Can somebody tell me when you should wean a pygmy nanny? She was born about the 20th of July. Thanks.

-- Dana Johnson (accentlc@aol.com), September 10, 2000

Answers

I always weaned my kids at 4 mo. of age as long as they were eating grain and hay well.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), September 10, 2000.

Dana, with wanting to raise your pygmies in a family group, wouldn't you just let the dam just naturally wean the kids herself? Obviously it would become a priority to wether or sell bucklings! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 10, 2000.

We just have the one pygmy. We have been bottle feeding her.

-- Dana Johnson (accentlc@aol.com), September 10, 2000.

I bottlefeed all of my kids, Pygmy & otherwise. I wean when they're 12 weeks old. I give a bottle 2 times a day until 8 weeks & then once a day for 4 more weeks.

-- Wendy (weiskids@yahoo.com), September 10, 2000.

The earliest you would want to wean is at about 6 weeks. Their rumen will only then have the necessary size to process enough roughage. If it is a doe you may wish to keep and use for breeding when old enough you may even want to consider 8-10 weeks. Wethers, however, I find can safely be weaned at 6 weeks. Karin

-- karin macaulay (kmacaulay@co.brazos.tx.us), September 15, 2000.