TEN ACRES FARM

1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The Pygmy Goat is genetically small, cobby, and compact. Its frame is clearly defined and well angulated; limbs and head are short relative to body length. The Pygmy Goat is full-barreled and well muscled; the body circumference in relation to height and weight is proportionately greater than that of dairy breeds. The Pygmy Goat is hardy, agile, alert and animated, good-natured, and gregarious. The legs and feet should work together so that the gait (tracking) is smooth, balanced, ground covering and effortless. 

​

2. BREED CHARACTERISTICS:

COAT - The full coat of straight, medium long hair varies in density with seasons and climates. On does, beards may be non-existent or sparse. On adult bucks, abundant hair growth is desirable; the beard to be full, long and flowing, the copious mane draping, cape-like, across the shoulders.
COLOR AND BREED-SPECIFIC MARKINGS:

SOLID BLACK: Body Colors: All body hairs black in color. No other solid colors are acceptable. Required Markings: none. Optional Markings: white patches or bellybands anywhere on barrel between point of elbow and stifle joint

BLACK: Body Colors: All body hairs black in color. No other solid colors are acceptable. Required Markings: muzzle, crown, eyes and ears distinctly accented in white. Optional Markings: (a) white patches or bellybands anywhere on barrel between point of elbow and stifle joint; (b) tail accented in white.
AGOUTI: Body Colors: Black Agouti and Grey Agouti - Black and white hairs intermingled, producing an appearance ranging from highly grizzled to nearly solid. Brown Agouti - Brown and white hairs intermingled, producing an appearance ranging from highly grizzled to nearly solid. Required Markings: (a) muzzle, crown, eyes and ears distinctly accented in white and may be intermingled with hairs the same color as the body; (b) hoofs, face, and forehead distinctly darker than, but of the same color as, the main body color; (c) All agoutis have solid stockings (black on the Black Agouti and Grey Agouti, brown on the Brown Agouti). Stockings are defined as, from the knee down on the front legs and from the top of the hocks down on the rear legs. Optional Markings: (a) white patches or bellybands anywhere on the barrel between the point of elbow and stifle joint; (b) dorsal stripe darker than, but of the same color as, the main body color; (c) varying degrees of grizzling on areas of the body (such as the chest, shoulders, mane, and tail). 

CARAMEL: Body Color: Caramel with black markings: Any shade of white through dark tan. Required Markings: (a) muzzle, crown, eyes and ears distinctly accented in white and may be intermingled with hairs the same color as body; (b) Vertical stripes on center front of socks same color as body; (c) sides and rear of socks, dorsal stripe and martingale accented in black; (d) Face: Accented in black. Amount ranges from partial to complete according to age and gender. Optional Markings: white patches or bellybands anywhere on barrel between point of elbow and stifle joint.

Caramel with brown markings: Any shade of white through dark tan. Required Markings: (a) muzzle, crown, eyes and ears distinctly accented in white and may be intermingled with hairs the same color as body; (b) Vertical stripes on center front of socks same color as body; (c) sides and rear of socks, dorsal stripe and martingale accented in brown; (d) Face: Accented in brown. Amount ranges from partial to complete according to age and gender. Optional Markings: white patches or bellybands anywhere on barrel between point of elbow and stifle joint. 

​

3. BODY STRUCTURE:

HEAD - Short to medium long; profile somewhat dished. Muzzle rounded, not snipey; nose short, wide, flat. Chin and underjaw full; bite even, neither overshot nor undershot; jaws broad, strong, well muscled. Forehead broad, flat or concave. Eyes set well apart, bright, brown in color, prominent but not protruding. Ears medium sized, firm, erect, alertly mobile. Genetically horned; disbudding and dehorning permissible. (99-11)

NECK - Well muscled; short, round, more full-throated than dairy breeds; more refined in does than in bucks. WITHERS - Nearly level with, but not lower than the spine.
SHOULDERS - Muscular, well angulated and laid-on, tightly attached; point of shoulder placed posterior to the sternum. RIBS - Wide apart, well sprung; rib bone long, wide, flat.

BACK - Strong, laterally straight, level along chine and loin. CHINE - Broad, level from withers to loin.
Loin - Broad, strong, nearly level, rising slightly toward the iliac crest. RUMP - Medium long, medium wide, neither level nor steep.
Hips - Wide, nearly level with back.
Thurls - High, wide apart.
Pin bones - Wide apart, lower than hips, pronounced.
Tail - Set high, wide at the base, symmetrical, carried high. FLANKS - Deep, set low on barrel.
THIGHS - Long and wide, well muscled, incurving towards udder. LEGS - Short, heavy bone, well muscled, wide apart. Fore legs - Straight and squarely set, with elbows close to ribs; cannon bone short.

Hind legs - When viewed from the rear: hind legs straight, widely set to accommodate large barrel; stifle held tightly to the body. When viewed from the side: femur and tibia proportionately longer than in dairy breeds and angulated toward a more pronounced stifle joint, thus compensating for the short, flat, and flinty rear cannon bon
HOCKS - Cleanly molded, sharply angled; metatarsus short. PASTERNS - Short, strong and resilient.

FEET - Well-shaped, proportioned to size of animal; deep heel and level sole; hoofs symmetrical.

​

4. BODY CAPACITY:

Large in proportion to size of animal, providing ample digestive and reproductive capacity as well as strength, vigor, and stamina.
BARREL - Broad, deep, increasing in width and depth toward flank, thus giving an impression of perpetual pregnancy; symmetrical, well supported by firm abdominal wall and well-sprung ribs. The disproportionately large circumference of the paunch is greater in does than in bucks.

HEART GIRTH - Large due to long, well-sprung fore-ribs.
CHEST - Well muscled brisket, wide floor, full at point of elbow. 

​

5. MAMMARY SYSTEM (DOES):

UDDER - Firm, rounded, small to medium sized, halves evenly balanced, symmetrical.
REAR ATTACHMENT - High, full, tightly attached and blending smoothly into escutcheon.
FRONT ATTACHMENT - Well forward, tightly attached without pocket, and blending smoothly into body.
TEXTURE - Silky smooth, elastic, pliable but firm; free of lumps or scar tissue.
TEATS - Two, cylindrical, of uniform length and size, sufficient for milking with two fingers and thumb; symmetrically placed; free of obstructions, deformities, or multiple orifices. 

​

6. REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM (BUCKS):

TESTICLES - Two, fully descended, of fairly equal size, healthy and firm.
TEATS - Two, cylindrical, of uniform length and size, symmetrically placed, free of deformities or multiple orifices, nonfunctional. 

 

7. MEASURMENTS:

Height at withers is measured on a firm flat surface with a right angle device set perpendicular to floor and level across withers. Goat to be standing in a normal pose. Head held in typical position, neither pulled up, down or out, any of which may significantly alter height measurement. Front legs set evenly under the goat’s shoulders, not forward or backward of the shoulder line. Rear legs positioned properly, neither drawn too far back nor forward. The cannon bone is measured with calipers set at the outer edge of the knee and pastern joints, with both joints sharply bent. 

 

8. COMPLIANCE:

NPGA’s Breed Standard Committee shall act as the authority responsible for proposing any interpretations, changes or clarifications in the Breed Standard, the Guidelines for Judging Pygmy Goats, and the required body measurements. Recommendations for change shall be submitted to the Board of Directors for any necessary revisions and approval. Approval shall require a two-thirds majority vote.

 

REGISTRATION - Goats showing traits which are listed as disqualifying in NPGAs Guidelines for Judging Pygmy Goats shall be ineligible for registration: however, registration shall not be an indication that a goat does not possess disqualifying faults. Registration applications submitted to NPGA for animals which are believed by NPGA to have disqualifying traits or non-conforming to color/pattern will, at the request of the Business Manager, be referred to the Certification and/or Breed Standard Committee to determine whether or not they will be accepted for registration. In this event, the Business Manager will notify the owner that the application is being forwarded to the Certification/Breed Standard Committee for a decision. If additional photos are required to evaluate the color/pattern or fault, they will be requested from the owner at that time. Any application denied by the committee(s) may be appealed to the Board of Directors by following the procedure specified in Rules and Regulations, 

 

SHOWING - Variations from the Breed Standard will be faulted as moderate to disqualifying in accordance with NPGA Guidelines for Judging Pygmy Goats. The NPGA Breed Standard describes the ideal Pygmy Goat. The user of this Standard should not attempt to fault an animal based on the Standard itself, but should refer to the Guidelines for Judging Pygmy Goats. The Guidelines for Judging describe how variations from the Standard will be faulted, based on the severity of the variance, up to and including disqualification.

​

​

​