The Goat Spot Forum banner

Getting a pygora, diet and basic care questions

3K views 22 replies 7 participants last post by  Iggy 
#1 ·


I have been corcheting for years, but these past couple months I have been getting into handspinning and want to get into getting fiber producing goats. This little yearling pygora doe just popped up for sale, so I started reading up on the care of angoras and angora crosses care. So any tips? For her diet would alfalfa, brush (black berry bushes and a couple other plants), and grass hay work? Are there any supplements that I should give her that would help with producing mohair?
 
See less See more
1
#3 ·
Oh, I'm so jealous! Look at that little face.:inlove: I don't really have any advice from experience, but I've heard that you need to make sure you don't feed hay above a fiber producing animal. Basically you don't want hay and vegetable matter getting in the fiber so you need to make sure the hay racks are such that the hay can't get stuck in the coat. Good luck with your new fur baby!
 
#4 ·
What brand of loose mineral would you recomend? I am currently using one my local mill makes that seems to do the trick for my other goats, but is there any brand I should try instead? I didn't think about the hay racks, makes sense though. I have a ground feeder I can use instead of my hay bags. I am so excited to pick her up tomorrow, but also quite nervous... I heard angora/angora crosses can be delicate to take care of and I want to make sure to check all the boxes!
 
#16 ·
She is settled down for the night. The owner was experienced and all goats all looked healthy and seem to be receiving good care. Piney is the doeling's name, short for Pinecone. She is super sweet and very tame. Today is her first birthday, and looks like she is ready to be sheared. However my only concern, was the owner kept all the goats together in a pasture. It was a nice set up, with plenty of shelter and pasture. However they kept 3 billy goats in with the does that had just kidded and the doeling I bought. Is that a concern at all, with accidental pregnancies?
 
#18 ·
I've got 4 pygora gals and they're just the sweetest things. I've never owned goats before, bought these as my 'covid project', and am enjoying them immensely. They're hardy, personable creatures, like fuzzy cottonball cats.

My girls are on an 80/20-ish mix of alfalfa hay & orchard grass. They get alfalfa pellets, probiotic biscuits a couple times a month, Manna minerals, and looove AppleSmacks horse biscuits by Star Milling. They have rotational pasture time now that it's a little green here, so that's supplemented with the trees throughout the property (they love olive trees!), wild mustard, stinging nettle, etc etc. And our lawn! I haven't had to mow in ages!

You will need to learn to shear or make a contact with a professional, because these girls need a haircut every 6 months. You might be able to fudge the timeline if you live in a particularly cold area, but the longer you wait, the more difficult it can be to process the fiber. Generally we get 3-4" staple across the prime areas in 6 months, you don't want to let it get much longer than that unless you're really careful about keeping out the vm. They can be coated with XS or XXS sheep coats, but in my experience they're wiley and have hated it, so I've given up on protecting their fiber pre-shear!
I do have to walk their pasture & the yards to rip up plants with sticky seed pods or thistle burrs. Keeping the fiber clean is a chore, but you'll thank yourself when it requires less skirting and picking in the end. They also sometimes get a little butt-trim halfway through their growing period, to keep the berries and muck away from their lady bits.

They do benefit from halter training! It'll make shearing more bearable, if you don't have a milking stand. I also take my girls for walks, but I live in an eclectic neighborhood where people walk their mini donkeys and parrots so goats on a leash is not eye-catching.

If you plan on showing Pygora, they do need to be dehorned. I bought mine for homesteading, but I'm still contemplating if we will show any offspring in the future so I paid for their papers. I was told to keep them bedded on straw hay, especially during kidding, as it's less irritating to lungs and skin. Some of our girls have really nice conformation, and might throw some pretty babies! Who knows!

206977


Wishing you a long and happy fiber-filled friendship with little Pinecone!
 
#19 ·
Sorry for taking so long to respond, I didn't get the email notification I typically do. Beautiful goats! Never heard of the probiotic biscuts, I'm interested to try those. I did end up getting her, and she is fitting in well with my Nigerian herd, and is best friends with one one of the does. I sheared her last month, here in Oregon things have been pretty warm and I saw her fleece was starting to mat. My only concern with her is she is only a yearling, but I am having a growing suspicion she is pregnant, gradually her udder has been looking more full, her ligaments are "gone", and her back end looks very poofy. Her previous owners kept 3 billies in the pen with her, so it might be possible? No signs of discomfort or labor, but I'm keeping close watch.
 
#21 ·
I just checked again, little bit of white mucus coming out of her vulva, and she is doing that "broken-tail" thing I notice all my goats do when they are close. I'm 90% sure she is pregnant at this point. But if she doesn't show any more signs by tomorrow, I might try that.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top