YARDHOPPERS
OHIO NPGA REGISTERED PYGMY GOAT HERD
Our complete herd has been tested and is negative for:
~ Paratuberculosis (Johne's Disease)
~ Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CA
~ Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL)
Although, we have never had any signs of these diseases within our herd, we felt it necessary to assure you that we are offering you the best and finest quality of pygmy goat that we can produce on our farm! Our breeding facility, optimal care and vaccination program, along with selective breeding standards; developed from many years of competitive showing under licensed NPGA judges, is a helpful assurance of a healthy start for you and your new pet. We traveled and showed under numerous npga judges, had our hands on numerous goats, and took lots of pictures; not necessarily the grand champions of the shows, but usually the top 3 placings. Honestly, that is what taught us what changes of structure we needed in our herd to accomplish the standard we wanted. We would compare the differences and simailarities within those animals. Once you understand what you need, you can then look to buy it, or try to breed and grow it on your own. We took the approach of trying to grow it ourselves. Everyone goes to the national shows for many different reasons. We went to learn how to create a herd.....not to buy a herd. Don't get me wrong, showing and winning is great, but if a pygmy goat can produce kids with little or no assistance during deliveries.........they are the TRUE WINNERS/GRAND CHAMPIONS OF THE BREED to us!
Alot of people stop showing and breeding these wonderful pet goats because of the problems of the does having babies/kidding. After hearing this many times and losing a precious doe of our own, we started out researching the importance of barrel length, depth and width throughout, along with angulation and length of hipbones to pinbones. Also, we found that nutrition is of the utmost of importance! Each year I feed less, but a more suitable proper diet for my does and bucks. In return I have more optimal results in the showring and kidding pens! Every year is more exciting! From the beginning, we specifically paid attention to the detail of developing a herdline that would promote the pygmy goat for it's ease and kidding abilities. It's taken many years of persistance to stand to that restriction for the future of our herd. When we first realized we had to have these gorgeous sweet goats in our lives, we went searching for someone to sell us the best npga registered pygmy goat doe - with the grand champion potential, of course! Ha! We soon realized that we couldn't find a breeder that was willing to give up the best in their herd. (And that was ok- couldn't blame them!) We did find a couple of breeders who sold us a couple nice goats in the beginning and basically stuck to a strict culling of kids born. We brought very few herdnames into our herd. Our herd has accomplished numerous wins among some very nice herdlines. But overall, we are most proud of our kiddings. On average our herd does bred with our herd bucks, deliver kids that are 2.5 to 3.6 lbs. We love seeing our does happily nursing their kids!
Sharing the wealth of kids from our herd with other pygmy goat enthuasists is a great feeling. Seeing the families and goats happily being showed or cared for is a true blessing to us and the breed we all love so much!
YARDHOPPER PYGMY GOAT HERD........HELPING TO ESTABLISH A MORE PREDICTABLE KIDDING EXPERIENCE.
~continually striving for perfection in the kidding pen~all for the
future of the PYGMY GOAT!!
