# Good breeders selling on Craigslist?



## Back to Nature (Jan 12, 2013)

So I was just browsing around on Craigslist, seeing what animals they have. I saw some horses and goats at breeder prices. I would obviously do a health/pedigree/etc. check before I bought an animal from anywhere, but do good breeders advertise on Craigslist, or just people with poorly-bred animals trying to make a quick buck (no pun intended)? I want to know if it's even worth looking at.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 12, 2013)

I know of several really nice goat breeders that use CL. I think you have to know what you are looking for and know what to ask. You can tell most of the time just by reading the ad what kind of people they are. So I don't think it's a waste of time but you have to be careful and know what to ask.


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## Back to Nature (Jan 12, 2013)

That's what I thought... I saw a Friesian horse on there, and the breeder was going on and on about how great it was. But it was only $900. If it's that awesome, it wouldn't be $900. (I've seen them go for $35,000.) So I see what you mean by being careful.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 12, 2013)

I have no idea about the horse market on CL. Only goats. I would think that with horses they might not use CL. If they had great horses it's going to be out of many CL shopper's price.


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## Back to Nature (Jan 12, 2013)

True. Most people on CL only have a couple hundred bucks at most. Do you breed goats?


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## Royd Wood (Jan 13, 2013)

I deal in purebred Galloway cattle, Romney Sheep and Large Black pigs and would never advertise on there but would consider buying anything that catches my eye
You have to be one step ahead but be prepared to be caught with your pants down


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## ragdollcatlady (Jan 13, 2013)

Since I don't have a website up yet and very few people buy newspapers anymore...I use CL to sell my extra chickens and goats. I have really nice breeder stock birds (from private breeders) as well as some healthy but mixed breed chicks on occasion. My goats are nice pedigreed and dual registered goats I bought from other reputable breeders and I sell for competitive prices, so folks that get animals from me are getting really good deals....so good that a lot of people are really surprised at how different my animals are from the usual CL fare. I do get tired of a lot of the CL flakes, but it is a free and easy option for extra animals and there are a lot of really nice people out there. I do see adds that are from knowledgeable and good owners, usually you can see the little extras in the add.....info on personality, or perhaps some details about the particular breed and animal. And the better owners will give you more info if you email back and forth a few  times...I usually give a short answer the first  time, then if the person is still interested, I will give more info or ask more questions.
Use caution and common sense...if everything doesn't look as good as it seemed when you finally arrive to get the animal, then apologize and leave. I never assume the sale is final until they see the animal and say "I'll take him" and put the money in my hand.


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## Lamancha Acres 123 (Jan 13, 2013)

I post mine occasionally on craigslist. Alot of people that sell are mainly boer breeders and were i live most go for chivo (Meat)


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## redtailgal (Jan 13, 2013)

ragdollcatlady said:
			
		

> Since I don't have a website up yet and very few people buy newspapers anymore...I use CL to sell my extra chickens and goats. I have really nice breeder stock birds (from private breeders) as well as some healthy but mixed breed chicks on occasion. My goats are nice pedigreed and dual registered goats I bought from other reputable breeders and I sell for competitive prices, so folks that get animals from me are getting really good deals....so good that a lot of people are really surprised at how different my animals are from the usual CL fare. I do get tired of a lot of the CL flakes, but it is a free and easy option for extra animals and there are a lot of really nice people out there. I do see adds that are from knowledgeable and good owners, usually you can see the little extras in the add.....info on personality, or perhaps some details about the particular breed and animal. And the better owners will give you more info if you email back and forth a few  times...I usually give a short answer the first  time, then if the person is still interested, I will give more info or ask more questions.
> Use caution and common sense...if everything doesn't look as good as it seemed when you finally arrive to get the animal, then apologize and leave. I never assume the sale is final until they see the animal and say "I'll take him" and put the money in my hand.


I agree.

I look at CL for several types of things, including critters.  One of my "red flags" is a poorly written ad.  If they cannot properly spell the breed of animal they are selling, they dont know enough about their own critters to sell to me.  I've seen ad's for "bore" goats, "Dovermans", "Rockwellers" and one of my favorites was a "bore wethered buckling" when the picture CLEARLY showed a nubian(ish) doe in milk.  Poor grammar is also a major turnoff for me..........I expect a well written ad, and an adequate picture or I just keep right on scrolling.


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## Bridgemoof (Jan 13, 2013)

WE have bought a LOT of animals off of CL. Some good, some not so good. My other half is a CL addict. A lot of times the sheep and goats are culls, basically, but we have gotten registered Boer goats. Many times people use that avenue because it is free, and they are not a registered professional breeder with a website or clientele. It is an easy inexpensive vehicle to reach out to a lot of people. We also sell many animals and other things on CL. We do meet a lot of really, nice people. We do have some registered Boers and Finns, and Jacobs. I am sure we will be advertising this year's lambs and kids on CL when the time comes.

My other half also deals in horses. We have 25 horses. A few of them have come off of CL.  Usually the horses are the ones that people don't want and can't get rid of in any other way (besides taking them to the auction themselves.) The horse market is poor, and it is not so easy to unload a horse. We have gotten a lot of horses off of CL that Tim has flipped. And many were FREE. People just don't have the means to get rid of a horse they can't keep themselves. He works with the horse, assesses it's strengths and weaknesses, and does his best to place the horse with an appropriate buyer. That being said, while the horse market in general is not good, we are in a horse-heavy area, and Tim knows a lot of people here. Tim has run an ad on CL that is titled "Looking for the Horse You Don't Want." This enraged so many people, lol, there was a thread on the Chronicle of the Horse Forum about it that went on for about 35 pages, lol.

The best advice I have is to go look at the animal of interest. You will be able to assess the situation and see if it's in good shape and been well cared for.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 13, 2013)

> I look at CL for several types of things, including critters.  One of my "red flags" is a poorly written ad.  If they cannot properly spell the breed of animal they are selling, they dont know enough about their own critters to sell to me.  I've seen ad's for "bore" goats, "Dovermans", "Rockwellers" and one of my favorites was a "bore wethered buckling" when the picture CLEARLY showed a nubian(ish) doe in milk.  Poor grammar is also a major turnoff for me..........I expect a well written ad, and an adequate picture or I just keep right on scrolling.


Exactly. If they ramble on, can't spell, don't have any idea what they are talking about, say things like "weathered" goat, "wether buck" etc. then I want nothing to do with them.


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## jodief100 (Jan 13, 2013)

I sell on Craigslist and we have some very nice stock.  It is free and a good way to reach people locally.  It can be difficult because you get buyers who don't know anything about the animals, just looking for a "goat" or "chicken"  or "turkey".  We have sold some nice animals to very knowledgeable people and have sold some nice animals to people who have no idea what they got.  

I never sell culls anywhere but at a slaughter auction but not everyone is like me so be careful.


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## RemudaOne (Jan 13, 2013)

jodief100 said:
			
		

> I sell on Craigslist and we have some very nice stock.  It is free and a good way to reach people locally.  It can be difficult because you get buyers who don't know anything about the animals, just looking for a "goat" or "chicken"  or "turkey".  We have sold some nice animals to very knowledgeable people and have sold some nice animals to people who have no idea what they got.
> 
> I never sell culls anywhere but at a slaughter auction but not everyone is like me so be careful.


X2.

 I've sold on CraigsList and made some lasting friendships in doing so. In my opinion, you will reach more people , IN and OUT of your area, in less time on Craigslist than any other method of advertising (paid or unpaid). Common sense is a must any time you deal with folks you don't know, whether those contacts come from newspaper ads, flyers, or whatever method of advertising you choose. 

Although I've made some casual friendships through my egg sales (via CraigsList), none of my egg customers have ever been to my farm.  I meet them in town.

As far as sheep, if I wouldn't be happy to have them in my own flock, they go to the sale.  If I think they have quality, I will advertise on CL. 

I've also bought quite a lot of equipment off of CL and was very pleased with the prices I paid on everything and with the quality of the item when I picked it up.  I think it's a pretty valuable resource whether you're buying or selling.


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## michickenwrangler (Jan 13, 2013)

I prefer www.bestfarmbuys.com  More reputable breeders on there. Nevertheless, my purebred Saanen does I got as a package deal with their kids for an excellent price, I found on CL. They were owned by a dairy farmer whose college-age daughter wanted to get into the goat milk end of things but got bored with the goats. They were actually on there for a few weeks before I called on them and then got them. They turned out to be really nice goats and their half-Boer kids had Saanen height with Boer muscling and took "A" ribbons at the fair and the people that bought them for meat LOVED the taste of them.

Again, look at things with a grain of salt and look at what people tell you and figure out what they're NOT telling you.


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## DonnaBelle (Jan 13, 2013)

Let me tell you guys a story about my Lenora.  She was the 3rd goat I bought from a breeder.  I had bought the first two as 5 month olds.  I wanted experience about birthing a baby goat so I bought Lenora. she was 3 years old and bred and had kidded twice.    I got her  from a "reputable" dealer just outside of Tulsa.  I paid $300.00 for her.

I posted photos of her on this website, and was it was immediately pointed out to me that she had large knees.  Oh, and what did that mean?  It meant she had CAE.

By then, I had become attached to her and didn't want to get rid of her.  So I have kept her and not sold any of her doelings and have wethered and butchered her bucklings.

I have only gotten rid of her offspring to people who wanted butcher goats.  She's been bred twice since, and is not going to be bred anymore.  She has a hard time walking and I know her knees hurt her.

I called the breeder and asked him if he knew she had CAE and he wouldn't admit to anything.  He asked me if I was going to bad mouth him to the other people in the NE Oklahoma goat club and I told him I wouldn't lie if someone asked me about him.

No one has asked me,but  I see he still advertises in Oklahoma Living and Oklahoma Today magazines.  

DonnaBelle


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Jan 13, 2013)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> I know of several really nice goat breeders that use CL. I think you have to know what you are looking for and know what to ask. You can tell most of the time just by reading the ad what kind of people they are. So I don't think it's a waste of time but you have to be careful and know what to ask.


*
X2 here.*


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## Back to Nature (Jan 13, 2013)

So it seems we all agree that good animals can be found on CL, but you need to be careful. I'll make sure to learn about a breed from a breeder I know is reputable before I look at Craigslist. And I'll probably get the first couple animals of any breed from a known breeder so I can get the "feel" of them.


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## Mamaboid (Jan 13, 2013)

We found our Eli and Elsie on CL.  They are FB Fainters and we got a really good deal on them.  The people that had them had to get rid of them in a hurry because of a conflict with the township laws.  There are lots of reasons people use CL, and as long as you are careful and do your due diligence, you can get really lucky.


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## SkyWarrior (Jan 13, 2013)

Most of my goats I found on Craigslist--BUT I knew the breeder beforehand!   After I answered her ad (without knowing beforehand), she asked me if we were the only two people on CL!    

That being said, in Montana you're probably going to find livestock on CL or at auction.  The distances are so large that unless you travel to the shows, etc., that's where you'll find nice grade animals.


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## that's*satyrical (Jan 13, 2013)

I found my Coco on craigslist and I love that goat. She's an awesome milker too, and what a deal I got  But yeah, I agree, you have to be careful and ask questions.


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## Back to Nature (Jan 13, 2013)

Thanks!  Maybe I'll get lucky and find some cheap, quality animals on there when the time comes.


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