Off to the goat and sheep auction.

[lorieMN]

does anyone know what meat goats are going for?..like butcher size,at auctions?..

 

[Overeasyplz]

You could probably find a heifer calf and raise it for about $150 for quality. I used to work at a artisian cheesery and we made goat milk cheeses, lady had 200-300 milk goats last I heard. She sold exta does for about $200. Good luck to ya!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
The guy went to the auction and said they were expensive this time of year due to people wanting to eat them for the holiday. He said they were running $80-150, where they would normally run $40-$80. He also reported there were Alpine, Nubian, and La Macha does available this week.

 

[beefy]

i went to the sale saturday and goats that normally bring ~$35 were bringing $160 b/c there was some dude there buying them for whatever holidays he acknowledges. i assume it was for Eidul-Adha Festival of Sacrifice since he HAD to have them that day.

 

[chinbunny]

Not all sale barns send their animals off to slaughter. That depends on who is buying them. A lot of meat animal buyers do hit the auction barns because they can buy up everything real cheap. You just have to know what you are looking for when it comes to buying animals at them. I got my pair of house pigeons from our local one. Also my archangels, and several rabbits, and guinea pigs. Haven't had too many problems with them. If yours also has a farmers flea market, and household auction, its worth going to.

 

[Bettacreek]

Have you been scoping the classifieds? Around here, goat kids are going for $50-$100, give or take. Even the annual fair has them for around $100 for younger show stock.

 

[lorieMN]

Quote:
The guy went to the auction and said they were expensive this time of year due to people wanting to eat them for the holiday. He said they were running $80-150, where they would normally run $40-$80. He also reported there were Alpine, Nubian, and La Macha does available this week.

so it would probably be a good idea to wait until after the holday.

 

[mekasmom]

Quote:
I have bought dozens of goats from auctions. I have paid from five dollars to fifty-five for them. Many turned out to be wonderful goats. My favorite were a pair of oberhaslis I got for eighteen dollars a piece. They give almost a gallon a day each in heavy milking season.

You just have to be sure to look for swollen knees. Be sure to worm them when you get them home and check their feet for foot rot. They usually need to have their nails clipped too. But overall, if you want inexpensive goats, I feel the salebarn is a good place to get them. They are not going to be prime show goats. But many turn out to be good nannys for the price.
The best way to get them is to buy doelings. They run about twenty dollars a piece around here. You can raise them up that way. If you want to "hurry" and have milk then buy nannys. I have done both. Some have went back to the salebarn. The biggest problem I have had with them is that many have not been taught to milk or to be people friendly. If they aren't people friendly, I usually take them back. Too many people who bring in goats do not actually handle them. They have simply used them for lawn mowers in a pasture, so they are timid. That is a chance you take when you get them.

CL is in over 80% of the herds in the US. It is a widespread disease. And chances are you will encounter it at a salebarn. But realistically, it is in over 80% of US herds anyway. You are going to encounter it almost anywhere you look at goats. Just go back to the pens and feel the goats you want to bid on for lumps before the sale. With experience you will be able to find decent goats for reasonable prices to meet your need if the salebarn has a large enough selection available in your area.

 

[mekasmom]

Quote:
Full size boer run about $50 for females, double that for adult whethers. The tiny babies run around ten dollar if you want to raise them yourself. I rarely buy boer, I'm more interested in milkers. But the boer go much higher than the milk breeds because there are a lot of chivo dealers at auction buying meat.

 

[mekasmom]

One more thing I wanted to mention is that you see a lot of boer/nubian crosses at the auctions around here. I personally have never had good luck milking them. But many people love them because they can be used to breed either meat goats or milk goats depending on the billy/nanny you use with them. There are lots of crosses at auctions. They don't give as much milk as a purebred milk breed, but some people love them. And they do have hybrid vigor.
I had one that I bought pregnant for $55 this summer. She had a doeling (mainly boer). I milked her for a couple of months, but she would only give a quart or two at most a day. I resold her to a neighbor. The doeling went to a 4H kid. If you don't mind the smaller amount of milk, you might get a great deal on a crossbreed, even a pregnant one.