# auction barns



## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

*sigh* another question well really 2 but it don't fall under here.
i really hope i don't annoy y'all with all ny questions!!!

Anyways a old guy that lives less than 1/2 a mile away from me loves me (if only his grandson felt the same way -.- can i say cute???) he just raises back yard meet goats and sells them at an auction or whatever. and he gives me goats for free 
Anyways he gave me 2 back up guys this year and so im taking them to the auction barn since i don't need them now. well he's letting me take this nannie iv been dying for and all of this years crop.
So were thinking of keeping the does and finding someone to breed them, raising the bucks then sell them at the auction barn.
Good ideal??? Stupid ideal??? 
Should i keep the bucks intact or not (which way would i get more money?) 
What auction barns are there around seguin tx and new brauunfles tx?
Oh and best time to take the in? I have 3 i need to get rid of right now Im thinking week before Easter?
Thanks muches! ~ Emily


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I've never taken goats to an auction barn so I don't know. I would think most goats going to auction are going for meat.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

If you can find out when the ethnic holidays are those are the best times.
Shortly before Easter is a good start.
Most buyers are going to prefer intact males.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Good point to Nancy. I would add however, if you are having to hay them (like me) vs pasture I'd probably let them go sooner. If you hay you can figure out how much your hay costs per pound, figure how much the goat weighs and since you're putting weight on them I'd figure 5-7% of their body weight in pounds of hay per day. In other words how much per growing goat it would cost you vs. the going meat prices.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Well i have 20 bales of hay i got for $3 a piece so that's why were just hay feeding the 2 little ones i got for free everyone else is getting hay and feed


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

If we were paying 15-18$ per bag of feed or 10 for a bale of hay wed let them go but the guy across from me is giving me hay ill pros get more next cutting or 2


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

well depending on how much the bales weigh-for example 60 # would mean $1 per pound. Let's say the guys weigh 40# right now and you fed them 4# per day (each goat- depending on breed how much they'll grow how fast). That would cost you $4 per day per goat. Depending on the breed how much they gain a day x $4 per day vs. going meat price per pound in your area.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I'm not sure how the auctions are around you, but intact males sell just as well as wethers do here. Plus you never know who will be at the auction. I've sold some bucklings at the auction near us, and one guy who bought twin bucks said he wanted to see how they matured, he might use one for a breeding buck.
If we can't sell a buckling on craigslist by a certain time, then off to auction they will go. So far, we've only taken 3, and my husband did use one as a meat for us <well for him/kids/his family I don't like goat meat>.

I think you definitely have to look into cost and how long it will take to get them to market size. I believe 60lbs. is preferable, but someone can correct me if I am wrong.
People I've talked to say they take theirs at 3-5mo old. Some people I've talked to locally say they raise Kiko/boer cross because they grow fast and get to market weight faster. I can believe this because our kiko doe, bred to a boer buck has given us fast growing kids.

You don't want to have to keep them too long IMO, because then you have to factor in, vaccinations, wormers, hoof care, external parasites, etc.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Good advise already given. I would add that "right now" is a good time to be selling goats. The latest report from Hamilton TX I saw had kids up $20/100. 50-60 pounds seems to be the ideal weight for price per pound. That usually is the size right at 3-4 months weaning weight. Feeding them after weaning to sell them closer to 100 pounds is probably a money losing proposition.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

Texas should have a pretty good ethnic market for goats. I would research what size and what gender sells best (i.e. buck vs wether). If you are going to sell intact males I would sell them before they reach breeding size or at least before they start to get smelly (smelly goat = potentially bad tasting meat). The less time you have them and the better they grow the more money you will make. Another thing to consider is if you want to creep feed your kids, or just let them grow up on moms milk and hay. Creep fed kids will typically grow better, but buying feed eats into your profits quickly. 

Most ethnicities prefer unaltered males, they are more pure plus they will use every part of the goat. Some will not eat does who have had kids. It is best to look up the largest ethnic group in your area, what holidays they celebrate and what size and gender of goat they prefer. You can even go to the closest auction and ask them what size sells the best.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

I was thinking of raising on mommas milk and creep feeding or is that a no no?


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

good advice given already...: ) Size is an issue...you want to sell 50-60 pounds ..I believe they sell her pound at this weight and you get your best deal ..once they get larger they sell per head..


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

You can have them on the moms and on creep feed, it just costs more to creep feed. A lot of cattle people do that and you do get a better gain, but it is hard to say if the extra lbs pay for the feed in the end or not.

Growing kids do a lot better if they get some kind of grain, you can buy medicated goat feed (no meat withdrawal) and some of the medication (Rumensin/Monensin) also helps growth as well as preventing coccidia. The biggest thing raising meat animals is following Quality Assurance. You never want to give a meat animal a IM shot in the hip, always in the neck. The hip is the highest priced part of the animal and you don't want it ruined by an abscess from a shot. You can look up Quality Assurance for goats and read all about it, I also think you can get certified. If you are newer to goats, Langston University has an excellent Goat Quality Assurance online program you can go through. Go here: http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/index.htm scroll down and click on the Web based training and certification program for meat goat producers. Even if you have had goats a long time, there is tons of info about goat management, health and more on there.


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

San Angelo sheep and goat auction last week:

All sold per hundred weight (CWT) unless otherwise specified.

SLAUGHTER CLASSES:
KIDS: Selection 1 30-40 lbs 214.00-226.00; 40-60 lbs 222.00-245.00,
few 245.00-256.00; 60-80 lbs 214.00-240.00, few 240.00-250.00; 80-90 lbs
165.00-186.00; shorn show goats 75-110 lbs 130.00-152.00.
Selection 1-2 25-40 lbs 172.00-202.00; 40-60 lbs 172.00-220.00; 60-80
lbs 170.00-200.00; 80-100 lbs 140.00-152.00.
Selection 2 20-30 lbs 160.00-166.00; 40-80 lbs 140.00-165.00.
DOES/NANNIES: Selection 1-2 80-130 lbs 96.00-112.00, few 114.00-
116.00; 130-165 lbs 92.00-110.00; thin 70-115 lbs 85.00-100.00.
BUCKS/BILLIES: Selection 1-2 70-100 lbs 126.00-168.00, few 196.00;
100-150 lbs 180.00-124.00, yearlings 128.00-138.00; 150-250 lbs 90.00-
104.00.

REPLACEMENT CLASSES:
DOES/NANNIES: Selection 1 70 lbs 154.00.
Selection 1-2 60-125 lbs 116.00-144.00.

Source: USDA Market News Service, San Angelo, Texas
Rebecca Sauder 325-653-1778
www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/SA_LS320.txt
www.ams.usda.gov/LSMarketNews


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## serenityfarmnm (Jan 6, 2013)

I've wondered about the auction barns in NM, just wouldn't know where to find them.

$3 bale for Hay??? Color me jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

Here is a great resource for knowing your market and the ethnic holidays and what the require in their goats. http://www.luresext.edu/goats/training/marketing.pdf

Where I am at average price at auction for kid to about 60lbs is $60-$70; goats over 60# go anywhere from $100-$200 at auction. I've never seen one go over $250.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

serenityfarmnm said:


> I've wondered about the auction barns in NM, just wouldn't know where to find them.
> 
> $3 bale for Hay??? Color me jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


We can find hay here for $3-4 a bale. We get a decent clover/grass hay for $4.00 from a farmer down the road. Alfalfa hay can be between $4.50-7 a bale depending on supplier & quality. Average price especially in the summer/fall is $5.50.

Round bales for $25-60 again depending on quality, alfalfa being the highest.
Here Alfalfa, timmothy and orchid are most popular.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

Goats are getting high, just like cattle. We just sold a bunch of calves, one that weighed 410 lbs brought 1.99 per lb! Thats over $800 for a 400 lbs calf! At the local goat barn most kid goats bring over $100 (sold by the head) good does are bringing around $150 and fat bucks are bringing almost $200.

The only goats I have seen bring $250 were a pair of gigantic boer wethers. they must have weighed 250 lbs. The goats in the market report were bringing up to $250 per 100 lbs. So a 60 lb kid would sell for approximately $150. Pretty good if it only takes a few months to get them to that weight.


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## serenityfarmnm (Jan 6, 2013)

A 2 strand bale of good green Alfalfa goes for between $13-$18, for some reasom STRAW is almost impossible to find & its $16+ when you do!! Biig change from Ohio!!!!!!!!!!


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## TexHall (Dec 12, 2012)

Look at a couple of things on selling your kids: time of year and market. If you are going to sell at an auction barn -- easy to do, plenty of buyers usually, relatively consistent market, ability to make good contacts -- the buyers need 60 pound kids for delivery to their end processing plant. 63# MAX weight. That's because the boxes for the ethnic folks (think mainly NE and SW) are 30# boxes of meat. Your kids get docked above that weight. Consider fall kidding, particularly down that part of the country because winters are easier. That would get your kids in the 60# range in the spring when the vast majority of folks are just now kidding and there are very few 69# kids in the market = premium prices for you. At that weight, most of the time there isn't a major price difference between intact and wethered kids. They are going to butcher either way. Billies sell well to the Muslim population in the JAN time frame; the stinkier the better it seems. If you can find some local buyers of onesies and twosies, then set your program up to grow some wethers for them. Mexicans seem to like the 70-120 pound wethers up OK way, Muslims vary depending on the particular feasts that they are celebrating. Cowboys are starting to like the 60# kids on a smoker -- try that a time or two and you might just pick a few for yourself once in a while. Hope this helps some. 
I'm just about goat free since I'm selling my ranch (all cows are gone, just horses and ovine left). But I was a yard man for a sheep/goat barn for a while and picked up quite an education there from buyers, sellers, goat people, and our vets.
Tex Hall


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

serenityfarmnm said:


> A 2 strand bale of good green Alfalfa goes for between $13-$18, for some reasom STRAW is almost impossible to find & its $16+ when you do!! Biig change from Ohio!!!!!!!!!!


Its an easy sell for them that's why they sell it to me they know ill buy a TON of it!


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

i got 298 for my 3 wethers at the seguin cattle co auction barn

they were born in April-may so almost a year


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