Where have all the grade goats gone?

DocM · #61 11/23/06, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rich2748

Doc,
It's ADGA not AGDA.

Obviously.

DocM · #62 11/23/06, 01:15 PM

Oh, and rich? Grammatically, it would be "It's ADGA, not AGDA. You forgot the comma. Or what that just a typo? Please feel free to go back through the other 60 posts in this thread and correct them also. It would be the adult thing to do - especially if you have nothing else to contribute. Have a nice day!

Jillis · #63 11/23/06, 01:38 PM

I wonder if you can derail a hormone roller coaster?

Sher · #64 11/23/06, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jillis

I wonder if you can derail a hormone roller coaster?

LOL...now THAT'S funny..I don't care WHO you are!!

Thanks for the laugh Jillis!! And Happy Thanksgiving!!

Kaye White · #65 11/23/06, 03:01 PM

Thanks,Cat!
LOL...I do go to the two Springfield,Mo. shows held every year! Quad & OEF.
Kaye

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #66 11/23/06, 03:21 PM

BTW, Kaye...even your site has been on my 'peruse the website' list!! You who lives in AR. I've really come to like Toggs because all those I've had have been such easy milkers. I go to NW AR each July and sometimes in between and don't think I wouldn't subject the family to a van carrying an extra kid or two!!! You are a bit south of where I visit so that would pose a problem...hmmm...
..................................

BUT CAT!!!! KAYE shows her stock, she AI's, she reasearches pedigrees until all hours of the night, she attends births and talks about her goats to anyone who will listen, she brags on her show wins and her appraisal scores non stop

She rasies PUREBREDS! Her prices....oh her prices, ask her how much a kid would be out of her spotlightsale doe

You may never recover from that one!

So Cat, let me add one more YOU to my original post, you secretly do want purebred registered snooty goats! Welcome to our elitest attitudes!

LOVE YOU KAYE!!!!!!!!!!!! Vicki

ForMyACDs · #67 11/23/06, 06:18 PM

Cat.......I think you are misunderstanding Vicki's post. Yes, it does say "you" but I guess you would have to understand how Vicki works. She didn't literally mean "you". Many times in Vicki's posts she posts in a way to get you to think about things from another point of view or even to understand the whole story behind something. Yes, she's blunt sometimes and yes she does say things that you might not want to hear, but she does have a wealth of knowledge and is willing to share it IF you're willing to listen. Take a deep breath and read it again.......please?

midkiffsjoy · #68 11/23/06, 07:29 PM

Last fair time, I pointed out this boy with a goat champion belt buckle to my two kids and they were so excited and they asked him of it and found out that he won reserve grandchampion with his goat and I asked him what breed his goat was, and he cocked his head sideways and asked "What?" and I said "What kind of goat do you have?" and he replied, "A WHITE one". Okay.....Now APPARENTLY 4H has changed from when I was a kid. What the HECK are these kids learning if a reserve grandchampion can be won by a kid who doesnt even know what the word BREED means, let ALONE what breed his goat is!!!! ACKKKKKKKKKKKK

okay....stupid, off topic, thought of it while reading and just had to share. giggle.

Joy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Oak Ranch

This isn't a rant or a nag - just the opposite side of the coin; a different viewpoint. For me, I see it this way -

If you want a yearling doe:

I've spent countless hours scooping poop, mucking the house, moving the pasture fencing and house, cutting fresh browse.

I stayed up all night for several nights in the rain for that doe to kid, then bottle feeding, disbudding and all the equipment associate with that. I make sure my goats aren't sick or carry CAE, have hoof trouble, and are clean and friendly, and have something to offer to another's herd as a breeding animal.

Granted, most of this is a labor of love and I don't really expect a person to pay for that. But, I pay about $35 a month to feed a goat, as feed is very expensive here. If a person wants a yearling doe, I've spent $420 getting her to that phase. Basic math - $35 x 12 months = $420. Am I going to sell her for $50? Nope. So, I can help to recover the costs of raising that goat by having registered stock. Showing and all that stuff is fun, yes, but it helps to get the word out on your animals, and a registered, healthy, and showable animal can justify its price tag.

Very few people make money or even break even with their goats. I'm not even one of them (grin). I still don't understand why people who will happily pay $300 for an unregistered Labrador puppy (or up to $700 for an unregistered Cockapoo/Maltese/Pug mix) want to pay $50 for a goat that will produce far more than that dog.

Anyway, I'm not knocking people who do sell grades or inexpensive goats....it all depends on your outlook on them and how you run your farm. There's room for everyone. You may be able to find a real bargain - check with your local 4H group or dairy goat association - when kids lose interest in their projects, you can get a good goat that's not expensive, has good bloodlines, and is disbudded. They're also usually very friendly!

Good luck, and cheers!

Katherine

Kaye White · #69 11/23/06, 09:33 PM

ROFLOL...."dog's still kenneled".

Kaye

Judith · #70 11/24/06, 12:12 PM

Kat,
There are some on the barter board. Check there.

jerzeygurl · #71 11/24/06, 03:23 PM

As I see it the lady asked where the grade nannies have gone, if one doesn't have grade nannies I don't know why they would respond

We can buy and sell grade goats all the time, since I wanted a milker to get me by untill my wonderful grade purebred jerseys calved, i got one at an auction after looking them over, and yes i gave $50, and she is nice, as all the ones my fil gave 50 bucks for, will kid, breed to his grade boer buck, and sell the kids...

arround here sad to say, i see grade boer bills going for 100+ and registered nubian bucks for $50. The market here is meat, most arround here breed thier milk nannies to meat bucks to supply fat kids.. papers don't effect the taste...

I'm looking to get into sheep, and i will get registered because I want shetlands and I want to be sure that I am getting shetlands....if i was raising suffolks i would not care...

The comments made to the original poster I found unnecessary, and off topic. I'm glad some have been willing to pm her with offers. She didn't ask why people don't raise grade, she asked where those that raise grade are. This discussion will(and has) scare newbies away from asking questions.

PygmyLover · #72 11/24/06, 05:21 PM

jerzygurl what a good prospective!

I have always heard goat people are nice and that has been my experience until here! I don't get it, really I don't!

Wendy · #73 11/24/06, 08:38 PM

It is a meat market here too. That is why I find it hard to get a good price for my registered Nubians. I had someone give me a purebred buck because they could not sell him. They had tried for over a year. He has Willow Run lines in him. He is a nice looking buck. I was happy to get him for free. Most people in this area are getting into Boer goats.

ForMyACDs · #74 11/25/06, 05:36 AM

Most of my stock didn't sell locally. In fact I only had three sales that were within an hour of here, but the animals still sold quickly. Many of my sales were to ohio, indiana, illinois & Texas tho' I had several reservations for next year's kids from Alaska. If you're willing to ship and have healthy animals it broadens your sale base.

Jerzeygurl, I respectfully disagree. The response of people who do not breed grades does help to answer the question "where have all the grades gone". It gives you an idea of why it's difficult to find quality NON-registered grade animals at low prices.

Sher · #75 11/25/06, 08:30 AM

I think everyone wants to buy healthy stock..reg. or grade. And it would be my hope that everyone wants to sell healthy animals..reg. or grade.

That being said...there is a vast difference in eveyones goals with goats. My first two goats were reg. dairy does. One was bred and had a kid..I had three reg. Dairy does. I paid a goodly some for them. Why? Because they were reg. AND because they were sparse around here..I mean sparse. Heck, goats were sparse around here.

When I started recovering and wanted to work but couldn't..I looked at my goats for help. Here, in the Midwest, in Iowa...meat was making money. I couldn't work off the farm to make money for a "hobby"..I had to have the "hobby" pay for itself. Four of these goats I give credit to for my health not totally going into the crapper..so..I wanted to hang onto them..without hubby having to pay for them.

A friend had a boer buck that I "borrowed". We shared him for two years..then I bought him. I bought him with kid money. I buy the goats hay and minerals with kid money. I bought electric fencing with hay money. I feed the does good quality alfalfa hay and access to minerals and good water. Browse when the weather is right. And the kids are on mom's for two to three months. No grain..no shots (if it can be helped) Why? because that is what the people I sell meat goats to want.

My goal is to have a doe have kids..sell those kids within three months of birth. IF someone wants to come see the goats..looking for breeding stock..they are welcomed to...WITH THE UNDERSTANDING..that I don't vaccinate..worm seldom and have not tested for CL or CAE. I don't know how much more honest I can get.

I have run my usual twelve does on ten acres.split into three groups. The twelve are never together in one place. They all share their space with chickens, some of whom were hatched just to pick through poop and nothing more..and some share their space with Dexters.

I use a reg. Boer buck. I line breed one generation. Although this buck Mickey has not bred any daughters in two years. Simply because they have all sold.

My point in this is..I am small..I know what I want to sell..I may have a phone call involved to sell them..but no advertising as such. I don't show..although Mickey may have two does showing this year that someone else bought..showing is NOT my bag..and I don't want to take my stock off the place. I am ...saddly..selling down my herd..have three to kid now that will be leaving after everyone is on the ground and nursing. Does and kids are leaving and its hard..the does were born here..at a hard time in my life..I love them dearly..alas..they are going to a great home to a couple that has only the best of intentions in taking them home.

Next..My original four girls..two Saanens and two Nubes (mother daughter pairs) with Mickey .. will start us all over again. My plan is the same..because it works for me physcially, emotionally, and monetarily.

Vicki..of whom I have the highest respect for..and personally email when I get my tail in a wringer..cannot/wouldnot/shouldnot do anything even remotely close to what I do..why? We haven't the same goals..my goats pay for themselves..hers are a business that pay for a whole lot more. My health comes into it..the size of my homestead comes into it..etc. We both love goats..we both want whats best for our goats and our customers.

I don't understand the friction. I have reg. stock that I have/will be starting my second herd from. I love to raise fifty fiftys for other people. And a good old dairy girls puts my three month kids at an average of 65 pounds to sell as meat.

The gal wanted a milk goat. Maybe she needs a reg. one .. and maybe she doesn't. I don't know what her goal is. I just hope out of all this fuss..she actually finds one..lol!!!

And I just wanted to make clear..areas of the country vary sooo much on what is available or marketable. Here its meat. Its meat because of the ethnic population change. They also love the goat milk..but only want to buy the milk..not the milk goats.. So location is probably a huge deal on what kind of goat you are going to raise. I was just sitting here thinking..IF I needed to replace one of my milk girls...I honestly do not know where I would go to buy a reg. one around here. The gal I originally bought from no longer has them. I do believe I'd have to slip into Mo or somewhere!.

Jillis · #76 11/25/06, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sher

I
That being said...there is a vast difference in eveyones goals with goats.

Exactly!

Quote:

Vicki..of whom I have the highest respect for..and personally email when I get my tail in a wringer..cannot/wouldnot/shouldnot do anything even remotely close to what I do..why? We haven't the same goals..my goats pay for themselves..hers are a business that pay for a whole lot more. My health comes into it..the size of my homestead comes into it..etc. We both love goats..we both want whats best for our goats and our customers.

Exactly what a meant when I said there is room for us all. And I did say that the breeders of registered show stock are the best resource we all have on this forum for accurate, up-to-date information on goat husbandry.

Quote:

I don't understand the friction.

Me either.

Quote:

And I just wanted to make clear..areas of the country vary sooo much on what is available or marketable.

Yup.

Great post, Sher. I couldn't agree more.