I can't count!

[Southern by choice]

Well first off, I don't care if people use goats for food or not. If someone wanted to pay me $100 for a 10 week old and eat it, I have no issues with that.

And what I mean is that why would I want to keep one for 18 months and he would only be worth $100 then for meat, when I can sell him at 10 weeks old for $100 ? Doesn't seem practical to me. I'm not telling you that you shouldn't do this, if that's what you want to do.

Another thing, I have not experienced what you are saying about people determining that wethers are useless animals and there being relocated over and over.

In the 6 years we have been selling goats, I only know of one occasion where my wether buyers got rid of the goats and that's because they moved out of state.
Most of my wether buyers don't want a herd, they just want a couple of pets.
And, I never have enough goats for the market here either.

On the contrary, intact bucks are more prone to being relocated over and over. That's why I will never sell another buck on Craigs List.

Most of the larger breeders (and my mentors) also do not sell wethers for the very reason of better in the freezer than who knows what. We do keep a few around in case someone wants a buck but doesn't want 2 and needs a companion and things like that but when they go out on the land and just eat it is great.
I don't recommend wethers in general.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Most of the larger breeders (and my mentors) also do not sell wethers for the very reason of better in the freezer than who knows what. We do keep a few around in case someone wants a buck but doesn't want 2 and needs a companion and things like that but when they go out on the land and just eat it is great.
I don't recommend wethers in general.

If they don't sell wethers because of "who knows what" do they sell bucks? Do they sell does? Or, do they know that people that buy them are taking them to their "forever home"?

Your mentors may not sell wethers. But I don't know what you base the statement "most of the larger breeders" don't sell wethers on.

At least as far as Nigerian Dwarf breeders which was the basis of my comments.

Exactly who would you consider to be a "larger breeder"?. Are you referring to larger Nigerian Breeders around this local area?

Now, standard goats that's a different story. Not a pet market for them like there is for Nigerians in the Raleigh area.

Most standard dairy goat breeders that I know of around here don't disbud or castrate their excess males. They take them to the sale barn in Smithfield when they are weaned.

Right now they are selling really good for about $2.50 per pound. But, I can sell a 20lb Nigerian wether for $100.

 

[OneFineAcre]

With Nigerians, it would make no sense at all when you can sell for $100 at 10 weeks.
If you fed him for 18 months to eat, you wouldn't have $100 worth.

Sorry Sky Warrior, when I made this comment to you
I didn't realize I would spark a debate with someone else.
And I'm at 38 goats now last head count

 

[Southern by choice]

No not Nigie breeders... I only do a few Nigies they aren't my focus. And I wasn't debating at all.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I can't even imagine having over 100 @Ridgetop! When I was deep into showing pygmy goats I topped 50 for awhile...until I counted them, lol. My strategy for showing was to always take a few extra to each show to sell - works really well if you can hang a lot of blue ribbons on your pen! Selling a goat or two at each show would pay entry fees, gas and motel rooms. Sometimes I miss those days and sometimes I wonder how I ever did it!

 

[OneFineAcre]

No not Nigie breeders... I only do a few Nigies they aren't my focus. And I wasn't debating at all.

Well my comment was on the math with Nigerian wethers and nothing really to debate
It's a no brainer

Most large breeders of standard dairy goats that I know in this area sell their weaned bucklings with all of their equipment at auction, if they even wait until they are weaned

 

[norseofcourse]

I started out with 2 sheep a little over two years ago.

This spring I hit double digits - I now have ten!!! It might not sound like a lot but four years ago I would have never guessed I'd have ten sheep. The plan is to sell all the lambs and go back down to 5 for the winter again, and repeat with lambs again next spring!

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

I'm at four on the ground currently... plus however many Cookie and Latte have tucked away inside!

Latte
Cookie
Basil
Bergamot

 

[SkyWarrior]

Sorry Sky Warrior, when I made this comment to you
I didn't realize I would spark a debate with someone else.
And I'm at 38 goats now last head count

Heh. Well, if you buy goat meat at the store around here, I believe it costs about $20/lb. Yes, you read right.

I can get enough meat off the wethers to warrant that. I don't sell wethers because, quite honestly, they're meat on the hoof. And people won't buy them for more than $50, if that. My land is pretty weird and has a road to my neighbor's running through it. It is all mountainous and we get plenty of predators. We're going to hopefully come up with a better grazing scheme, but right now it's not feasible.

 

[SkyWarrior]

We don't "feed" ours ... at this time they can live off the land. We sell them at 40-45 lbs. on the hoof. Or we eat them.

I'd love to do this, but right now, it's not feasible.