# how to "assess" a breeder & their animals



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

The goats I currently have came from people who had goats on a very small scale; additionally, aside from our buckling, the rest are unregistered and didn't come from a farm dedicated to breeding Nigerian Dwarf goats.

So . . . here's my question. If visiting a larger scale farm (where there are many goats to choose from):
1) What do all of you look for to ensure that you are buying animals from a well-cared-for and healthy herd?

2) What would the red flags be that would tell you NOT to buy from a particular farm/person?

I realize that is rather general and some things are pretty obvious, but I think this could be really helpful to me and other newbies.


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## MissMM (Oct 22, 2007)

Aside from the obvious "how does the area the goats are in look and the visible health of the goats"...... I would ask if you could see their "goat record" that should document births (sire, dam, id#) de-wormings, hoof trimming, health issues, etc. If they don't keep a record of this type of stuff.... big red flag.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I agree with MissMM...another thing you could do as well...find several different people that have purchased from them and see what they think of them, their set up, their knowledge of their goats, and the goats they purchased.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Number one for me is how their set-up looks. Do they have too many goats for their area, anyone coughing or look sick, stuff like that, I also check hooves, if they look overgrown, etc. Asking to see records is very good.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Well i show, so i see herd names scattered around the ring. If i like something i try and see the farm. but a lot of times i cant as im shipping animals on a plane. First off i ask for a CAE and CL record. I look at herds at shows, are they healthy are their coats shiny eyes bright? When shipping i look at show records. Goats that come from a farm that has poor management practices are not going to look good in the ring. They wont place well. 
Sometimes this is all i have to go on.
When i go to a farm i look at everyuthing. Are feet trimmed? how clean are the pens. Are fences in good repair? All of these things tell me that the owner cares. Listen for coughing goats and make note of who it is. Have those goats been to a show recently? if they have it can be a little bit of shipping fever and it happens. But look for snotty noses runny eyes listless goats. All of these tell you that there is more going on then a simple case of shipping fever.
beth


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## mnspinner (Aug 13, 2008)

If you're just going by a farm visit, obviously conditions of both environment and animals is key. Do the pens/stalls look like they're regularly cleaned? Look at the droppings and see if they are healthy berries and be ware of any loose stools. Do they have adequate water? How does the hay quality seem?
Look over the herd and check for any messy rear ends, limping, lumps. If there are goats you're interested in, feel them over, as a heavy coat can mask a thin animal. And get a quick check of the eyelids to make sure they are good color.
If you're after a milker, look at attachments and capacity if they're lactating. And watch out for any teat abnormalities.
Ask a ton of questions too.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I would look at all the goats possible and the health and condition of them. Look at feet the best you can. Check to see they do not have dirty butts, watery eyes, noses, and so on. Look at the water tanks.

Now I would have to say if the people that came out this summer and looked at my place, if they would of seen or looked bad at my place because of the mess, I would of been in real trouble.

I was redoing the barn, so I had wood everywhere, and the placed looked well, pretty bad, but I did tell them to please excuse the mess as I was redoing things in the barn. I will say my place really bothered me how bad it looked, but it takes time to get it how I wanted it.


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