# Really??



## AmberLBowers (Nov 28, 2008)

I noticed on another thread that it was frowned upon by many to house goats in dog kennels. I was planning on either 2 bottle babies (does) or a doe with kid(s) at her side to start with. These would be African Pygmies. Primarily for pets, but also milked when the time came. YES, I know pygmies are not the standard dairy animal, but this isn't going to be our primary source of dairy, mainly pets with a little high butterfat milk to play cheesemaking (which I have done with raw cows milk before). I will be ordering a Maggidans Pygmy milker due to the "itty bitty -----s" They would be housed in a 10X10 kennel like our chickens, all hay and feed brought to them. Let out for at least one extended (1-2 hour) play time a day, well supervised of course, possibly on a harness (remember I said they were mainly pets). Buck services will be outserviced when needed or could possibly house a buck and wether buddy in a similar set up. What would be wrong with this? The floor is open...:lookout:


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

I personally would never put a goat in a 10 by 10 kennel except for temp housing. 
Goats are active creatures. Exercise comes from jumping, and running. Cant do that much of that in only a 10ft by 10ft space.
For the lifetime, space should include room for running and playing so the animal can thrive instead of just survive.

I'm not a big supporter of dogs that live out their entire lives in that much space either. They to need to play and run too.

People do use small space for the life of an animal and thats their choice. But I cant personally do it. Animals that just live are not the same as happy, well exercised, thriving animals.

To me its the difference between a chicken that spends its whole life in a cage like battery hens and chickens that have a coop with at least a big chicken yard that get to be, well, chickens! 
Both live but only one thrives.

My ewes, I have 2 are in a pen thats 40ft by 80ft, and that's for nighttime and bad weather days, otherwise they are in pasture. Same with my 2 rams that have a separate pen from the ewes.
My goats had even more space than the sheep and all the animals use all the space! They run, play, bounce, and are so happy! 

Animals in small space with nothing to do but stand around get bored too. How many times can a goat be happy just jumping up and down that one crate, especially after a few years? 
They have more fun with several 'mountains' to climb and play king of the hills!
Its fun to race from hill to hill, log pile to shelter roof, to wooden box, etc, to see who is fastest, jumps higher, holds the station longer!
Behavior matters. A happy, content animal is a healthy animal.


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

Is the kennel for protection purposes? Can they roam a pasture during the day? My own experience is that goats love space.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

RiverPines laid it out very well, and I have to agree with her. My goats all have pens that are at LEAST an acre of space, and they DO run full-out, jump and play. Personally, I would not have mine confined in a 10x10 space, except for emergency situations.

Just my three cents.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

Now I keep bottle babies in a 10x10 pen...it's in our back yard so close for feedings and safe because they are so small that they can get out of standard fences rather easily.
But to keep an adult goat in one seems rather cramped.


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## Bay Mare (Jun 7, 2007)

10x10 is too small for full time living, IMO. If they were just in there for night time protection I think it would be fine as long as they were out all day in a larger pen or pasture. Do you have enough land to fence them in something bigger? Or are you on a small lot with not a lot of room to work with?


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## jBlaze (Dec 26, 2007)

I have stalls that are 10x12 and I try to limit the time that newborn kids must be confined in them. 
I usually only confine a new mama and her kids in those pens till the babies are bouncing around at less than a week, then they get to go play outside. 
The outside play area for the little ones is larger than my back lawn. Then they go into the "herd" area that is at least an acre. Most areas have things to climb on as well.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

As for milking pygmies - good luck. They're not dairies for a reason - your hands will HURT and you'll get maybe a cup or two - for all of about 4-5 months (and you'll be sharing with the kids, too!), then they'll start drying up FAST. Not nearly enough for cheesemaking. 

As for a kennel, I wouldn't even keep my dogs in a kennel. I wouldn't keep 3 grazing animals in a 10x10 kennel either - WAY too small. I would use kennels for, say, bottle babies or something - but as soon as I can, I move my babies to the main pen so they can experience herd life as well as grazing/browsing.


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## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

I disagree. I think as long as they get outside time - for Pygmy goats, that sounds fine. Be sure to let them out daily to roaming time. Give them stuff to play on in the kennel. If you do not plan to let them out to roam and play DAILY, I wouldn't do it, but otherwise, it is fine.
Now, it might be good to buy cattle panels - 16ft each, put 4 together, and make a moveable fenced area so you can let them out daily for a long time period.

On the milking Pygmy note - even with the milker. . . honestly, you will not get enough to make cheese. I have Pygmys, Nubians, Nigerians and Kinders. I promise you. .. the chance of having enough milk EVER to make any cheese is almost zero, BUT they make lovely and fun pets.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

My pygmies are just as active as my full size. 100 sq feet for 2-3 goats is NOT enough, IMO, no matter the breed. Even an hour a day outside doesn't seem like a lot... Even 4 cattle panels as a permanent pen would be better. But a bunch of cattle panels aren't that expensive - why not make a little bigger of a pen? I think cattle panels are 16' long, and are either $18 or $22 each, can't remember - been awhile since I've bought any.


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## freedomfrom4 (Jul 27, 2009)

Our pygmy baby can climb the cattle panels. The dog kennel will hold her though.


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## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

Wow - I've not seen any kids climb cattle panels - lol! I'd do a string of electric at the top.


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## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

Is it possible for them to have more room or will that be it? I would not think it was healthy for them to be so cramped and I know they would not enjoy it. Even though they are small they still like to get out and play, run and etc. My goats love to be in the field eating alot of the day and when they do come in they play king of the mountain on spools and etc or lay in the big dirt pit they created and roll around and enjoy the sun. 
I guess the human terms would be like being on locked down 23 hours and let out for one hour a day for exercise.

Oh and my kids do not climb the cattle panels they go through them like they are not even there  till they get a bit bigger and cannot squeeze through the squares anymore.


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## freedomfrom4 (Jul 27, 2009)

You can catch her hanging half way up all the time. I'm hoping that as she gets bigger then she wil be to fat to climb


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## HillsideWayCSA (Feb 22, 2010)

If a dog kennel is what you have for the time being that's what you have. Right now I have four alpine babies in my laundry room. They get let out to play both in the house and the back yard but for at least half of the time they're in there because I have a million other things to do. They'll be moved to a bigger pen next week but for now life is being lived in a 5' x 13' space. Sometimes you only have so much available to work with. Just make sure they get exercise and the pen is kept clean. They'll be fine temporarily.


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## Bay Mare (Jun 7, 2007)

HillsideWayCSA said:


> If a dog kennel is what you have for the time being that's what you have. Right now I have four alpine babies in my laundry room. They get let out to play both in the house and the back yard but for at least half of the time they're in there because I have a million other things to do. They'll be moved to a bigger pen next week but for now life is being lived in a 5' x 13' space. Sometimes you only have so much available to work with. Just make sure they get exercise and the pen is kept clean. They'll be fine temporarily.


I agree with the idea of a temporary thing. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And for a couple of bottle babies it would be fine until they are older - again it would be a temporary situation. But the way she has this written it sounds like a permanent set up.



AmberLBowers said:


> They would be housed in a 10X10 kennel like our chickens, all hay and feed brought to them. Let out for at least one extended (1-2 hour) play time a day


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

I have to agree with most of the others here, I would not permanently house even 2 pygmies in a 10 X 10 area. Way to small. If you don't have enough space to give them the room they need at the place your living now then I wouldn't get any goats. Sometimes it's just better to wait for things no matter how bad we want something.
I just don't think they would be happy in that kennel.


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