Thoughts?

[FarmerIvan]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/grd/4904347360.html
What do yall think about these? Were looking to get some Boer goats to grow out and eat later on this year. I called the gentleman and said he had 5 purebred does, I believe he said some were bred, not sure how many he said were, and he's got 2 adult bucks. Me and my father are interested in em since we got lots of black berries around here and could use a team of goats to take care of it. What would be a reasonable offer for a buck and a prego doe?

[Goat Servant]

First of all, keeping doe & buck together is a disaster waiting to happen especially if you don't know the due dates.
They are likely not tested for CL or CAE. I realize you are only looking for brushers. You do know they also need hay provided?
A wild guess would be anywhere from 2-$400 per head.

[mygoat]

What is your setup? How many pastures, and how big? How much housing? Do you have a separate area for the bucks to live to prevent breeding when inconvenient to you? If you live where it gets cold, then I don't suggest running the buck with the does and letting them breed for Jan/Feb kids when you aren't wanting to practically live in the barn to prevent the kids from freezing to death shortly after birth. It's not so bad if you have exact duedates, but if they are " due anytime in january... I think" that's no fun.

Pasture quality and size and NUMBER of pastures are important for providing adequate forage for them especially through kid loads and though the drier parts of the year. Rotating pastures will also reduce your NUMBER ONE problem with raising goats - parasites. Read up on worm management, pasture management, and coccidiosis prevention.

Finally - the ad doesn't mention diseases. There are a few diseases that can start you out on the wrong foot. CAE, CL, and Johnes are diseases of common concern.

[FarmerIvan]

I have 6 1/2 acres. I have a cow and a bull and do rotational grazing, I have lean-to sheds in each pasture. And have about 3 big pastures that I divide into smaller paddocks but big enough for my two cattle. And yes I do realize they need hay too. I've had goats before but haven't had em in over a decade. So were not too new to em. Were thinking about getting into em again. And I will call about the diseases you've mentioned.

[FarmerIvan]

Yeah they have not been tested for any of those. I don't know if them being registered proves they don't have CAE, CL, or Johnes. He mentioned them being very healthy, and out of good bloodlines. Yall think I should take a look at em to see how they are, and walk and such?

[Wonderland]

Being registered has no bearing on diseases. I know a family that purchased their first goat - a registered purebred Lamancha with good lines from a locally "well known" herd. Had to get rid of her later, after everyone (including their young children) had gotten attached. She was CL+.

I personally wouldn't even bother to look at them, and would wait and find a tested herd. If you choose to look at them, the owner should be willing to allow you to pull tests on them prior to purchase. If he isn't willing, or if they're positive, or if you see any signs of disease (abscesses, abscess scars, underweight goats, etc) run the other way and don't look back.

Still, your best bet is to find a tested herd to begin with and not risk it.

[mygoat]

Registration has nothing to do with disease status.

Personally, if it were me, I'd ask to draw blood and send of tests pre-purchase. CL test is not 'that' good really, but asking if any of his goats ever have any abscesses especially around the face/under ear is helpful (providing you aren't lied to...). CL abscesses are highly contagious within a herd and very very difficult to eliminate from a herd once it's there.

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/circ...hadenitis.html




The CAE test is pretty darn good. There is not a lot of reason that an adult animal that isn't drinking milk should test positive aside from infection.

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/gene...halitis&alt=sh



Also presents in hard udder and encephalitis in goat kids - those are hard to find pictures of though. :P Classic is severe arthritis in the joints.

Johnes is a pretty good test as well, the tricky part is understanding that the causitive agent is a tricky organism. This is why most tests are ran yearly to catch any that may go positive especially when your herd is starting out or when you add new animals in.

http://johnes.org/



Note - goats rarely, if ever, show diarrhea like cattle do when infected with Johnes.

Johnes and CL can infect your cattle, and vice versa.

[billinwv]

If you only want 2, get two does. You can always take them to a buck for the next breeding. Ditto on what everyone else said about disease. Best not to fool around with that. If you get grief for being picky, go some place else and buy.