My quest to find a dairy goat.. HELP! :)

[SarahFair]

Ok I would like to buy a dairy goat for my family. We go through a about a gallon and a half a week.
I really really really want an Oberhasli and in my area they are few and far between. I have found 2 breeders and their prices are about the same.

One has given me the name and the ADGA reg # but Im not sure what Im looking at on it.
She was born in 2007 so shes 3 years old.
How long can you milk dairy goats?
He said hes asking between $350-$400, but he wont be sure of sales till his last kidding date which is fine with me (give me time to get my SO use to the idea [hes already said ok, but still not too keen on it] )

Ok, so when I look up her reg # there are a few things Im wondering about..
It says:
Legend: Polled Black Polled and Black
(Polled is highlighted in green, black in black, and polled and black in red)

There are a good many Polled in her lines and a good many blacks.
What does this mean?


How do these stats look?
Stature - 18
Dairyness - 33
Rump Angle - 23
Rump Width - 25
Rear Leg Side View - 33
Fore Udder Attachment - 27
Rear Udder Height - 38
Rear Udder Arch - 20
Medial - 25
Udder Depth - 45
Teat Placement - 20
Teat Diameter - 14


Shes 1.51% inbred.. Is that bad?

What else can I get from her Reg #?

 

[SarahFair]

According to this her Linear Traits are not up to par.
http://kickadeehill.com/documents/Ideal Point Ranges for Linear Traits.pdf
Should I just pas on this goat?

 

[ksalvagno]

You need someone like Roll Farm to answer since she has Oberhasli's. I would have no idea.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

It really depends on what you want. Do you want a show goat or do you want a family milk goat? Not saying show goats don't milk, but there are PLENTY of wonderful home milk goats who aren't "show quality." My doe is slightly cow hocked, which isn't the best conformation, but she milks great and is the perfect family milk goat. I'd definitely want a nice udder though, regardless of whether you'll show or not. You want a well attached udder with a good median suspensory and good teat placement.

I'd say if you're just looking for a family milk goat, as long as there are no huge structural issues (like horrible topline or awful parrot mouth or something) but she milks well, go for it. If you're looking for a milk goat who can also win in the show ring, maybe not. But have you seen pictures of her or are you just going off the stats?

 

[Roll farms]

Those LA scores don't knock me down as impressive...but I'm not an expert on them by any means. I know just enough to be dangerous.

As of tonight, Roll Farms is down to one Ob.

Both of my Ob does (unrelated, from different herds) had really hard kiddings (single big kids) and one (Jinx) developed mastitis as a first freshener (tested CAE neg)....I didn't want to breed her again, and couldn't justify keeping a buck to use on only one doe...so I sold the pair. (After giving full disclosure to the buyer, of course...they just want a kid out of Jinx since she's from good lines and they don't care if they can't milk her.)

I'm keeping Penny, the black Ob. She's super smart and will probably milk through w/out being bred this year.

I love their personality, and they're BEAUTIFUL.... but they're not 'practical' for our operation, which needs to pay for itself.

In the last 2 years, for example, Doodle (nubian) has produced 8 kids for us. Jinx produced 1 and Penny 2.
Doodle produces 12# of milk per day, Penny produces 10-11#, and Jinx none.
It just makes more sense, as a business, to sell the ones who aren't paying for themselves.

I don't like this part of goat ownership....I adored Jinx.

 

[SarahFair]

I wouldnt mind having something I can put in the ring.
But if she doesnt seem all that impressive I dont want to pay $350-$400 for her either.
Doesnt that seem a bit high for just a milker?

 

[freemotion]

A mixed breed doe can fill the milk pail, too! Mine sure does! I see no reason to pay that much for a purebred anything...dog, goat, horse, whatever....if the animal is not competitive in the show ring. Unless you really-really-really like her and will thoroughly enjoy her....in my book, that justfies the price. Daily enjoyment is worth a few bucks.

 

[ksalvagno]

That depends on your area and if she is already in milk. and if she is registered. If you are looking for a registered animal, you are going to pay more even if it isn't show quality. Plus supply and demand play a part in it. If there are only 2 Oberhasli breeders in your area, then they can ask for higher prices. Maybe look for a more popular breed in your area and I bet you can find lower prices. Or go out of state and pay for the shipping or spend the time and money going to pick it up.

I don't think it matters what the type of animal, it is more money to have quality, registered animals but you can also ask the higher prices for their kids. You will need to decide if you want to spend that extra money and if this is going to be a business or a hobby. Plenty of people who just love goats as a hobby have registered goats and show them and love it. But they are willing to put out the extra money and making money isn't a big deal.

I have an incorporated farm. Especially to the IRS I need my farm to look like a business. I spend the higher dollars and get the registered goats but I also get to write off all expenses pertaining to the goats. If you are just going to have a couple goats, that is considered a hobby and you have to decide how much you want to spend on that hobby.

 

[SarahFair]

Well like I said...
I would like something I can stick in the show ring and milk.

If this particular goat isnt show or milker quality I dont see paying $350-$400 for it..
That is all

 

[()relics]

I wouldnt mind having something I can put in the ring.
But if she doesnt seem all that impressive I dont want to pay $350-$400 for her either.
Doesnt that seem a bit high for just a milker?

2 things...
1st you need a solid herd plan, Do you want show stock or do you want a heavy milker? Same thing? not necessarily. As Freemotion says there are plenty of heavy milking crossbred animals, BUT most of these wouldn't be allowed to enter a purebred class and most would be unregistered, at least breedwise. Some may be qualify to show in a production class, but you need an end goal before you start building the foundation. Which leads to the second point:
2nd You almost always get what you pay for from an honest breeder/producer. If you tell them you want a milker, they may steer you away from their SQ animals because, frankly, some of them, although they look "really nice", don't produce as much milk as some of their commercial does. But if you say you are looking for a show animal they most certainly will show you a doe that closely conforms with the breed standard for that particular breed....
I am not a production dairy goat person, but I have shown many dairy breeds. Believe me I have shown some dairy animals that have won breed conformation classes but would have a hard time producing any sizeable amounts of milk...Meaning they would be last in a production class.
To paraphrase: You need a herd goal. Then you need to buy the best animals, that conform to your goal, that you can afford. You are setting a herd foundation with your initial animal purchases. Again believe me, foundations are important because it takes alot of time and money to change your goal once you are headed in a different direction.