Where/How did you get your starter goat?

issylthesthlia · #1 02/04/10, 11:15 AM

I'd be really interested to know where/how each of you got into goats-- specifically how you got your first or starter goats. Did you cross state lines? Ship? Just come across one?

Super curious!

thaiblue12 · #2 02/04/10, 11:23 AM

I got my first 3 goats, pygmy crosses from the local paper. I wanted weed eating pets. Then I got a true pygmy for free and now I have none of those girls

I wanted Nigies for their size, looks and etc. I asked a women but she had just sold her last doeling, but she told me of a man selling out of Nigies. So I bought his entire herd of 10 does, one buck and a wether. Oh and during this time I also aquired a few big loud eating machine Nubians who are on my bad goat list right now

I do love them but they can be real pests and right now I am annoyed that they yet again used their size to bust into the garage and try to break into the feed barrels and pee and poop in there. They had just been fed about an hour ago!
I now have mainly Nigies, the 3 Nubians and some mini Nubians. I was down to 26 but do to the recent unplanned baby boom I am at 38.... again! So I will be selling quite a few this Spring I hope.

shanzone2001 · #3 02/04/10, 11:26 AM

Several years ago I bought 2 pigmy goats to keep our weeds down. They were not at all tame, but got the job done. Since then, we have added an Alpine, 2 Saanens, 2 Nubians, and 2 Nigerian Dwarfs to the small herd. I have too many favorites, but my Nigerian Dwarfs does are my daughter's for 4H so they are pretty special. The others are all bottle fed wethers and think they are dogs!
Our first 2 goats (pigmy) have been sold to a woman who needed weed eaters. We decided to only have friendly "pet" goats from now on.

gracie88 · #4 02/04/10, 11:32 AM

A friend of my husband's mentioned a "goat lady" that had been a 4-H leader for years. I stopped by her place to ask about bottle babies and she had this pair of lamancha crosses. She had a set of pygmy quads too, fortunately, I was short on cash.

Bricheze · #5 02/04/10, 11:36 AM

My FFA chapter had two pregnant Lamancha does, that no one really owned. The chapter had bought them a couple years before, just to own goats that could be used to teach students. I didn't know much about goats or kidding, but the goat went into labor and I wanted to watch. When she stopped progressing--I knew something was wrong; and then she started bleeding. I called my teacher, who walked me through assisting in birth, I untangled the twins in the birth canal, and got them both out alive. I instantly fell in love, and bought both of the does, and all of the kids that day for a bargain (200$) I later found out that they were registered and papered, and actually from a very good breeder, and very high quality!

I've loved them ever sense

bcadybug · #6 02/04/10, 11:41 AM

lets see.. my goat story began while I was on a "sisters only vacation" in Las Vegas. My DH and DD went to our county fair UNSUPERVISED and well, they brought 2 wethers home with them! Knowing that I love all creatures BIG and SMALL... then knew I would approve. We started with Boer and Pygmy wethers. The breeder we got them from was the leader of a local 4H club, so my daughter promptly joined that club and we've been hooked ever since. Thought we wanted "minis" so we purchased a couple Nigerians but then we LOVED the floppy ears of the Nubians... and on and on and on.. We still have the two original wethers, 5 Nigerians, 1 pygmy doe mix, 2 Nubians and 1 Oberhasli.

We've not had to travel over state lines so far for any of our goats... have driven a couple hours for 2 or 3 of them though.

Yes, I'm known as the crazy goat lady around these parts....

www.bryanfamilyfarm.com

Val

Minelson · #7 02/04/10, 11:43 AM

I put an ad in the local paper - Wanted: Pet Goat - with my phone number. I received 2 calls. One was a very friendly guy that lived about 15 miles away. I went to visit his farm and I was so impressed with how clean his place looked and how healthy all his animals looked. And he had a gazillion animals! All different kinds but every thing was a mini. Except for the emus...I don't think they come in mini lol! He showed me 2 does...one with a very young baby and one that was pregnant. Out of all the goats I don't know why these 2 were the only ones available. They had horns and I had decided I didn't want a goat with horns. Well, the brown, pregnant pygmy made an impression on me me because she was so friendly. But I didn't want a PREGNANT goat!!! With horns! I didn't know a thing about goats much less a pregnant one. So we left. And I went back the next day with my 3 horse slant trailer and got her. My hubby had said do what you want...baby goats can't be that hard. We had nothing set up. NOTHING. Just a stall in the barn. I don't regret a thing

issylthesthlia · #8 02/04/10, 11:58 AM

Wow-- I'm so glad I asked!

billooo2 · #9 02/04/10, 11:59 AM

This is my 3d time with goats. I went through 2 divorces, and the goats went. .....so much for the first 2 times.
1. The first time we bought a 3/4 grade from a fellow 4H member.
2. The second time I went to one of the top Alpine breeders and bought a buck and 3 first fresheners that they were selling after deciding what they were going to keep.
3. The last time I bought 3 does (ended up bringing home a buck also

) to see if I could still do this type of thing. Well, those original 3 are gone.......but I will be freshening about a dozen does this spring.

shellrow · #10 02/04/10, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcadybug

lets see.. my goat story began while I was on a "sisters only vacation" in Las Vegas. My DH and DD went to our county fair UNSUPERVISED and well, they brought 2 wethers home with them! Knowing that I love all creatures BIG and SMALL... then knew I would approve. We started with Boer and Pygmy wethers. The breeder we got them from was the leader of a local 4H club, so my daughter promptly joined that club and we've been hooked ever since. Thought we wanted "minis" so we purchased a couple Nigerians but then we LOVED the floppy ears of the Nubians... and on and on and on.. We still have the two original wethers, 5 Nigerians, 1 pygmy doe mix, 2 Nubians and 1 Oberhasli.

We've not had to travel over state lines so far for any of our goats... have driven a couple hours for 2 or 3 of them though.

Yes, I'm known as the crazy goat lady around these parts....

www.bryanfamilyfarm.com

Val

I checked out your page and your photos! I loved the photo of one of the goats looking at the camera sideways or almost upside down. It is the real close up face shot! I laughed over that pic so much. Thanks for the funny of the day for me!

Now onto the topic at hand. Well I am scheduled to get my first goats this month. We are purchasing Ellie (a beautiful Nubian AGDA registerable) dairy goat and two wethers to keep her company from a member here on HT. We live in NC and the seller lives in SC. Our plans are to take a horse trailer to pick them up. I can't wait to get them here. Currently Ellie is being bred and we should pick all of them up within the next week or so. :banana02: Now I will be known as the crazy goat lady!

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #11 02/04/10, 12:49 PM

From a used goat saleswoman who is now out of goats. It's why I do my forum, to make sure nobody starts out as bad I as did, or falls for the lies they tell. Vicki

jad44 · #12 02/04/10, 01:42 PM

We decided we needed weed eaters for 7 acres of bramble! On old machine yard - so we found a herd of goats that the couple wanted to get rid of - wanted out of the goat business! Had no idea what we were getting but didn't have in mind to raise them - just graze them - surprise! and about 40 babies later! I still have most of the originals, and have had an abundance of beauties this winter - so different in coloring, and they are supposed to be at least 1/2 Boer, since we have a registered Boer Billy; Most of the does are at least 1/2 Boer... a couple alpine and 2 Nubians have been added to the group... we've had our share of problems, but are learning along the way and having fun with every one of the little tykes. This year's kids are so muscular and healthy - running all over and some of them less than 3 weeks old - I wouldn't trade my goats for anything in the world.. I'd miss them too much. I do sell the bucklings though - but other than that, all the doelings stay for future breeding purposes, and hoping to upgrade the herd by doing so. We bought a registered Billy after the first two Billys that came with the herd. Much better looking kids. I doubt short of an emergency we'd ever part with them now.

issylthesthlia · #13 02/04/10, 01:45 PM

I would really rather buy from someone on here-- I'm worried about shipping! I live so far from most of you (in Tucson, AZ), so that makes it tricky!

#14 02/04/10, 01:52 PM

I bought my first 2 goats from DeafGoatLady here on the forums! I had to cross state lines to get them as she's in MO and I'm in IL. We live about an hour and a half from each other. Those goaties were worth the drive!

DairyGoatSlave · #15 02/04/10, 02:13 PM

I had a pygmy doe and buck a few years back, but just recently really got into goats. I met someone last year at county fair(now my best friend) who needed help with her does, so i started helping her. after fair we went to her place and i feel in love wiht a little lamancha/ober doeling. my friend gave her to me as a gift, so i went and did a whole bunch of reserch about goats learing as much as i could(still learinging lol!) My friend was babysitting a small herd of pure breed lamanchas(who were for sale XD) i fell in love with the breed(frined has sannens, im not a sannen person), so for my birthday they were a gift to myself. The lady i bought them from is my goat menotr, sadly she sold her herd but gave me all her books/notes/info on the goats, so i now have a libraby o' goat info. anyway, im kind of rambling now but thats how i got my girls ^^

issylthesthlia · #16 02/04/10, 02:15 PM

These stories are so cool!

DairyGoatSlave · #17 02/04/10, 02:38 PM

by the way, watch out...they multiply fast! i started with one, am now up to 7 with kids on the way XD

Goat Servant · #18 02/04/10, 02:45 PM

When my human babies were preschool age, we wanted real milk & meat so got a couple of Nubians.
Those were in the days of combiotic if anyone remembers that & I have no clue what it was!
After children left home & getting more & more disatisfied with a grunt job on graveyard it was time to get back to goats.
Cashed in my company stock to reinvest in Boers. part of why we named this place "Laughing Stock"
Found a breeder on the other side of the state, still have most of my foundation gals. It was well worth the drive. She is my mentor & we have become good friends.

issylthesthlia · #19 02/04/10, 02:54 PM

Goat Servant-- My parents live in Anacortes-- not that far from you

You are where I've dreamed of living!

Bricheze · #20 02/04/10, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issylthesthlia

I would really rather buy from someone on here-- I'm worried about shipping! I live so far from most of you (in Tucson, AZ), so that makes it tricky!

I was hopeful, but while our states are next to each other, we are on the polar opposites of the states! I know some people that live a bit closer to the state line that might have some great quality animals for sale in the spring... I mean if you were willing to drive 8 or so hours