# Not using craigslist anymore



## manybirds (Jun 11, 2012)

just sold my 2 baby boys today and i'm not sure of the buyers intent. why can't people respect it when you put 'not for meat' or 'for pet only' on there???? I've never once been contacted by a possible goat buyer with good intentions off of craigs (ok once but she didn't end up buying). If they where going for meat i would have eaten them myself!!!!!! i don't put my blood sweat money patiance (not to mention sticking my hand up mama) into these babies for some creepy arrogent disrespectful buyers benefit! one of the babies was almost dead when i came out because mama had a 3rd baby stuck and couldn't clean him or anything, by the time i had got the 3rd baby out i thought he was dead! i worked on him for 3 days though and finnaly brought him around and he is now one of my sweetest babies, the ohter was a little boy that always came up and politely asked for attention when i came in. I'm not a liberal or a vegitarian, infact i would raise my own meat goats! but like i said my time and money wasn't put into them for anothers benefit. I'm not positive of the intent but they where to teenage boys with rather low IQ's (not to be rude but they used ok and uuuuhhhhhhh's in there sentence more than anything else) and all they asked was how big will they get, what do i feed them and can they be kept with cattle. but at that point i couldn't say no, they where polite, had driven 45 min-an hour, i wasn't positive what they wanted them for.  i hate not knowing, maybe i'll just start eating them myself, that way i know what happens and i get the benefit not some stranger.


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## BrownSheep (Jun 11, 2012)

How big is rodeo in you area? Could they have been buying them for roping? Not the best situation but better than being BBQ. Hope they turn out to be pets or at least just pasture ornaments.


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## manybirds (Jun 11, 2012)

BrownSheep said:
			
		

> How big is rodeo in you area? Could they have been buying them for roping? Not the best situation but better than being BBQ. Hope they turn out to be pets or at least just pasture ornaments.


its not a huge thing but it is a thing, we have a real close one once a year and others not quite so close but in the area


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## neener92 (Jun 11, 2012)

If I'm selling something I don't want to be eaten I ask what they will be doing with them first off, if I don't like their answer then I simply tell them.


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## hcppam (Jun 11, 2012)

I had 2 boys buy my 2 pet rabbits when I was a kid, come to find out latter they were buying them for meat, luckily for me I tracked them down and their parents were very upset with them that they lied to me and I got them back, since then I always think the worst of people buying my animals, but I have been wrong and they got good homes.


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## manybirds (Jun 11, 2012)

I'll just have to be more assertive next time and ask what there wanted for etc. glad you got your rabbits back! Its weird that someone would buy someones 2 rabbits for meat, whouldn't it be eisier to just breed your own?!?! What bugs me the most is that i put all my work into them and i'm not the one with taisty goat infront of me. You see SO many adds around here for dairy wethers/bucklings for $5 a piece, beacause there big goat farms who don't need boys. why would you go out of your way to pick someones 'pet goats'?? I even considered eating them but then decided there so sweet and i only got 2 boys this year that i wouldn't, maybe next year when i actaully had some meat doe's kidding.


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## hcppam (Jun 11, 2012)

manybirds said:
			
		

> I'll just have to be more assertive next time and ask what there wanted for etc. glad you got your rabbits back! Its weird that someone would buy someones 2 rabbits for meat, whouldn't it be eisier to just breed your own?!?! What bugs me the most is that i put all my work into them and i'm not the one with taisty goat infront of me. You see SO many adds around here for dairy wethers/bucklings for $5 a piece, beacause there big goat farms who don't need boys. why would you go out of your way to pick someones 'pet goats'?? I even considered eating them but then decided there so sweet and i only got 2 boys this year that i wouldn't, maybe next year when i actaully had some meat doe's kidding.


You can make a free web site at Weebly it's easy.  You can post a few pic's put your policy on it and most people with nefarious reasons for buying a goat do surf craigslist not web sites. The boys raised meat rabbits and I had sold them to them because they said they would have a good home, guess new breeding stock? 
http://www.weebly.com/link/MX7D3F


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## manybirds (Jun 12, 2012)

hcppam said:
			
		

> manybirds said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


thanks, i started to make a website through yola i just haven't finished or published it yet


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## 20kidsonhill (Jun 12, 2012)

We do lots of business on craigslist, and I have met some really nice families coming to buy our goats.  It amazes me how many people come and buy meat goats and then tell me, "Don't worry, we don't eat them."  I had at least 3 people tell me that this year. It honestly wouldn't bother me if they were buying them for meat, as long as they were properly handled. I think one thing that helps is we selll  most of ours above meat prices, so they are a little expensive to just take home and butcher.


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## boykin2010 (Jun 12, 2012)

I have had really good luck off of craigslist.  I sold 2 male bottle babies off Craigslist which I said I did not want to be eaten.  One bottle baby was used as a stud and the other was fixed and kept with some goats. I always Try to talk to people on the phone before they come over to see how they really are.  Luckily, there are great people in my area. The only thing I have to deal with is photography companies wanting to buy my bottle lambs.  I don't sell to them because I don't believe it is right for the lamb to be kept in a pen and used for pictures.  Then, what will happen to them when they get older???   

My only advice would be to talk to them on the phone for a while and get a feeling for them.  Usually I like to see how knowledgeable the people are about the animal.


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## bonbean01 (Jun 12, 2012)

People may say they are buying not for meat...but do you really know if they are telling the truth or not?  Nope...and when someone is buying an animal and has paid for it...really...it now belongs to them, not the seller anymore.  

A local person on CL here was trying to give a whole bunch of free roosters away to someone who would not eat them...not sure how that worked out, but who would keep and feed a dozen young roosters for pets?  

It is hard to sell animals we have taken great pains to care for to strangers...but the option is to keep them or take your chances on selling them.  We raise hair sheep...aka...meat sheep...my biggest concern is how they are treated and the only ones we have sold so far have been to our neighbour across the road from us, so we've been fortunate and can go visit them anytime...but down the road...hard decisions will have to be made or we just can't keep raising sheep.


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## manybirds (Jun 12, 2012)

I do understand the need for meat, I just think it would be easier and nicer sometimes if people would go after the $5 day olds advertised for meat or something of the sort rather than going after what people obviously don't want for meat. there are also SO many livestock auctions around here. I don't mind butchering as long as animals are treated humanely, i've even sold breeding stock etc. These 2 i was just particularly attached too so it was difficult, and i had a very nice lady who was looking at them too, who i wish would have spoken up sooner. with everything but goats i've had good luck on craigslist, we sell rabbits ducks geese chickens etc on there. i just think i'll find a different market for goats from now on. I find BestFarmBuys to be a VERY good site. almost all the goats are advertised as registered healthy stock, i've never had any trouble with it, its where i got my sable foundation stock.


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jun 12, 2012)

I think Im the odd one in this group of responses...

I dont raise 'meat goats', I sell pets, (nigerian dwarfs) if I sell any. BUT- I also realise, the animal isnt mine the minute they pay for it. I have ZERO control after the sale, and I really dont feel I have any right to tell someone what to do with their animal. For me, I have to hold onto the love and joy they brought me, and kinda 'forget' about them. Unless the new owners contact me and give me updates, I try not to think about them personally- not knowing can be painful to me, so I focus on the happiness they brought and the hope that they are happy. But I never try to tell someone what to do with them- I dont think its my right.

Yes, I put LOTS of work and love into my animals. Do I want to see them eaten? Not really. But I realise that that is a distinct possibility, especially given that lots of people eat goat in my area. 

It took me awhile to get this mindset, but I am here now. I cant keep all the critters, I dont eat them either. I like to think each one will live a long, peaceful life and die of natural causes way in the future. But I think the reality will be different. Goats can live a long time when cared for properly. And there are way more goats than people, so it stands to reason not all 'pet' goats will be treated well, nor will they all stay pets and not end up as food.

My biggest hope is they are treated well, and if slaughtered, they are done so kindly and humanely. I dont want them to be eaten, only because I love them, but if their bodies can bless another human with a full belly, and they were treated kindly, I dont have a problem with it.


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## elevan (Jun 12, 2012)

pridegoethb4thefall said:
			
		

> I think Im the odd one in this group of responses...
> 
> I dont raise 'meat goats', I sell pets, (nigerian dwarfs) if I sell any. BUT- I also realise, the animal isnt mine the minute they pay for it. I have ZERO control after the sale, and I really dont feel I have any right to tell someone what to do with their animal. For me, I have to hold onto the love and joy they brought me, and kinda 'forget' about them. Unless the new owners contact me and give me updates, I try not to think about them personally- not knowing can be painful to me, so I focus on the happiness they brought and the hope that they are happy. But I never try to tell someone what to do with them- I dont think its my right.
> 
> ...


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## bonbean01 (Jun 12, 2012)

That's a good attitude Pride 

Now...we have taken lambs to the processor for our own freezer and I cry for days...then when it's time to pick up the nicely packaged frozen packs, I cry again for days...and cover that part of the freezer for months so that I don't see them...when I've thought that I can no longer do this, yet hate to not have sheep anymore...I talk to Remuda on here who helps me put it all into perspective...this fall we have one wether lamb...Remuda...I will be needing your wise words again then...in the meantime, I'm just going to love and enjoy them all and not think about that!


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## Catahoula (Jun 12, 2012)

There are bad buyers and bad sellers on CL and I have encounter both. Don't beat on yourself anymore. Your goats are gone and they have gone to a good home.


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## boykin2010 (Jun 12, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> That's a good attitude Pride
> 
> Now...we have taken lambs to the processor for our own freezer and I cry for days...then when it's time to pick up the nicely packaged frozen packs, I cry again for days...and cover that part of the freezer for months so that I don't see them...when I've thought that I can no longer do this, yet hate to not have sheep anymore...I talk to Remuda on here who helps me put it all into perspective...this fall we have one wether lamb...Remuda...I will be needing your wise words again then...in the meantime, I'm just going to love and enjoy them all and not think about that!


I am in the same boat as you. Last year, we had two processed. This year we will be doing another two. I did not cry about mine but it did make me upset for a while. I was not planning on butchering another two this year but the meat is delicious and I cant sell them. Plus, it is cheaper than buying the meat at the grocery store. I will be butchering two in the next month or so and I am starting to get nervous. The worst part is one of the ram lambs is the son of my friendliest ewe and so he is also friendly. I think he will be the hardest because all the rest of the sheep I have killed have not interacted with me much their whole lives. This particular lamb walks up and likes to be scratched in the pasture. I have been trying to sell him on craigslist for weeks so that I do not have to butcher him but so far I have had no takers. My ewe lambs on the other hand, I am sold out of. It seems like everyone wants the ewes but no one ever wants the ram lambs. So far I have sold 6 rams this year. 2 were sold as pets. The other 4 I had to sell as pairs with ewes to get rid of them. Thankfully more and more people are raising sheep in my area so the whole lamb meat thing is catching on. Many people are realizing that hair sheep are better suited around here than goats. We mostly have pastures where sheep thrive.


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## ILuvSheep (Jun 12, 2012)

Catahoula said:
			
		

> There are bad buyers and bad sellers on CL and I have encounter both. Don't beat on yourself anymore. Your goats are gone and they have gone to a good home.


X2

We sold a bunch of mixed pullets and cockerals to these people/ They were chinese and the teens mom didnt speak english. Well, they were sweet and all but... THEY OBVIOUSLY DIDNT KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF CHICKENS! I dont know how lucky i am (and they are) that the breed of chicken was HARDY. We Had to sell it to them tho... we Had to gfet rid of those chickens... I just hope that even if they were eaten, they were taken care of properly.


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## bonbean01 (Jun 12, 2012)

Boykin...it is really hard, but trying to raise our own food got us into this in the first place...who knew sheep would be so terribly loveable...all with their own personalities and quirks that just make them so awesome!!!!

Do you butcher yourself or get a processor?  We do our own chickens, but the sheep...no...our processor has closed his business, so not sure what we'll do this fall...


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## mydakota (Jun 13, 2012)

That's really the thing with selling something though.  As soon as you sell it, you don't own it any more.  You really have zero control over what they do. I have never understood those people who list things on CL and say "for pets only--not for meat".  If you still want to maintain control over it, don't sell it. Once you sell it, it's not up to you any more. 

Don't get me wrong, I understand the sentiment. I really do.  But once it is sold, it isn't for you to say any more.


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## drdoolittle (Jun 13, 2012)

I kind of felt the same way as the O.P.  after selling some of my goats and pigs.  I have come to accept the fact that if I'm going to breed goats and pigs to sell that some are being bought for meat.  I am actually going to butcher any piglets not sold from now on (well, unless there is a really special one I like).  The goats are a different matter---not sure what I'll do if I end up not selling all the babies though.

I went to weebly to set up a website, but it does cost----maybe I'm not doing something right?  

Good luck in your future sales manybirds-----and don't sit around speculating on the fate of goats that have been sold.  That's in the past now, and you didn't do anything wrong.  Maybe those boys did seem slow, but maybe they were just shy.  My boys (20, 17, and 13) LOVE my goats and would never harm them.  In fact, I am keeping a little buckling born last month because they all love him so much.  Maybe those boys really did just want them for pets----perhaps their parents won't allow them to get a dog.

Anyway, I use CL for some sales and also hoobly and ebay.  I've never really felt worried about the buyers intent except once when towards the end of loading 2 wethers, the guy told me he takes animals up to a local swap-meet and sells them.  By then the purchase was a done deal, so I just tried not to think about my goats' fate.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jun 13, 2012)

drdoolittle said:
			
		

> I kind of felt the same way as the O.P.  after selling some of my goats and pigs.  I have come to accept the fact that if I'm going to breed goats and pigs to sell that some are being bought for meat.  I am actually going to butcher any piglets not sold from now on (well, unless there is a really special one I like).  The goats are a different matter---not sure what I'll do if I end up not selling all the babies though.
> 
> I went to weebly to set up a website, but it does cost----maybe I'm not doing something right?
> 
> ...


Weebly has a free version and a paid version.   My website has been the free version for a few months.  I have been in debate to do the paid version.  Then there is also an option to pay extra for Pro, which allows you to track the data about people who are visiting your webiste, like how many veiws a day and how they linked to your website.


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## drdoolittle (Jun 13, 2012)

I did figure out how to do the free version---thanks 20kidsonahill.  My computer is SO slow though----could I create my website using a public computer?  Maybe PM me---I feel like I've gotten the O.P.'s thread off-topic.


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## manybirds (Jun 13, 2012)

mydakota said:
			
		

> That's really the thing with selling something though.  As soon as you sell it, you don't own it any more.  You really have zero control over what they do. I have never understood those people who list things on CL and say "for pets only--not for meat".  If you still want to maintain control over it, don't sell it. Once you sell it, it's not up to you any more.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I understand the sentiment. I really do.  But once it is sold, it isn't for you to say any more.


i just wish if that was there fate i would have eaten them myself. and bonbean if you don't mind me asking what method do you use for chicken butchering? i here NOT to chop heads as the blood does something weird and makes the meat taiste funny, we where going to wring the neck and slice the throat to bleed out (sorry to anybody who is averse to doing this
 (thats our plan too, having sheep/goats processed and butchering our own chickens)


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## manybirds (Jun 13, 2012)

drdoolittle said:
			
		

> I kind of felt the same way as the O.P.  after selling some of my goats and pigs.  I have come to accept the fact that if I'm going to breed goats and pigs to sell that some are being bought for meat.  I am actually going to butcher any piglets not sold from now on (well, unless there is a really special one I like).  The goats are a different matter---not sure what I'll do if I end up not selling all the babies though.
> 
> I went to weebly to set up a website, but it does cost----maybe I'm not doing something right?
> 
> ...


Maybe, not downing teenboys or slower people, i shouldn't say rude things about them they where perfectly polite, its just certain kinds of people i dont trust, in my family my sisters dated alot of bad people in there teenage years (not to mention where in a little redneck cess pool evil town where most people live for the next party, its population is in the hundreds somewhere and i have yet to meet a college graduate who still lives here) and that is where i get my distrust for teenage boys. you never know maybe they did want them as pets and had to much manly pride to ask much about them. i gotta call the people who bought them today and at least give a birth date, even if they want them for meat they'll want to know how old they are. Next year maybe i'll keep my favorites for our own dinner table, i find comfort in knowledge of there fate.


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## bonbean01 (Jun 13, 2012)

Manybirds...the first few years we only raised quail and rather than chopping their heads, they pulled off easily (ohhhhh....many tears first few times we did this, but it is quick for the birds) and held them upside down to bleed...then we went up to bantam chickens and again, this worked for them also...never had any that tasted bad.

This year we have gone up to Rhode Island Reds and I see from their size, our previous method will not work with this size chicken.  So...either do as my Dad did all those years with a sharpened axe and letting them jump around headless to have them bleed out quicker (oh...the horror!!!!!) or go online and read tons of information and watch tons of horror chicken killing videos...hahhahahahaha...not for the squeamish for sure...but we raise poultry for eggs and meat, so will have to learn.

If you get some great info on this, please share!!!!


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## manybirds (Jun 13, 2012)

just got rid of a pair of pilgrim geese for $40 and a turkey tom for $30. between yesterday's goats and todays fowl thats $145 not bad for 2 days. 

and you literly pulled there heads off? was that a really good method do you think?

I heard for chicken place there heads under an old broom handle or somehtng of the sort and pull up ward until there neck dislocates. then take a knife and you have to stick it in just right and then they will bleed out. i dont know if this was the best method or not.


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## bonbean01 (Jun 13, 2012)

To answer your question and horrify you all....yes...after several attempts of using a hatchet and them being so small....went to him just pulling their heads off in one swift motion.  I do the egg incubating and brooder care and he does the killing part and together we do the cleaning part.  Not one of the things I love best about our lifestlye


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## elevan (Jun 13, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> Manybirds...the first few years we only raised quail and rather than chopping their heads, they pulled off easily (ohhhhh....many tears first few times we did this, but it is quick for the birds) and held them upside down to bleed...then we went up to bantam chickens and again, this worked for them also...never had any that tasted bad.
> 
> This year we have gone up to Rhode Island Reds and I see from their size, our previous method will not work with this size chicken.  So...either do as my Dad did all those years with a sharpened axe and letting them jump around headless to have them bleed out quicker (oh...the horror!!!!!) or go online and read tons of information and watch tons of horror chicken killing videos...hahhahahahaha...not for the squeamish for sure...but we raise poultry for eggs and meat, so will have to learn.
> 
> If you get some great info on this, please share!!!!


This is an excellent step by step article on dealing with chicken processing / butchering
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-process-a-chicken-at-home


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