigh about 50-80 pounds and fit in XL size dog crates, as a reference.  Female = doe; male = buck; neutered male = wether.

(Top: Maury, Left: Babies at a show, Right: Pupa in a Wagon)

I think you get the idea.  Short, fat, cute, friendly.  Just like a teacup poodle.

The National Pygmy Goat Association (NPGA) (http://www.npga-pygmy.com) is our umbrella organization, and there are dozens (24 to be exact) regional clubs around the USA alone.  I’m not even counting the 4-H projects.  Their Facebook page has 1,427 members as of today.  Yes, a thousand people participate in this hobby.  I often remark to my children that you never know what people do in their spare time.  They might have the damn-dest hobby – like us.  (Rated G, please.)