How Much Do Pygmy Goats Cost? Pygmy goats are small-sized, cobby, and friendly goats that serve as great pets for families. They are African origin and were formerly referred to as Cameroon Dwarf goats.
Averagely, a full-grown pygmy goat weighs around 25-60 lbs (11-27 kg). The pygmy goat is approximately 15-20 inches (38-50 cm).
Due to their cute nature, the demand for Pygmy goats has increased. As such, there has been a little increase in the price of the Pygmy goat, hence the question, “how much do Pygmy goats cost.”
How much do pygmy goats cost?
A pygmy goat duly registered with the national pygmy goat association with a reliable pedigree ranging from $300 to $800. You can get farm-bred goats for about $100. Generally, you can get Pygmy goat for $100 to $800.
You must always prepare before purchasing a pygmy goat, as it is expensive to take care of. Never be tempted to buy a pygmy goat on impulse for whatsoever reason, for you will regret it later.
Remember that a pygmy goat lives for 12 -15 years, so purchasing one is a long-term investment, such you have to be sure before getting committed. Before buying a pygmy goat, you should decide whether to purchase it solely to be a pet for exhibition, milk, or meat. This will help you choose the most suitable pygmy goat for your proposed description.
When purchasing the goat, you must inform the breeder of your purposed use of the goat so you will be disappointed. There are certain questions you have to ask the breeder before purchasing a pygmy goat, and they are:
- Are the goats regularly dewormed and vaccinated?
- Do the goats always fall ill?
- Does the goat have any underlying illness it suffers from?
- What is the registration status of the goat?
- Where are the relevant registration certificates of the goats
- Ask for the proof of foot trimming of the goat.
Never buy a pygmy goat that has not been weaned. The pygmy goat kid must be at least 12 weeks before you can purchase it.
Do not consider buying an entire uncastrated male pygmy goat unless you have some female pygmy goat and a long-term breeding plan. However, if you are purchasing a pygmy goat solely for a pet and don’t want them to breed, you can opt for wethers, which are castrated male goats.
Also, never buying a single pygmy goat makes the goat feel lonely and unhappy, which will psychologically disrupt the goat. Goats are ‘herd’ animals that love staying in the company of each other, no wonder they hold themselves to sleep.
Furthermore, before purchasing a goat, you should be fully aware of the legal requirements of owning one in your region. Is it allowed in your region? If it is, you can go ahead to purchase it.
In purchasing a pygmy goat, I will advise you to buy a PGC-registered pygmy goat. Though they are more expensive, they are more reliable and secure. When purchasing one, you must ask the seller to show you all the goat’s relevant registration or pet record certificate.
I will advise you to carefully check the owner stated on the certificate to confirm whether they are the current seller and the current member of the Pygmy Goat Club and are permitted to transfer the ownership of the goat to the PGC Herdbook.
If the pygmy goat is still a kid or young stock and hasn’t been registered, ask the breeder to register the goat and transfer the ownership status to you immediately. For this latter case, I will advise you to meet the Registration Certificate for the Dam.
The owner stated on the Registration Certificate must be the current seller. If the owner is not the current seller, I will advise you to see the Service Certificate for the Sire or the Sire’s Registration Certificate. However, if you are purchasing a farm-breed pygmy goat and want to register it later in the future, please note that only unfaulty progeny can be registered in the PGC Herdbook.
Also, the Sire and Dam must be registered in the PGC Herdbook. If the goat is used as a pet animal, such as Wethers and Pet Female, you can register them in the PGC Pet Record.
Monthly Cost of Owning a Pygmy Goat
As I state earlier, before purchasing a pygmy goat, you have to be aware of the cost of owning a pygmy goat. If you know you can’t meet up with this, it is better not to own one.
The monthly cost of owning a pygmy goat is around $30. You must provide clean bedding, sturdy shelter, food, water, and vet visits for your goats, all of which cost money. The diet of a pygmy goat is not a problem, as you can easily supplement their diet with grain, hay, and health supplements if you can’t afford the goat pellets.
A vet should visit your goat regularly, and it could be for injuries, disease treatment, vaccines, and health checks. Also, you should know that your goat needs regular maintenance, such as deworming and hoof trimming. You can do it yourself or get a service provider that offers such services.
However, if you purchase a pygmy goat for the first time, you may have to spend $300 owning the goats for the month. Here, you have to make their beddings, spend money on their shelter, and fun items such as toys to keep them busy. Due to their miniature nature, doesn’t occupy plenty of space; two pygmy goats can easily live in 500 sq. ft. areas.
Where can I buy Pygmy Goats?
There are various avenues where you can buy a pygmy bag. So do check them out.
Pygmy Goat Breeders
You can purchase a pygmy goat directly from a pygmy goat breeder. However, you must ensure that the breeder is fully registered with NPGA.
This purchase platform is more expensive, but it is far more reliable, as you can easily track the pedigree of your goat, personality traits, and health history.
Goats Auction and Sales
You can visit local livestock auctions and sales to purchase a pygmy goat. You can easily view the livestock beforehand at these auctions and sales sites to choose the most preferred one.
You must make up your mind on how much you want to purchase a pygmy goat, as bidding wars can increase the price of the animal, and you may be tempted to increase the price you have in mind to purchase the animal.
Online Marketplace
You can easily purchase a pygmy goat from the comfort of your home on the online marketplace. Recently, the online marketplace, including social media platforms, is becoming an increasingly popular avenue to find and purchase your favorite animal without leaving your home.
I advise you to check the Craigslist farm & garden section to purchase your pygmy goat. Also, you can try checking out Facebook’s local livestock groups. You can also search for classified livestock websites and social media platforms.
From Family and Friends
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to purchase pygmy goats is from family and friends.
If you have family or friends who raise pygmy goats, you can ask them if they have any to sell. It is less stressful purchasing through this avenue.
Uses of Pygmy Goats
Pygmy goats are purchased for three main uses, they are:
Home Pet
Pygmy are popular home pets. Due to their small size and friendly nature, they are mostly kept as pets in the home, usually in the backyard or a smaller fenced-off area.
You can use pygmy goats to entertain family, friends, and visitors. It sounds untrue. You should know that pygmy goats are intelligent and friendly, which makes to be easily trained by humans. For a backyard pet, you can go for a mix-breed pygmy goat for around $100, and you have to purchase at least two because goats are herd animals.
Milk Production
Pygmy goats are dairy goats that produce about 2 quarts (1.9 liters) of milk daily. Compared to cow milk, pygmy goat’s milk is far more nutritional, as it contains a large proportion of butterfat. You can get about 5 to 11% butterfat in one gallon of pygmy goat milk against that of a cow that contains about 3.5% of butterfat.
Purchasing a pygmy goat for milk production is more expensive than a pet pygmy. If you purchase a pygmy goat for milk production, you have to pay attention to its health and whether it has a good bloodline. You can purchase a good diary pygmy goat for as much as $300.
Meat production
Even though pygmy goats are small, they still produce a lot of meat due to their sturdy buildup, making them have muscles.
However, they are hardly purchased for meat purchase when there are goats like Boer and Nubian. Most people know them as dairy goats who also function as pets.
Breeding
Most livestock breeders purchase pygmy goats for this function. Pygmy goats are one of the best specie of goats to breed because they can be bred year-round, with a gestation period of about 150 days. Averagely, pygmy goats have a kidding rate of two per gestation, which makes them high-yielding livestock.
Also, Pygmy goats reach maturity between 6-9 months and can begin mating, while cows reach maturity at about 15 months. And a cow carries its pregnancy for nine months and gives birth to only one calf per birth. In simple terms, a pygmy goat yields faster than a cow.
However, if you want to purchase pygmy goats for breeding, you must purchase only registered pygmy goats. They must be duly registered with the National Pygmy Goat Association and have proven bloodlines. These quality pygmy goats can be purchased for around $300 to $800.
Conclusion
While purchasing a pygmy goat, check out its body to ensure that they are healthy and free from pests such as fleas. Ensure you check the breeder online and compare prices before purchasing one to get the best price.
Due to the small nature of the goat, you must get a guardian animal, especially if you live in the countryside where predators can easily attack them.
