Goats
When is the best time purchase a goat?
I prefer to purchase my goats when they are little. I try to buy when they are about 3 months old and weaned from their mothers. Most breeders will breed their goats either in the fall or in the spring. It takes 5 months for the babies to be born. I try to breed in October or November, that means they will come in March or April. I have better results having little ones in the spring when the weather has turned warmer.
Some breeders have kids already spoke for before they hit the ground so you may have to put in your request. I sell my little ones from $35 to $100 depending on the bred.
Where do I find my goat?
Always try to buy from a breeder. I have found out the hard way buying from sales barn, that is not the way to go. You don't know the heath of the goat or the history. When I bring a new goat home, I keep it put up in a pen by itself for a week, there I watch for signs of illness , and go ahead a vaccinate.
When purchasing your goat, take a look at the other goats. Are they healthy looking, is their coat clean and bright, are their hoofs trimmed? Always ask what kind of feed they are on. If you decide to change feed, make sure you do it gradually. Goats get stressed out very easly. Ask what kind of booster and vaccaines they have had. There are some very serious diseases out there that goats carry and can pass on. Also, humans can catch some of these. (I promise I'm not trying to talk you out of buying, just informing you)
How much does it cost to keep a goat? HUMMMM...... it can get expensive but in the end you come out ahead. On dairy goats, you recieve wonderful and healthy milk , and milk products. Meat goats, you get wonderful lean and tendar meat. Fiber goats, you get wonderful fibers that you can sell or make items with and sell.
A goat can eat around 1,500 lbs of hay a year and 400 lbs of concentrate feed per year. I have found out on all the livestock I have raised and sold, goats give me a cleaner profit in the end of year. Like I said before, this is the first year for me to have dairy goats, all I have ever had is meat.