# buying goats?



## Shane (Mar 5, 2014)

I am looking to buy some new kids and wanted to know if the does are supposed to look thin like this. I am new to goats and don't want to get animals that aren't well taken care of. They just seem thin to me but I don't know for sure. Thank you for any thoughts you may have.:whatgoat:

Shane


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Yes those does in the rear are what we call under conditioned. If they aren't getting adequate feed along with feeding their kids they are going to look like that.
They may also need to be wormed and/or more copper in their diet.
The kids look ok though.
And welcome to the forum!


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I agree with Nancy.


----------



## Shane (Mar 5, 2014)

He said they are current with their shots. He will sell them to me if I take more than 2 for $130 each. If I go there to look at them is there some major things to look for. Even if the does look under conditioned will that mean any problems for the kids. Thanks so much for the help.

Shane
Green Eggs and Sam
Emus, chickens, and goat ranch


----------



## Shane (Mar 5, 2014)

Thanks for the welcome Nancy. I have found the folks here quite civilized and helpful in their posts.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

The kids should be ok.
If you can get your hands on a couple of mamas feel them for any unusual lumps other than the armpits where the CDT was injected.
Keep your eye out for hairless areas.


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Are they tested clean for CAE, CL, and Johnes?


----------



## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

If you can get ahold of them (not sure how hand tame they are) - then straddle them and pull down the lower eyelid on one eye and see how the color on the inside of the lid looks. You want them bright pink or red. If they are very pale pink or even white then they probably have a serious worm/intestinal parasite load. Google FAMACHA to get a better idea of what I am talking about.

That would be the first thing I would check. Then I would look around the pen to make sure they are pooping normal goat berries, not diarrhea or anything.

There are so many things you can look for: good teat structure, good teeth, check the age by teeth, looks for lice in the fur, etc.

Avoid goats that are hunched up, standing off away from the herd, grinding their teeth, or have dirty back ends.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

I wasn't going to go there cause I have a feeling they might not. That's why I advised what I said.
But Shane you can always ask outright. Anybody that does do testing is more than happy to show you the hard copy results BUT if kids are under 6 mos they aren't canidates to be tested.


----------



## Shane (Mar 5, 2014)

i asked him and he said he has never tested before for anything. Is this something I should just stay away from or how would you guys handle this. I am having a difficult time finding breeders here in west central Wisconsin. My "kids" are super excited about getting some kids "goats". Thanks again for all the help. I just don't want to start off on the wrong foot.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

If you & owner agree, you could offer to pay for testing on the kids you are interested in IF they are over 6 mos old.


----------



## Shane (Mar 5, 2014)

They were born between the 6 and 14 of January. How much does it cost to get testing done and how old do they need to be to get them tested.


----------



## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

The does are a bit rough, but that could be from being depleted by the babies. I would be more worried about the doe in the first picture...that looks like an abscess on her shoulder/neck, doesn't it? Isn't that one of the places they get abscesses with CL?

ETA: I'm new to this and learning, please correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## Shane (Mar 5, 2014)

Good catch on the shoulder scab thing. The more I think about it I'm feeling a little uneasy about the whole thing with this guy. Am I jumping the gun buying these.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would wait and keep looking. You want to start with healthy goats.


----------



## Shane (Mar 5, 2014)

I think you are right.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

I agree. The shoulder scab caught my eye too...common place for CL. Keep looking.


----------



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

If you aren't sure, than don't buy them. Better looking, healthy goats will come your way. 
Unfortunately, the old adage "you get what you pay for" is especially true in goats. There are
always exceptions to the rule, but generally, cheap is not good! 

To find good goats, check on Craigslist, ask at your 4-H office, and even on here! I have purchased 4 great 
Alpines from posters on this site! 

Good luck!


----------



## GoatieGranny (Jul 26, 2013)

Shane, I would wait, too. You can find goats in better condition, for sure. After kidding season we will have some goats that will be available, and I have several friends who will also have some. I would say around mid-June you will have many goats to chose from around here. But then again, if you keep looking, you may find some in better condition even this time of year.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Most boer/meat breeders don't test their goats, at least none around here that I know of anyway.
other than the scabs, I think the does look okay other than just having the babies taking everything from them, and could just be the way they are especially if they aren't fullbloods. We have does that get that look when they are nursing, it used to freak me out, but 2 of them we've had for 4 years and that's just who they are. They generally start to pick back up a few weeks after they wean babies. 
We have 1 fullblood doe that isn't all that meaty, and she is skin and bones about 3 weeks into nursing until after she weans. Last year I had her tested, fecals done, etc. freaking out and she was fine, no worm loads, disease, etc. just who she is. Same way with her this year, she looks rough, nursing twins and she gets more grain than the others. She 'may' be a bit wormy this time around, so I ordered more wormer today and will be doing fecal this weekend to be sure.

Some does that look thin like that do have potential, it's always good to try and see pictures of them before they were bred if possible, how they look pregnant and compare to now. Do they have the potential to shape up? 
That's just my way of thinking though  I like to try and give them a chance if I think they'd fit into our little misfit herd  Of course, it's hard to buy anything since the kids always want to keep their babies each year. We wanted 5 does only. We have 8, they want to keep 3-4 babies this year, so I told them 2 does have to go. Oh how I wish we had more land....


----------



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I saw that on the first picture as well and they just don't look good. I agree wait. Go with your gut. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Shane (Mar 5, 2014)

Just to let everyone know, I went with two of my children on Sunday to a farm and they had really nice looking goats. We picked out 3 doe kids and they had a wonderful registered yearling billy there that he wanted to keep but was related to to many of the does. We are pretty excited to get them at the end of April:dance:but it has to thaw so I can put fence up. Thanks again for your help. He also had a doe there that was so big and pregnant that I'm sure beeped when she backed up and probably should have had wide load signs on her. I felt bad for her. Have a great night everyone.


----------

