Okay, back to goats.
Let's say that you want dairy goats. What do you look for when picking out your "girl"? Look at her coat, is it healthy and clean looking, is she clipped, either all over or just under the belly and udder, is her hoofs trimmed? Check her gums. Are they healthy and pink? Or are the white? What about her eyes? Are they clean and bright and alert? These are the first things I look for when making a puchase on goats.
If the gums are white, then the goat is wormy. If the eyes are not bright and clean looking, the goat could be wormy or have a case of pink eye.
You want you 'girl' to have a what I call " a girly look" . She has the feminine look. You also want to make sure she has a nice soft, wide , round udder. Make sure that both teats are the same size and they are not hanging unevenly. You don't want your doe's teats being long where they drag the ground.
Look at her legs. Like I said, want a giryl look to her. You want her legs to be strong and sturdy.
Look at her rib cage. It should be well rounded, that is a good sign that she has room for hay or feed to make milk.
You are not going to be able to look at a young goat and tell if she is going to be a good milker. That is where you need to ask the person you are buying from what kind of milker her dam(mother) was.
What about papers? I have some goats that are registered and have some that are not. In dairy shows alot of your goats need to be registered. In the meat classes, if we are showing in market, no, they don't need to be registered. If we are showing in breeding, whether it is dairy or meat, yes, you need papers.
Remember a goat with papers will cost you more than one without. It just depends on what your plans are.