Posted by Karen on October 03, 2002 at 20:18:07:
In Reply to: Selling goats for market?????????????? posted by Gloria on October 03, 2002 at 16:48:08:
Gloria in this area (Michigan) the prefered weight is about 50-75#'s. Most like wethers w/no horns, esp if they are going by weight not by the head. Some ethnic groups like them bucks with horns, I think that they would be Indian. Also there is a group that likes old bucks with horns, I can't remeber which group that is. Before we take them we make sure all have the TB tags and Scrappie tags in place. W/o the TB (in Michigan) they have to be sold for slaughter only. While this may be your intent some people do frequent the sale barns in hopes of getting a companion animal or cart goat. The TB tag also helps up the price of the goat even if only meat buyers are buying, this may have to do with state to state regulations. I have seen it several times though a lesser goat will bring more if it is properly tagged. As for the Scrappie, check with your local vet or vet school on it. If the vet isn't familur with sheep as if they can refer to one who is so you can get the best info. All of our goats have to be tagged as we also have sheep on the farm. Some sales in this area are also starting to require the Scrappie tags w/o sheep being near the farm. You can also check with the sale barn that you plan to do bussiness with as they should have a lic. vet on hand to ask. As for the best time to sell for us it seems to be all the major holidays. Know what ethnic groups are in your area as some of the holidays differ. Here Easter time is a big goat/sheep selling week. After Easter the price will often drop to half or less than it was, esp. with the goats. Clean animals will also market better, there seems to be a stigmata attached to animals that have manure hanging off them and are caked with mud. If at all possible keep a good hay in front of the animals while they are being shipped as well as water. Stress and the heat can cause weight loss and dehydration, this makes for a poorer looking animal. Good Luck