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Patona Park Miniature Goat Stud and The AMGA


Patona Park Miniature Goat Stud and The AMGA

The Australian Miniature Goat Association Inc was formed in early 2004 with a view to taking the Australian Miniature Goat to the next level in becoming a recognised breed and to enhance the focus on breeding a truly ‘miniature’ goat.

The objectives of the AMGA are to ensure proper management and aid and to encourage the breeding of high quality true miniature goats. The AMGA sets the highest standards for animal registration in the industry. It also encourages honesty, integrity and cooperation from all members in the production and growth of the breed. The AMGA produces a regular Newsletter, called ‘Hoofprints’ and offers an informative website and discussion forum for its members.


MINIATURE GOATS
The Australian Miniature Goat is a unique breed measuring up to 63.5cm in height. They are genetically small and compact and their body must be in proportion. The ideal height taken at maturity (3 years) is between 43 cm and 53 cm and is measured at the highest point of the withers (the shoulder). Miniature Goats are highly intelligent, alert and friendly and are therefore very appealing as pets. These little goats can be surprisingly good milkers and generally bear one to four young each year. Does are usually bred for the first time at about 12 to 15 months of age. They carry their kids for approx 5 months and normally deliver easily. Kids are usually weaned at 12 to 16 weeks of age. Australian Miniature Goats come in all colours and markings.
Animals are recognised as miniature when they reach three (3) years of age and upon meeting the height requirements for the breed. Young animals are only recognised as being ‘miniature bred’ provided they have at least one miniature parent registered with the AMGA.

There are three different types recognised by the Australian Miniature Goat Association Inc being:

- Nuwby - with ears equal to or longer than their muzzle and short or shedding coat;
- Minikin - with ears of any type but not longer than the muzzle and short or shedding coat; and
- Shelties - with long non shedding coat and any ear type.

The Australian Miniature Goat breed has been in development for approx 10 years. The number of breeders and availability of stock has grown steadily over the years. In 2005, it can still be difficult to obtain genuinely good quality stock at reasonable prices. Whilst small stock is available, it is more difficult to obtain proven genetically small animals that also carry the correct genetic make up to pass on to their progeny. The AMGA is committed to working with breeders to assist in procuring good base stock.

Before purchasing an Australian Miniature Goat you should check with your local authorities regarding their requirements and restrictions for the keeping of goats on your property.

BUYING A MINIATURE GOAT
The general appearance and health of the animal should be good, they should appear friendly and alert and have kind and docile temperaments. Horns are often troublesome so most Breeders remove them when the animals are young. Teeth are only found on the bottom jaw and should be in good condition.

If you don’t intend to breed your mini goats, then females and/or wethers should be kept. The AMGA does not recommend that you purchase an intact male, or Buck, unless you intend to breed from this animal as Bucks can be very unpredictable.

HOUSING
These tiny goats love to run on open pasture but also live very happily in smaller areas as long as they have access to fresh water, good food and adequate shelter.
The options for housing your Australian Miniature Goat are many and varied depending on your surroundings and situation. Hinge joint wire pens with simple garden sheds, open paddocks with trees for shelter and purpose built housing with doors, for closing your mini goat in at night, are just a few ideas being utilised.

It is also recommended that you use feeding stands, as goats are notorious for being picky eaters and will not eat food that has become dirty.
The AMGA has an online market place where members advertise their Mini Goats and mini goat products for sale. This is the central place to buy and sell registered Australian Miniature and Miniature Bred goats and related items.

Take a look online and see what is currently listed at www.australianminiaturegoat.com.au/bb_buyersbarn.htm.

If there isn’t anything suitable listed then please check back soon. Alternatively you can contact us and let us know what you are looking for and we will assist in locating it for you.

MINI GOAT MAINTENANCE
The Australian Miniature Goat is a hardy little animal but there are some health maintenance procedures that you should implement to help keep them fit and healthy, such as worming and hoof trimming.

WORMING
Regular faecal counts will help determine the worming requirements for your mini goat. The faecal count shows who is winning the worming war - the worms or you. There are a range of worming products available, some are general wormers and some are worm specific so speak to a veterinarian about the best worming regime for your goats.

HOOF TRIMMING
Goats hooves continually grow, not unlike a humans fingernails, so to ensure the comfort of your mini goat regular checks and a trimming schedule should be undertaken. How much trimming and how often can depend on the ground that they live on ie rocky/hard ground may naturally trim hooves. You will need a set of hoof shears, a rough file or a stanley knife. It is recommended that you have some iodine handy in case of cuts or nicks and apply to injured area to reduce risk of infection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pet Directory Farm Animal Article - Patona Park Miniature Goat Stud

Our Stud was established in 1995 and is situated on the outskirts of CANUNGRA in South East Queensland.

Our Aim was to develop a genetically miniature size goat with beautiful conformation that was compact and in proportion. Our animals are selected for size, type and good temperament and our young stock is reared with extensive handling right from birth, with correct nutrition and top health husbandry utilizing veterinary advice.

Our “BREED” was created on research that I had collected over many years and a Club was formed in Feb 2000. We created a small register at the same time and collected animal details. A Grading up system was put in place with height guidelines for the production of these tiny little animals. In 2003 we formally registered the Australian Miniature Goat Registry with the department of Fair trading. We now run a very friendly little group made up of Australia’s Leading Breeders.

The Pet Directory Farm Animal Article - Patona Park Miniature Goat Stud

We have bred and acquired many little animals over the years. Our goal was to have a herd of top quality animals under 21 inches high (53cm). We have almost met that goal now. We selectively breed our small “typey” animals to each other (up the grades) fixing the height through each additional generation in the hope of producing an animal that conforms to the set breed standards. We are now only one generation away from our very first purebred animal, (all going well, it should be height verified in approximately 3yrs).

The breed is predominantly based on carefully selected small adult feral goats that are paired with larger domesticated breeds to produce medium sized first crosses of the type that is required.

They have been created from Australian animals and have no overseas miniature bloodlines. The best of the smaller animals are retained and used together to produce the next generation and again, the smaller animals are kept for the breeding program.
It was trial and error in the beginning. Matching the right bucks with the right does has been very hard and determining the genetically small from the nutritionally small has also taken many years of good feeding and selective breeding. The ferals have been the most valuable “tool” for us because natural selection over many generations has genetically reduced the size of some lines of feral goats to adapt them to their environment, making them some of Australia’s smallest breeding stock that is available to us.
We have been able to bring in the beautiful types using smaller feral does, we just had to work out what crosses went well when paired back to each other. Over time we have managed to work out some reasonable “breeding plans”, we have been lucky enough to acquire and breed some top little bucks that have all contributed to our breeding program.

The Pet Directory Farm Animal Article - Patona Park Miniature Goat Stud

As can be seen by our collection of animals our success has not been by chance but rather due to lots of research and an active selective breeding program with a vision of creating excellence in our Australian Miniature Goats. We are now achieving this goal by using our tried and proven bloodlines and never deviating from our goals of producing truly small animals that are very close to the ideal type, rather than concentrating on height and producing small animals of no distinct type, a trend that can easily ruin good breeding programs. “Patona Park Bandit” bred by R. Druery, would have to be the leading height reducing buck to date. He has sired many truly tiny youngsters, some of which are now producing tiny young of their own.

Patona Park is owned and operated by Andrew & Sue Ludwig. We pride ourselves on the fact that we freely offer information, advice and encouragement to anyone interested in joining us in our mini goat venture and are always happy to help those who need it.

The Pet Directory Farm Animal Article - Patona Park Miniature Goat Stud

Interest in this universal little goat breed is growing rapidly in all states and small quality breeding stock is always in demand. At present they are currently being bred in QLD, NSW, VIC, SA and TAS, with interest growing in WA and NZ.

The Australian Miniature goat is commonly kept as an alternative pet and by hobby farmers on small holdings. These little goats are easier to handle and cheaper to feed compared to their larger cousins. They make surprisingly good milkers for their size and some carry a fleece coat that is often used for spinning. At present, demand for these unique little animals far outweighs the supply.


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