The balance of price and quality.

issylthesthlia · #1 02/12/10, 10:54 AM

So... I'm looking for a goat. I have some severe food sensitivities and it has been suggested to me that raw milk might help (I'm down to brown rice, yams, and meat...). I can't digest cow's milk... but I know from experience I can do raw goat's milk-- pasteurized and I can't do it at all.

I've been looking for a doe in milk-- which is hard enough to find. I have one option thus far for a trade for two does in milk-- but they have horns and they are... questionable in quality. I can't afford the $300+ people around here are asking for a nicer (baby), so I feel stuck...

I'm OK with a Sr. Doe who needs to move on to be replaced by a JR. I am not really picky about breed. I can't do bottle babies, as I really need the milk ASAP-- I'm trying to nurse my son on this really restricted diet! I'm OK with not show quality. I'm ok with FF-- but I can't pay $300 each and I don't want to settle for horns and a bad udder... (the bad udder is the bigger problem by far.)

So-- how do you find the balance between quality and price? Do I need to look outside AZ for what I want (and then there is shipping!) Am I crazy to think I can spend less than $300 each???

gracie88 · #2 02/12/10, 11:21 AM

Got 4-H in your area? Here, there are heaps of kids with goats in 4-H. Lots of them are cross bred dairy, so not show goats outside of 4-H, most are pretty good quality, buying one at a show is spendy, but outside the shows, they are pretty reasonable. That's where I got mine, although they were bottle babies, not in milk.

issylthesthlia · #3 02/12/10, 11:33 AM

There is-- but I don't know how to get in contact with anyone? Did you call the officers or something?

Briza · #4 02/12/10, 11:34 AM

This is so regional but 300. is really pretty much a good deal for a healthy disease free milkstand tame doe in milk. Bad udder is a wide range of troubles. Be sure to stay away from any that are not soft and pliable. Milk the doe before purchasing so you can see the stream and feel the empty udder as well as look at the output yourself. You may have to accept a doe with less than perfect structure to the udder as far as attachment or teat size since honestly- we don't sell the good ones!!! I would stay away from an older doe because they do not transition from a situation they have been in over a long time to a new home as well as a younger animal. This is only partly a mental thing. Changes in a long term feeding regime are very difficult to adapt to for an older animal and your success will be less likely with a senior. It really is too bad that transport is so high now because there are many people with excellent animals that sell more cheaply because of local economies. Good luck in the hunt and hopefully it will help your health issues.

issylthesthlia · #5 02/12/10, 11:39 AM

Unfortunately the $300 price range is for bottle babies with milking potential-- I have yet to find a decent milker at any cost.

I don't mind less than perfect-- and I don't need a registered doe... or a purebred. I guess I'm just being unable to find anything but the trade-- and her udder is less than desirable...

The balance of price and quality. - Goats

The balance of price and quality. - Goats

Should I just go ahead and do that trade? It would be for her and my choice of another milker or a young doe...

Jay27 · #6 02/12/10, 11:40 AM

Try realmilk.com and raw-milk-facts.com. You can search for raw milk in your area and get some contacts as far as who has producing animals. Maybe you can sob-story them into a deal

I'd help you out if I was closer

issylthesthlia · #7 02/12/10, 11:42 AM

Jay-- there is one raw milk (goat-share) lady locally but it's $50/week for a quart... which is too steep for me... I think I may have to go with my 'starter goats' and work up from there

mpete · #8 02/12/10, 11:43 AM

her teats look really small... you should try to milk her first, then try the milk from that doe... some does have milk that is not too good

susanne · #9 02/12/10, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issylthesthlia

Jay-- there is one raw milk (goat-share) lady locally but it's $50/week for a quart... which is too steep for me... I think I may have to go with my 'starter goats' and work up from there

that doesn't seem right. maybe a misunderstanding and it is $50 per month?
a good quality milking doe will be around $300 to $500. does not mean it is show quality but decent amount of milk with a good udder.
look around dairies, they often sell kids very cheap. you might need to spent some time and drive a couple of hours to pick them up. they might be just a couple of days old and you spent about $300 to $400 in feed to raise them until they are kidding

good luck in finding a suitable animal.

billooo2 · #10 02/12/10, 12:12 PM

I am in Ohio, so I am not familiar with Arizona......but part of your difficulty in finding a milker right now may be due to the time of the year. At least in this area, finding a milker would be very difficult because most goats have not freshened yet. And I would be a little suspicious of a goat that is not bred to freshen this spring.
Starting in March or April, they will be a lot easier to find.
And I would not hesitate to make a road trip to get a good one. You will be living with this animal for a long time. For me, a 2-day round trip road trip is well worth the investment.
Bill.......just thinking

issylthesthlia · #11 02/12/10, 12:17 PM

The two does kidded 8 weeks ago

I can't do a two day round trip-- with three small boys and my DH's job it wouldn't be possible. These girls are four hours away round trip as it is.

It is early in the season to look for a freshened doe-- it's just that health issues won't wait

copperpennykids · #12 02/12/10, 12:31 PM

Can you spend $450.00 for a nice doe in milk and just get a companion wether for now? Those go for about $30.00 in many places. Just make sure that the wether's home is also disease free/ no CAE etc.

issylthesthlia · #13 02/12/10, 01:05 PM

No-- I can't even afford $300 for a pair. Honestly, I maybe can do about $150 for a pair, which is why I'm probably going to end up doing the trade-- I just can't afford anything more right now.

fishhead · #14 02/12/10, 01:11 PM

Have you tried posting on the "barter" thread?

issylthesthlia · #15 02/12/10, 01:15 PM

Yes-- I'm unfortunately so far away from most people...

fishhead · #16 02/12/10, 01:23 PM

There seems to be a lot of goats in CO. One poster said she was moving to a 200 doe dairy in that state. Maybe there would be a way for a goat to hitch a ride with someone.

issylthesthlia · #17 02/12/10, 02:52 PM

Hey-- guys-- what do you think? I saw her and my heart fluttered

I swear... I may actually be able to get her...

http://sierravista.craigslist.org/grd/1597927987.html

Alice In TX/MO · #18 02/12/10, 03:20 PM

She looks JUST like my Cocoa, who is making 1/2 gallon per day for us, in the dead of winter!

GO GET HER!

issylthesthlia · #19 02/12/10, 03:33 PM

I guess that means I have good taste

I am doing ANYthing I can to get her.

Briza · #20 02/12/10, 03:44 PM

Be sure to ask a lot of questions
Why is she for sale and why is she so cheap.
A doe in milk producing triplets is just never that cheap without some drawback.
It may be as unimportant as temperament- we cull for that and sometimes they work out better in a new environment. Maybe she's a bully and needs to go. But that is a stupendously low price. Hope it's as good as it seems.