# 4h Question for Marketing 4h Goats



## Fugitive6 (Aug 30, 2013)

First let me apologize if this post is in the wrong area. I'm thinking about selling some of my goat kids to 4H'rs and looking for advice. I mainly sell for meat but i have purchased a few nicer animals that I would love to use for show makers.

Where's a good place to start to get information. My local 4H facility seems to be closed or seriously understaffed.


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## Brink4 (Apr 29, 2013)

Start with your local extension office. There are sometimes goat improvement associations that are affiliated with the 4H programs and are good resources, these groups also hold auctions for kids to purchase their project animals. Also advertise for not only your county but surrounding counties.


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## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

What kind of information are you looking for? A friend and I both market our goats as "show goats." She breeds her goats to kid at a time that she wants them to kid. I breed mine so that they will be eight to ten months old for the local show. I have never had a problem selling, but she has. Find the information for the shows in your area and use that information to make sure that your goats fit the needs for the local shows! We also decided not to disbud or band our goats because of goat health issues, and so far that has not been a deciding factor in the sales.


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## ZiggyNC (Apr 16, 2013)

I am guessing by your profile pictures that you are Boer goat breeders so not disbudding is fie but a word to prospective purchasers of dairy goats - they cannot be shown in an ADGA sanctioned show if they have horns.


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## Brink4 (Apr 29, 2013)

I will add to the disbudding statement. Depending on what you are selling for most local fairs/4H programs have rules r/t disbudding wethers. In our area market wethers have to be disbudded per fair rules. The only horned animals allowed at our local fair/4H program are production does. It really depends on who you plan to market to.


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## DappledBoers (Feb 10, 2013)

At my fair no horned animals are allowed at all except for in the petting zoo.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

They allow horns in our state, but horns have to be tipped <I'm in KY>. I'd find out what the rules are in your state, although I think most people like dehorned...
We don't dehorn ours, we may travel that road in the future, but right now we are fine with tipping even though it's a pain knowing if we are doing it right lol.

Are there any state programs that you can join? For example, in KY they have the Ky Proud program.

Also --

Find out when the best time to market them will be. When do shows start? Is there a certain date kids have to have their market animals by? What requirements other than horned/dehorned? Scrapie tag is mandatory.

Every year I see it.... Craigslist ads stating 'market show animals' in the middle of June.
But, kids have to have their wethers by May 1st! In our state in order to show a market wether you have to have a KUIP tag inserted at one of the designated tagging site/dates in May <before June 1st>, otherwise the animal can't be shown.

This is the only reason we breed for Jan/Feb kids, so our kids can pick their market wethers, then we can sell the others/sell to 4-Hers or at least hit decent market prices with any boys we don't get sold.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Our rules here in Kansas are basically the same as Hoosier...or I should say for our county. Some counties do have different requirements. Your local extension office should be able to give you the info...they should have the rules for both your county and your state show. 

We also kid in Dec/Jan for our county fair in July. That is the only reason we kid in the middle of the winter!


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