Not So Gruff: The Pygmy Goat

They are cute, but the story is wrong.

Lots of people keep Pygmy goats for milk. They only give a bit less than a quart a day when in milk but its sweeter than the larger dairy breeds. For what they eat they give a pretty respectable amount of milk and can make a good milk animal for a small household. A Nubian or Toggenburg might give over a gallon and a half a day, that is more than many small households can use.

Pygora’s are also increasingly popular, this is a crossbreed of Angora and Pygmy goats and gives fiber, milk and meat. It might be a better “utility animal” for people who can use or sell the fleece.

Some people breeding Pygmy goats DO use the unwanted wethers (castrated bucks) for meat. Because they are smaller than Boers or Nubians they are not good commercial milk and meat goats, but might be just what a small rural homestead needs. They are probably more common as a 4H project or pets, but to say they are never used as a milk goat is definitely false.

I’ve eaten plenty of pygmy goat meat. It’s good meat. Obviously it’s not the intended purpose of the animal but it does just fine, especially for a small family.

My husband’s family owns some pygmy goats. They’re very friendly, but pushy as heck if they think you have food.
The males, although they look neat, are pretty disgusting b/c they will pee all over themselves.