WHY PYGMY GOATS? Raising Pygmy Goats is its own reward.  Although they are regarded as livestock, they are social and personable creatures that bring us a lot of joy.  Many of our friends bring their children and grandchildren over to see them.  And when time and schedules permit, we take them to area schools, so the city students get a chance to be introduced to these wonderful animals.  You'd be amazed at some of the misconceptions they have.  Even the coolest kids give in and pet, walk, and hold them. These goats are SMART.  Each one of them responds to their own name, they can tell time (they know when it's feeding time), and can smell out a treat at 30 feet.  And they also sense when you need attention by standing next to you, so you can pet and scratch them.  The babies make it even easier for us by jumping onto our laps. Pygmy goats can also be much more than just pets.  They are effective at environmentally protecting your land.  They:    * Clear out brush (fire protection)    * Fertilize (their manure will not burn plants)    * Reduce the population of ticks and fleas    * Prevent erosion by eating only the tops of plants, protecting the roots

And they do all this without the need for chemicals, pesticides, or machinery.  By carefully controlling how we use our land, Hundred Oaks Farm has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat, providing food and shelter for a variety of wildlife.

People who raise goats are some of the friendliest, most caring folks you will ever meet.  They are usually more than willing to help you when you have problems or questions about yours.

Daily interaction with your Pygmy Goats has also been proven to help reduce your blood pressure, as well.

"The kids are in their new home and actually behaved pretty well in the truck after about 15 minutes, at least until my wife started talking goat to them which touched off another round of chatter."

THINKING ABOUT GETTING A PYGMY GOAT?
Goats are herd animals.  They want and need to be with their own kind.  If you want your new goat to grow, thrive and be happy, it needs to have a companion.  Then, it has someone to play with and keep it company.  We will not sell a single goat, unless the new owner already has at least one.

WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR?
If you want a loving pet, pick a goat that is willing to come up to you, be petted and scratched, and even picked up (if they are small enough).  An animal that has not been handled since birth is not likely to change very easily.  If you can't handle the goat before you bring it home, don't expect to when it gets there.  We DO NOT advocate taking a baby from its mother to bottle raise under any circumstances, unless necessary for the kid's survival.  A wether (castrated male) is especially suited to be a pet, since its only interests are attention and food.

FEEDING
Keeping our little charges healthy is relatively easy.  Along with bushes, grasses, and whatever else they find in their enclosures, we provide daily feedings of goat ration (for minerals), and add sweet feed during the winter months.   We supplement all this with dried kelp, to add vitamins, more minerals, elements and amino acids in trace amounts to their diet.  Fresh hay, mineral/salt blocks and water are always available.  Mimosa leaves and cabbage are some of their favorite 'snacks'.  On really special days, we will have an animal cracker party.   We just have make sure to count our fingers afterward!  In the fall and winter, they occasionally get pumpkins, and watermelon (see our July 4th party) during the summer.  Our does have 2 acres of hilly woods to browse, and the bucks get 1/2 acre.  We also worm every 8 weeks, if possible.

HOUSING
Shelter is equally important.  We have large plastic dog houses, in addition to their stalls, inside our old barn.  This keeps them well protected from rain and wind, and gives extra protection when necessary.  Mothers and babies are kept away from the rest, and the males are segregated, except at mating time.

FENCING
Good fencing cannot be stressed enough.  Besides keeping them contained (and protecting gardens and automobiles), you also want to keep out their worst enemy: dogs.  Goats, by their very nature, are rough on their surroundings.  We originally started off with welded fencing, but it has held up only about a year in some places.   They like to scratch themselves by rubbing against the fence as they walk, which will stretch and loosen the material.  I have even watched as two does butted heads through the fence, tearing it to shreds!  Bucks are no better.  They have been known to try anything to get to the females, including ripping the fence or knocking down poles.  We have finally settled on 48" field fencing, commonly used for cattle.  It is also almost indestructible, so once installed, it stays.

"The day after we brought them home I got a call from a neighbor to ask if I had goats. Needless to say I was bragging about them, thinking that she had seen them when she drove by the house. NO! They were all 3 on her front porch and helping themselves to her flower bed."

RESPONSIBLE BREEDING
It is our philosophy to only breed once a year, to give the does time to rest and enjoy their babies, which we time to be born in the spring.  Only does that are at least 1 1/2 years old are selected for breeding.  We have been fortunate to be present for over 90% of all the kiddings.  There is something very spiritual about helping the moms deliver their babies; getting them dried and breathing.  Handling all the babies & mothers daily helps them remain tame, and gives us a chance to do physical inspections.  We give the new kids Probios within the first 3 days, to get their rumen off to a good start.  The Probios will also help a kid (older than 3 months) when they go off-feed.

At the present time, we recommend all of our baby bucks be surgically castrated, in order to make the best pets (wethers).  They remain sweet and lovable, instead of stinky and aloof.  We have this done for the new owners, so we can monitor and ensure proper healing.  That way, they are all ready for their new families when the time comes.

BOTTLE BABIES
There seems to be some controversy regarding bottle raised kids.  We have never found it necessary to remove them from their mothers to make good, loving pets of them.  The closeness the kids develop to their mothers help make them well adjusted, and the young does stand a much better chance of being good mothers if they have had that relationship themselves.  We will not bottle feed, unless it is a medical necessity.  All of our babies are weaned before they are released to their new families.

Almost every year, we are contacted by someone that was tricked into buying a baby to bottle raise.  Sadly, it's usually because the baby died, and they are looking for a replacement.

PLAYING
We try to provide toys for our goats.  What looks like a picnic table is part of their playground, with different levels to jump to and from.  You can tell the herd hierarchy from who is on top.  Watching the mothers and their kids bounce around their pens is some of the best and cheapest entertainment you can get.  We also have large rocks and boulders they can climb and jump on, which also helps keep their hoofs trimmed.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PESTS
Luckily, our goats' coats contain some lanolin, although not as much as sheep.  This natural lubricant helps to protect them from ticks, fleas and some flies.   However, we must still be on the lookout for other infestations, such as lice and worms.  Lice can be brought in with new animals, which has happened here once before.  We now take extra measures to make sure that mistake doesn't happen again.  Worms, however, are another matter entirely.  If a farm tells you they don't need to treat for worms, don't believe it for a second.  They are an ongoing battle for every farmer, and only a well executed plan will keep them to a minimum.  We follow a comprehensive plan that includes natural (non-chemical) compounds to minimize the effects of both internal and external pests.  If a goat doesn't have a shiny coat and pink gums, pass it up!

A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT FLOPPY KID SYNDROME
One of our few losses to date was due to what we later identified as Floppy Kid Syndrome.  We had a 7 day-old male that would not feed, and was too weak to stand.  Our vet gave him antibiotics, but we lost him 4 days later, even though we brought him inside, bottle fed him, and did everything in our power.  It was a very tragic loss for us.  Researching this later brought me to an obscure article about losses in very young goats.  A seemingly healthy animal would suddenly go limp and die, for no good reason.  It turns out, to put it in the simplest terms, the kid would develop an extremely acid stomach (only 1 of the 4 would be functional at this age), and would not be able to digest its milk.  The answer: baking soda in solution with water.  We have had the 'fortune' to prove this theory several times, when one of our kids can't eat.  In just a few hours after treatment (and warming in the house), they are as good as new.  You can read more about this at Cornell University Cooperative Extension.  It is very important to administer treatment as soon as you notice lethargic behavior.  Death can occur very suddenly, as new kids don't have any energy reserves.  The baking soda solution will not harm your kid at any age.  If you want to share this information with your vet, please, do not hesitate.

CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE
There is a great amount of good goat information on the Web.  Some sources that have proven most useful to us are: Kinne's Mini's, Fias Co Farm, Amber Waves Pygmy Goats, Hoegger Goat Supply, and GoatWorld.  As with any advice, take what you need, and leave the rest.