Buying goats can be… overwhelming!
There are hundreds of options and every single one of them claims to be the best.
From smaller breeders, to larger show barns, and everything in between, everyone has goats to sell and YOU are the target.
In order to start your goat journey off on the right foot (or continue it, if you fell victim to underwhelming animals the first time), you first need to understand why choosing quality goats is so important.
Why Does It Matter?
The goats you choose are what’s going to either make or break your whole experience.
Quality animals that are bred with production, longevity, and health in mind are much cheaper to maintain and more productive over the course of their lifetime. They’re better equipped to thrive at their intended purpose, with less susceptibility to health problems and other costly issues that could put a strain on your farming goals.
In other words: less money in, more product out, and more money in your pocket.
In addition, remember that breeding involves multiple generations and not just one.
When you start with quality right off the bat, you also skip years of troubleshooting later when these initial decisions now manifest in the form of many other does in the herd.
If your starter goats have a multitude of weaknesses, so will their kids – many, many years down the line.
One goat with bad qualities can very quickly turn into 25.
Do you really want to sentence yourself to cleaning up the same problems for that long?
Choosing animals that align with your ideals and values are going to not only make your life a whole lot easier, but they’re also going to save you time, money, and stress for years to come.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, it should be clear why choosing quality goats is a crucial part in your success.
But, as a seasoned breeder, let me tell you this:
You could have a whole barn full of amazing goats, but not every one is going to work for you.
So how do you narrow it down?
Question The Seller
No matter which breed you choose, it’s absolutely crucial that you look for goats that have been proven to excel at your chosen task. There are many bad breeders in the goat world and not all of them are breeding quality animals, many of which will have negative traits that make it much harder to reach your target goal.
When looking to purchase goats, ask the seller these questions:
- Do you personally use your goats for (meat/milk/fiber)? How do you feel they perform?
- Look for quantitative values here! Sellers that are embellishing the quality of their goats will simply claim they perform “excellent” or “well”, whereas reputable breeders will be able give you exact information, such as volume of milk per day, approximate meat yield, fiber quality, etc.
- What kind of environment are your goats used to?
- This will tell you a lot about how the goat will thrive later on.
If your homestead is pasture-based and the goat is used to being in an enclosed barn or more intensive farm-management system, it might not adapt well to pasture life after it leaves the farm.
However, the reverse is also true! If the goat is used to being in pasture and your homestead is also pasture-based, you have a bit more reassurance that it will do well in the transition.
- This will tell you a lot about how the goat will thrive later on.
- What do you typically feed your goats?
- When you’re looking at a goat, you’re only seeing the outcome of how it’s been raised. What you can’t see is the protein percentage, minerals, and supplements that the seller has given the animal to grow it to this point.
In order to know how the animal will perform on a different diet of your choosing, you first have to know how it’s been raised thus far.
For example, a goat that is not naturally as bulky will appear thicker if put on a high protein grain. This goat will continue to stay that way if kept on a high protein grain, but will almost certainly lose weight when switched to pasture. If you purchase that animal based on its body capacity and size, then unknowingly switch it to a predominantly forage diet, it will no longer keep the same characteristics as when you bought it.
Knowing what the seller has put into the goat will give you realistic expectations on whether or not the animal will continue to look that way on a different feed plan.
- When you’re looking at a goat, you’re only seeing the outcome of how it’s been raised. What you can’t see is the protein percentage, minerals, and supplements that the seller has given the animal to grow it to this point.
- What does your deworming schedule typically look like?
- This question is a bit sneaky! Depending on how the seller answers this question, you get a little bit of insight into whether or not they’re up to date in their management practices and what the parasite issues in the goat may look like.
If the seller tells you they deworm the goat frequently, that’s actually a bad sign. It indicates that either the goat has some health issue that makes it susceptible to parasites or that the seller deworms unnecessarily, which can cause issues with parasites being resistant to dewormers later on.
However, if the seller indicates that they only deworm sparingly, as-needed, and the goat has only needed a minimal amount of dewormer over time, you can be assured that the animal is probably not overly susceptible to parasites in optimal conditions.
- This question is a bit sneaky! Depending on how the seller answers this question, you get a little bit of insight into whether or not they’re up to date in their management practices and what the parasite issues in the goat may look like.
Balance Your Options
When looking to purchase goats, you’ll find yourself with a variety of options. Some goats will be outstanding in milk production, but lack hardiness in a pasture environment. Others may be average in growth rate, but produce more meat overall. No one goat is going to “have it all” – so to speak – so it’s important to figure out which traits are most important to you.
For example, let’s say you’re looking for goats to start a dairy herd.
You find two Alpine goats: Goat A and Goat B.
Goat A
- Milk Production: 12lbs per day
- Cream Content: 3.5%
- Maternal Instinct: Poor
- Growth Rate: Moderate, reaches breeding size at 1.5 years old
- Kidding Ease: Moderate, needs assistance occasionally
Goat B
- Milk Production: 9lbs per day
- Cream Content: 3.1%
- Maternal Instinct: Great
- Growth Rate: Great, reaches breeding size at 7 months old
- Kidding Ease: Great, kids completely unassisted
If you value high milk output, you may be attracted to Goat A. It produces 3lbs more milk per day with 0.4% more butterfat than Goat B.
However, Goat A is also likely to be a more high-maintenance goat.
It has poor maternal instinct and less kidding ease, meaning it’s much more likely to need extra care and assistance when kidding and raising kids. This may be a goat that needs supervision around kidding time to ensure all babies are born safely.
It also grows more slowly than Goat B, meaning you’ll need to feed and care for it longer before it begins producing any milk.
Goat A would likely be a good doe for a very hands-on farmer with milk production as their highest priority.
Now, what about Goat B?
Goat B is certainly less productive in milk volume and cream content, but it does have its strengths.
While it certainly produces less per day, it reaches maturity a lot faster, and therefore is able to be milked a whole season earlier than Goat A.
This goat also has great maternal instinct and kidding ease, meaning it is much more likely to kid without much extra care or assistance. This may be a doe that can reliably kid out in pasture and “take care of business” – so to speak.
Overall, Goat B is likely a more low-maintenance goat.
If you prefer to run your herd a little more hands-off, with ease of management prioritized over milk volume, Goat B would likely be the more suitable doe.
And this goes for all traits!
Meat quantity, quality, temperament, size, overall conformation, and any other trait that can be seen as being positive or negative will all play a part into which goats may fit (or not fit) into your goals.
Not all goats are created equally, so be sure to keep your specific priorities in mind when choosing the best does for your herd.
Evaluate Kids Based On Their Parents
It’s great to know a goat’s statistics when deciding on purchasing them or not, but what if they’re young, unproven, or just don’t have them yet?
That’s when you look at the parents!
Since kids are a combination of their dam and sire, looking at the other goats in their direct lineage will give good indications on how they’ll grow out.
For the best insight on:
- Udder, Milking, and Overall Mammary Potential
- Look at the udders on the kid’s dam, their direct & half siblings (if already proven), their sire’s dam, and any female offspring their sire has produced previously. Take note on which characteristics are consistent throughout each related doe.
Goats with direct relation will be more accurate, but looking at more distantly related does will show you any strong, inheritable traits that may be frequent in their lineage.
- Look at the udders on the kid’s dam, their direct & half siblings (if already proven), their sire’s dam, and any female offspring their sire has produced previously. Take note on which characteristics are consistent throughout each related doe.
- Body and Leg Conformation
- Assess the body type and structure of their dam and sire. Since the kid is a direct combination of them, it will give you the best idea on their adult potential.
Full siblings will also be a great indicator of this! If no full siblings exist or can be easily viewed, half-siblings may also give a vague idea, but will not be as accurate due to the influence of the other unrelated parent.
- Assess the body type and structure of their dam and sire. Since the kid is a direct combination of them, it will give you the best idea on their adult potential.
- Growth Rate
- The best information on a kid’s growth rate is a detailed record of it throughout birth and weaning. However, since many breeders don’t record it thoroughly, you may find it hard to get much of that specific information.
Luckily, there are still ways to get a general picture!
Look at the growth rates on any related kids between the goat’s dam and sire. Find out their birth weights, how many lbs per week/month they grew (if the breeder tracks that information), and approximately when they reached mature size.
Direct siblings from current and previous kiddings will be the best indicators, but you can also take into account the dam and sire’s growth rates, if they’re known. If little else is known, half-siblings can give you a general idea as well, but keep in mind that they may be different due to the other unrelated parent.
- The best information on a kid’s growth rate is a detailed record of it throughout birth and weaning. However, since many breeders don’t record it thoroughly, you may find it hard to get much of that specific information.
Overall, any trait that you could possibly want to know about a young or otherwise unproven goat can almost always be determined by looking at its closest relatives!
And the last, and (in my opinion) most important piece of advice:
Don’t Balk At The Price
A very common problem I see with most new goat owners is that they gravitate towards the cheaper goats, regardless of their actual suitability for their farm.
Don’t get me wrong!
Shopping around is always good, but when it comes to spending a little more for a goat that’s going to be more productive in the long run… Choosing the cheaper, less suitable option is almost always a set back.
A good rule of thumb is to look at the price difference between both goats and determine how long it will take for the more suitable one to make that value back. Not just physical money, but also take into consideration kid value, milk/meat/fiber production, lessened labor value, and any other valuable traits you’re planning to use the goat for.
The majority of the time, the more suitable goat will meet and actually surpass the value of the less suitable one, even if it’s higher priced to begin with!
It’s also crucial to keep in mind that, the initial purchase is a one-time cost, whereas you will have to keep up with the result of that purchase for the full extent of that goat’s productive life, often transcending multiple generations.
For example, let’s take Goat A and Goat B from the example we discussed earlier.
In this scenario, milk sells for $1 per lb. Goat A has a listing price of $300 and Goat B costs $200.
If a farmer that prioritizes high milk production (more suitable for Goat A) chooses Goat B, their initial purchase price is only $200. Each day, collecting 9lbs per day, they will make $9 in milk sales. Their total income from milk sales from Goat B is $63 per week.
Now, if that farmer would’ve chosen the more suitable goat (Goat A), the purchase price would have been a little higher at $300. However, since Goat A milks 12lbs per day, their daily income would be $12. In a week with Goat A, they would collect $84.
With a difference of $21 per week, the higher-priced Goat A would make up the extra $100 in approximately 4.75 weeks, with every week after that being increased value.
And if they were to also sell cream products (a strength of Goat A), it would be even faster!
Now, let’s try the reverse!
Let’s pretend another farmer is choosing between the same goats, but Goat A is $200 and Goat B is $300.
This next farmer hires farm hands to help run his farm and values easy management above milk production. They pay their employees $15 per hour and we will assume that “hands on” goats require 1.5 additional hours of labor per week.
If this farmer chooses Goat A, they may make $84 in milk sales, but they will also be spending $22.50 in labor each week: a total weekly income of $61.50. This may not seem like a large difference from Goat B’s weekly milk income of $63, but they will essentially be bringing in $1.50 less in milk sales per week.
Over time, this difference accumulates to $100 in approximately 67 weeks.
This is the break even point in this scenario!
If the farmer chooses the more suitable Goat B, they will make up the extra purchase cost in just 67 weeks, with every day after that being increased value.
It may not seem like a large difference, but when each goat has a productive life of around 8 years and there are many goats in a herd, it really adds up!
The most suitable goats for your farm and goals will always be the most economical choice, regardless of initial purchase price. Don’t be afraid to spend a little extra for a better fit!
When it comes to choosing your next goats, purchasing quality animals is always going to be the ultimate key to success. They’re more productive, cost efficient, and will improve your operation much more effectively than those that aren’t.
Because, let’s face it: goats aren’t cheap.
If it’s going to cost money either way, it may as well be an animal that works for you.
It takes a lot of diligence to weed out the goats and breeders that aren’t quite right for your desired goals, but with the benefits that come with it – it’s more than worth it in the end!
Hayyy Farms 
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