opinions on buying from auction

[marlowmanor]

Since we are not finding much selection right now for bred does in our price range and breed choices we are considering looking at a local livestock auction for a bred doe. I know there are dangers in doing it. I have been to actions before when I was younger with my father. I have an idea what to look for but I want your opinions. I look on CL daily and there have been a couple ads for does that I have been interested in and showed to DH. I think we are going to get some more fencing up before we buy more goats though. My inlaws are looking into fencing some of their wooded hillside area in too so we can run the goats there on occassion too!

So back to the original question, what should I look out for if we decide to look at the livestock auction for a bred doe?

 

[jodief100]

#1 rule in raising goats: If you are thinking about raising goats, put a cold compress on your head and go lie down in a dark room for awhile. Maybe this crazy idea will go away.

#2 rule in raising goats: Sale barns are for SELLING, not buying


What people bring to auctions is their culls, thier problems and what isn't good enough to keep. On a very rare occasion you may find something decent either due to someone's ignorance or desperation. Those cases are rare.

If I have a doe that gets sick or needs to be wormed too often, I send her to auction. I have sent fullblood, papered boers to auction. Ones I could get several hundred dollars for on CL. Why? Because they most likely will go to the slaughterhouse and if someone does buy them for breeding stock, they don't know they came from my farm. I will not intentionaly sell my problems to someone else.

It is hard enough figuring out what is good stock to buy. Unlike me, some people will sell thier culls on CL. Why make it even more difficult on yourself buying what is already deemed "too bad to sell on CL"

A cheap animal will be more expensive in the long run.

 

[crazyland]

Did you look on nc agri review?
Just north of Charlotte is a nigerian breeder and her stock is gorgeous. I was there two years ago. Don't remember her address. I found her in the classifieds for the review. She also has mini donkeys. I think her first name is Jan.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Have an isolation area for your goats you bring home and isolate them for at least 2 or 3 months. Worm them heavy, atleast two different wormers and run a round of oxytetracyclene through them before you expose them to your herd.

visit your auction and become familiar with it before you start buying.

But I do agree with Jodie, I have never taken a good animal into the auction, all my culls go there. Like Lorily, who still looks young and has lots of years left in her. She will probably look very good by the time I take her to auction. But you would be in for quite along kidding season with her and a vet bill to fix the prolapse.

I should say I have never taken an older good animal to the auctions, I have taken 4 and 5 month olds to auction, to sell for meat, and they would have made pretty good commercial does. Of course they had some growing to do still.

I don't even offer for sale any of my breeding does, I take them all to the auction when I am done with them. I just don't want to deal with someone coming back and saying they had a problem with her. I only sell my kids as breeding stock.

If I were to buy does at auction, I would go for the younger ones(under 6 months), Isolate them and worm and medicate them, and grow them out to be breeding does.

 

[fmizula]

bought three chickens from live stock auction: all three dies with merecks and also contaminated my flock killing several more. now my yard is contaminated for all future birds.

secondly, bought a goat for a friend and he is also dead now. less than one year later.

i wont do it EVER again!!!

the animals that show signs of sickness or are no good for some reason go to auction. just dont do it!!

 

[carolinagirl]

yep....avoid the sale barn. Back in my younger days DH and I got on a goat-buying kick. We were young and didn't know about all those nasty permanent diseases, much less the curable ones. So we'd buy anything that looked decent. We got up to over 100 goats when we brought home pink-eye. Ever try to put drops in 100 goats eyes for a week or so? NOT fun!! I have no clue what other nasty diseases we contaminated our land with. I know we had lots of kidding problems, horrible udder attachments, bad dispositions, old old critters, etc. So yep.....do NOT buy from the sale barn.

 

[marlowmanor]

Did you look on nc agri review?
Just north of Charlotte is a nigerian breeder and her stock is gorgeous. I was there two years ago. Don't remember her address. I found her in the classifieds for the review. She also has mini donkeys. I think her first name is Jan.

Thank you for mentioning that option. I looked it up. I didn't know about it. This may be another option to look at. I will have to save the link to it so I can keep up to date on what is available.

Our challenge is we don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on one goat. We actually would prefer to spend under $100 for one. We are looking for pygmy, ND, or a mix of the two breeds. Althouhg I love the boers and the look of the nubians I don't think we have the space for the larger breeds and I really do not think we will be milking since that is not something I have any experience with and I don't know that it would get used here.

 

[redtailgal]

Oh goodness.

I would avoid a sale barn at ALL costs, esp right now.

They are well known for selling sick diseased animals, so even healthy animals that come in are exposed to all sorts of junk............and they will bring it home to the animals you already have.

And now, with this extremely MILD winter we are having, the disease is the sale barns is RAMPANT. A fellow not far from me bought 16 calves two weeks ago. 13 of them are dead, two more are dying, ONE may live. He spend $$$ on these calves, spend a bloody FORTUNE on vet bills to try to save them......it's cost him a fortune. Now, some of his regular herd is showing symptoms as well. (extreme coccidia). I have forbade him to set foot on my property. I told him he could drive by, but he had to drive fast.

Seriously, I know that you want to get you some goats, but be patient. Sale barn= heart ache. Take your time and buy good stock. You want an enjoyable experience with an animal that you can enjoy. You more than likely will not find that animal at a sale barn.

 

[KinderKorner]

#1 rule in raising goats: If you are thinking about raising goats, put a cold compress on your head and go lie down in a dark room for awhile. Maybe this crazy idea will go away.

#2 rule in raising goats: Sale barns are for SELLING, not buying


What people bring to auctions is their culls, thier problems and what isn't good enough to keep. On a very rare occasion you may find something decent either due to someone's ignorance or desperation. Those cases are rare.

If I have a doe that gets sick or needs to be wormed too often, I send her to auction. I have sent fullblood, papered boers to auction. Ones I could get several hundred dollars for on CL. Why? Because they most likely will go to the slaughterhouse and if someone does buy them for breeding stock, they don't know they came from my farm. I will not intentionaly sell my problems to someone else.

It is hard enough figuring out what is good stock to buy. Unlike me, some people will sell thier culls on CL. Why make it even more difficult on yourself buying what is already deemed "too bad to sell on CL"

A cheap animal will be more expensive in the long run.

I second this. Good goats do not go to auction!

My goats usually get sold before birth or as soon as I get the word out as selling them. Especially doelings or does. No one would sell a good goat to the auction. You may find some good looking goats there. But like the poster above those goats probably have problems that the breeder didn't want to pass on or have their name on. An auction animal is a great way to pick up diease.

Take your time. Keep looking. They are out there. I waited almost 2 years on a list to get my first Kinder goat and a buck no less. Now I have connections so I usually get my name higher on the waiting list, but I still might have to wait months for a good doeling to come along.

Expensive goats, and cheap goats eat the same amount, and cost the same to care for. (Usually) So in my opinion why buy a cheap goat that you can sell babies for $50 when you can raise expensive goats and sell babies for $200+. There is a lot of difference in profit, for the same amount of care.

I'd buy the best you can afford, and keeping looking. Even if you can't find breeders near you, think about expanding your scope. Many breeders will would out ways to get a goat to you. I live on the MO/IL border and my goats have went all the way to MI, PA, TN, NC and other states. Many sellers will meet you somewhere, you could use the driving as a little vacation, or you can go in with another buyer and arrange a "wagon train" trade off along the route to get the goats to you.

Good luck on finding goats!

And honestly finding a bred doe is quite hard, in any breed, at least in my area. I'm buying my first bred does this year and I've been raising goats for close to 6 years. People don't like turning loose of bred does. Maybe you could find a nice doeling or doe, and ask the breeder to breed her before you pick her up for a little extra payment. Thats probably your best bet.

 

[KinderKorner]

I wanted to add that if you set on finding a cheaper goat, I'd still look for quailty breeders.

Even if their goats are expensive, many breeders will keep a few cheaper goats on the side just for buyers like you. Or maybe they have a baby that didn't meet their expectations and isn't going to be good enough for showing. You can find deals.

I have a herd of registered goats, but I also have a few unregistered breedings every year, because there is a market cheaper goats as well.

All things aside the best thing to look for is a responsible breeder, that puts the health of their herd first. After you have found that, you can begin sorting through prices.

I wouldn't buy the prettiest goat in the world if she came from a breeder with a sickly looking herd. Just too much heart ache and trouble waiting to happen. Been there, done that.