| The biggest mistake one can make, when purchasing | | | | Perhaps performance testing under pasture conditions |
| a herd of meat goats, is buying too many goats. It is | | | | might be the answer, but be careful because goats |
| always best to under stock so one dose not have to | | | | that do well on pastures in the dryer climates of |
| purchase much feed. When pastures are under | | | | western regions of the United States might not do well |
| stocked one has fewer problems with internal | | | | further east where more humid conditions would |
| parasites (mainly stomach worms.) Start with just a | | | | cause greater parasite problems. |
| few goats and gradually increase the size of the herd | | | | Avoid purchasing stock from producers who over |
| as pastures are improved. See the Critter Ridge web | | | | feed and pamper their goats. Many producers worm |
| site for information on pastures for meat goats. | | | | their goats every thirty days. Trust me the meat from |
| It is best to purchase your foundation meat goats | | | | a goat that has been wormed every thirty days is not |
| directly from the breeder who produced them and to | | | | safe to eat. If one worms too often the worms build |
| buy them at his farm. Avoid purchasing at livestock | | | | up a resistance to the worm medication. One is |
| sale barns because that is where breeders get rid of | | | | actually breeding superior worms instead of better |
| their culls and animals that will not breed or produce | | | | goats. Many herds of meat goats have lost their |
| kids. When one buys an animal at a sale barn one | | | | hardiness, their fertility, their mothering ability, and will not |
| usually has no way of knowing which herd the animal | | | | do well in commercial operations. Some producers put |
| came from or why it is being sold. If one purchases | | | | their does into embryo transplant programs before |
| them at the farm, one can see how they were raised. | | | | they know if they are capable of having offspring |
| Purchase animals that are raised on pasture with no | | | | naturally. Their kids are raised by foster mothers, |
| extra feed because that is the most economical way | | | | usually dairy goats. The growth rates of these kids |
| to raise them. It is the only way to raise them if you | | | | have no correlation to the milking and mothering abilities |
| want to make a profit. | | | | of their mothers. |
| From an economic perspective the most important | | | | Bucks are the most important purchase one will make. |
| traits in meat goats are hardiness, fertility, mothering | | | | They will account for fifty percent of the genetics of |
| ability, and resistance to internal parasites. Unfortunately | | | | your kids. One mature buck can usually handle about |
| these traits are difficult to measure by looking at the | | | | fifty does. So it pays to invest in top quality bucks. |
| goats. They can not be measured in a show ring. | | | | |