Pygmy/Novelty Goat Round Robin Questions

General Information

1. What is an adult female goat called?
   • A doe or nanny
2. What about a male?
   • A buck or Billy
3. What is a castrated male goat called?
   • Wethers
4. What is a baby goat called?
   • A kid
5. Where did pygmies originate?
   • The Cameroon Valley of West Africa, or simply West Africa
6. What does the NPGA stand for?
   • National Pygmy Goat Association
7. Which goat breeds are considered to be small animals at the San Juan County Fair?
   • Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarfs
8. Which is more digestible to humans, cow’s or goat’s milk?
   • Goat’s milk

Anatomy, Care, and Health

1. How long is a pygmy goat’s gestation period?
   • About five months or 145-155 days
2. How long is a pygmy goat’s estrus period?
   • 2-3 days
3. When is the breeding season for pygmies?
   • August to Mid-March
4. How many offspring do pygmies typically have per kidding?
   • 2 kids
5. What is the average weight of an adult? A newborn kid?
   • 40-70 pounds: 2-4 pounds
6. What needs trimming on goats? How often?
   • The hooves. About 4 times per year
7. When can kids be weaned?
   • When they are about 10 weeks old
8. True or false: Milking does need twice as much feed as pregnant ones?
   • True
9. Goats are ruminants; this means they have how many stomachs?
   • 4 stomachs
10. True or false: Only male pygmy goats have horns.
    • False

Breeds, Purposes, and Colors

1. What are three of the five purposes goats are raised for?
   • Meat, dairy, hair/fiber, pets, work—pulling carts/pack animals and controlling weeds
2. What are pygmies primarily raised for?
   • Pygmies are primarily raised for meat, though some still consider them to have a dual purpose, meaning they are also raised for milk.
3. Name two breeds of goat. What are their purposes?
   • Alpine—dairy
   • La Mancha—dairy
   • Nubian—dairy
   • Saanen—dairy
   • Oberhalsi—dairy
   • Toggenburg—dairy
   • Nigerian Dwarf—dairy
   • Kiko—meat
   • Pygmy—meat
   • Boer—meat
   • Myatonic or Fainting—meat
   • Angora—hair/fiber
   • Cashmere—hair/fiber
4. Name a color of goat.
   • Agouti (Grey, Black, and Brown)—dark, ranging from silver-grey to black with solid, darker stockings
   • Caramel—light, ranging from white to light brown with vertical stripes on front of dark stockings
   • Solid Black—no stockings or white anywhere
   • Black—no stockings and no white except around ears, nose, and eyes

Diseases and Safety

1. Name three plants that are poisonous to goats?
   • Plants poisonous to goats include Azalea, Daffodil, Foxglove, Hemlock, Laurel, Rhododendron, Rhubarb, Tansy Ragwort, and most houseplants
2. Name two diseases or parasites.
   • Diseases and parasites include Coccidiosis, Mastitis, Pneumonia, Pink Eye, Paratuberculosis (wasting disease), Sore Mouth, Roundworm, Lungworm, Foot Rot, Scrapie, and Boils
3. What should be done to goat milk to keep you from getting sick?
   • It should be pasteurized
4. What is the most important issue regarding pygmy goat health care?
   • Prevention
5. True or false: goats eat pretty much anything.
   • False. Goats will mouth potential food to see if it’s edible, but will sometimes starve rather than eating spoiled or indigestible food; goats are able to digest a wide range of vegetation, however.
6. Name three signs that your goat is ill.
   • Tends to stay away from other goats and/or you
   • Has a distressed or depressed expression in the eyes
   • Looks dull and listless
   • Does not want to move
   • Grinds teeth
   • Breathes in a quick, shallow fashion or coughs a lot
   • Has no appetite, is not interested in food
   • Urinates frequently
   • Tries to urinate but is unable to do so, especially wethers
   • Exhibits a changed color and consistency in the feces, i.e., scours (diarrhea)
   • Has a temperature above normal
   • Shows drastic change from normal habits and behavior
   • Head pressing, presses head against wall or fence