Selling quality dairy goats

Frosted Mini's · #1 06/27/14, 09:07 PM

Where do you get most of your goat sales hits? I have some nice goats and don't want to lower my prices, as they are priced accordingly, and really it costs me a lot to raise them. On the other hand, I need to get my numbers down! Some days I just feel like dropping off my extra goats at the salebarn, that would be a shame. :/ I have tried making package specials to entice buyers who might want to get started with mini alpines and buy several, and I am offering a free breeding to any bucks I own on does sold this year. I don't really know what else I can do to get them moved. Looking for advertising ideas!

**mygoat** · #2 06/28/14, 01:28 PM

Advertise everywhere and refresh it often - I keep a list going of where I have ads listed so I can remember to take them down as well as keep them refreshed. I do a lot on CL, Facebook, Hoobly. Domestic sale and Best Farm Buys are others. Join a lot of FB groups - lots of them are not 'goat specific' but oriented around livestock sales. Many are for your particular state or region, too. Give as much detail about them as possible, to make them seem 'worth' what you're asking.

Websites help a lot - a ton of people contact me through my website. Advertising what kids you're expecting for the year may help make reservations.

That being said, unless you're a 'big name' farm, often times it can be hard to move them for what they are worth. (My 400.00 doeling this year that I ended up selling for 250, had a couple 50-75 dollar offers without papers, and that would have been a HUGE shame). My 175.00 and 150.00 doelings (out of FF'ers) sold easily before I advertised either one, because that's more affordable to more people.

Alpines I find do NOT have the demand and pricetag of Nubians or (less so in recent years) Nigerians. Nigerians are cute, Nubians are in high demand. I see poor quality Nubes with cruddy production and steep rumps (but lots of spots and flash!) sell for like a hundred dollars more than my alpines do. And they DO sell. A good alpine at 400.00 even though it may be WORTH that much, can be a hard sell. NO floppy ears, no spots, no blue eyes, and there's that darned word 'butterfat' that gets tossed around a lot though most people's diets don't need all that butterfat anyways. :P

I sale barn things that aren't worth the trouble. I have a very low emotional attachment to most of my goats and don't feel I owe them anything - they are livestock, here. I sell flawed animals, wethers, old animals at meat prices - and generally it's easier for me to sale barn them than to try advertising as I'm really busy. I see people selling flawed animals and wethers as 'pets', or does as 'home milkers' only. An animal that does not have inherent worth is not likely to have a permanent, good home, IMO, so I think it's a moot point wether I sale barn that animal or sell it to someone directly - and sale barn is easier.

Frosted Mini's · #3 06/28/14, 04:06 PM

Yep i hear ya on the salebarn animals. I have been taking almost all my buck kids to the next sale day after birth and a doe that freshened with an ugly udder plus her two kids this year. I just dont want to end up doing that with my nice girls. I dont really have problems selling either the alpines or Nigerians...which is why Im trying to sell so many of the mini alpines to begin with. Want to focus on my animals tha earn their keep. I wish the minis were more popular as they really are my favorites but it is what it is.

wintrrwolf · #4 06/28/14, 05:33 PM

Another good place to try is a farmers market. Last weekend Lady came in with the small cute goats and sold out in a couple of hours.
Seems when I don't stress about selling my critters is when they go fast. Just hatched out 6 Ancona ducklings 4 days ago took 2 to the farmers market sold them and all my eggs in less then 2 hours so went home got a call from someone that went up to market late found out I had ducklings and sold the other 4.
I get people coming through the FM asking me if I have any goats for sale yet....I always tell them when I do I will post it on the FM facebook site. They already know that mine are registered standard milk goats and won't be 75-100 goats...

Frosted Mini's · #5 06/28/14, 07:26 PM

Too bad Im not doing the market this year but i have mostly milkers for sale right now. But i have brought kids to market for fun before and there were plenty of people asking if they were for sell. Most of them wanted pet goats or weed eaters.

ne prairiemama · #6 06/28/14, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosted Mini's

Too bad Im not doing the market this year but i have mostly milkers for sale right now. But i have brought kids to market for fun before and there were plenty of people asking if they were for sell. Most of them wanted pet goats or weed eaters.

I sure wish I lived there and had some $! I'd sure help you out!!

marusempai · #7 06/30/14, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosted Mini's

Too bad Im not doing the market this year but i have mostly milkers for sale right now. But i have brought kids to market for fun before and there were plenty of people asking if they were for sell. Most of them wanted pet goats or weed eaters.

It is good (for my husband) that you are so far away from me, because I want that Alpine milker. :P I am a crazy woman!

CAjerseychick · #8 06/30/14, 11:57 AM

I feel for you! Looking for buck service for our doe, but after our scare this spring (told the 3 new goats we got were from tested stock, free and clear and they all were CAE positive, we rehomed them to a weedeater home) do not know what to do.... poor girl is dry now and needs a buck!

ne prairiemama · #9 06/30/14, 12:27 PM

Maybe you could "brag up" the minis on your site and remind people of all their positives!?

Something similar to these quotes only in your own words? Maybe pick out all the positives and remind people how great your minis are

http://julesbutler.hubpages.com/hub/...ng-Mini-Alpine

Quote:

If you are looking for a goat that is small but still has the ability to produce nearly the same amount of milk content as a standard sized goat then the mini-alpine may be just what you are looking for. The mini-alpine is in between the size of a standard alpine and a nigerian dwarf. A mini-alpine eats less than a standard alpine and yet produces nearly the same amount of milk. In addition to that they don't need as much space to live in although giving them plenty of room and pasture space will keep them healthy and happy.

http://www.grit.com/animals/the-econ...#axzz3693bvnVD

I'm no expert though

Frosted Mini's · #10 06/30/14, 03:14 PM

Nice quotes! I have proof of their productiveness since mine are on test.

Hey, I sent you a pm on here, NE Prairiemama.

V-NH · #11 06/30/14, 03:36 PM

I can imagine that it is tough. I have three alpine/nubian crosses that I bought when they were 7 or 8 months old for $100/ea and a registered nubian buckling that I bought at 8 weeks for $100. I have seen a lot of registered does listed on craigslist for $300-400 that seem to stay available for a long time, meaning people aren't buying them. I'm not trying to deter you or convince you to change your prices, but I know the market for expensive does around where I live is very small.

To make matters worse, in my immediate area there is a huge goat dairy (something like 900 does) that sells their bucklings for as low as $20 and their doelings for $35ish. I'm not sure why your average person would consider spending $300 for a doe when they can get 8 for the same price from the dairy. I know that once my goats start throwing kids we're probably just going to eat any that we don't want to keep for ourselves because the market for them is so saturated that selling them generally means taking a loss.

dozedotz · #12 06/30/14, 06:09 PM

One year may be very different from the next, too...as far as sales go. We bought clean, good conformation, milky goats to start with and I have no doubt that Frosted Mini's girls and guys are of a VERY high quality and well cared for (worth what she is asking). We also have a small herd, give them lots of attention and keep things (housing, etc.) looking good. But we do not charge what many people who have our same/similar bloodlines and good care charge. We are a little below some and a lot below others. Obviously this increases the available buyers...but we choose the buyers, too!!!! There are many phone calls and inquiries that find we do not have anything available right now. It is another way of looking at it. Some folks are just really good at selling the "sizzle and not the steak" and some folks are super show winners. We are neither and we know it. There is such a thing as having a "gift" when it comes to selling things. We settle for an acceptable price, selling to people we think are going to take care of our kids and just taking care of our pets. We ain't going to ever "make it" selling goats, but we enjoy them and the kids get hopefully decent homes.

Frosted Mini's · #13 06/30/14, 07:39 PM

Why, you ask? Because the kids from the dairy are probably riddled with CAE, CL, mycoplasma, and who knows what all. Doubt their dams are on milk test or being shown or LA'd or anything of the such to prove they are of much value. The dairy sells kids cheap because they have to get them moved as quickly as possible to free up their milk and they are likely selling the ones that aren't going to make any improvements in their milk checks. It is cheaper for them to buy milkers than raise them up, for the most part, due to all these suckers who are undervaluing their goats. I'm sure if you were to actually sit down and calculate what it costs to raise them, you would see that my prices are very reasonable, especially when you consider what it would cost to buy those bloodlines from the breeders and make them yourself...

V-NH · #14 06/30/14, 07:44 PM

I was not criticizing you at all Frosted. I am 100% sure that your goats are exponentially better than the $35 ones from the goat dairy. However, times are still tough for many and a lot of people go for price point over quality. I sympathize with you because it has to be tough selling high quality goats in this market.

ne prairiemama · #15 06/30/14, 08:21 PM

Ok! Going to read your note!

gunsmithgirl · #16 06/30/14, 09:50 PM

It's a tough market to sell quality kids for what they are worth. I feel your pain there. I do lots of advertising online now and that seems to help.... Somedays it really irrks me though, I invested a lot of money in does that were on DHIR testing before I bought them, I am on DHIR now, drove 5 hours to get a buck who has milk stars and DHIR testing on the does in his background for days. Someone will email and ask if I'll take like 1/2 what I'm asking for them.....