Downsizing the herd?

[seth s]

I currently have 17 goats, 15 of which pack or follow us on the trail.  Two of them sadly enough either lay down, or don't have the proper stamina for it.  Back when we first got into goats, we bought a couple from a craigslist buyer that didn't fully let us know that the goats were bread to be minis.  We have had the goats for three years, and they are awesome as pasture potatoes, love to be petted and know their individual names.  I'm personally finding it hard to just put them up for adoption, but I also know that we need to cut out the non packers.  How do you guys and gals go about rehoming goats that you have been attached too?

[Nanno]

That's a hard one. I always hate letting any of my bonded goats go, but every year I do sell one or two of my milk does, and it's really tough after they've been faithfully giving me healthy babies and daily milk. I advertise on Craigslist and in feed stores and vets' offices in my area, but I do my best to thoroughly screen my buyers. I won't sell to just anyone. I make the ads as detailed as I can without getting too wordy. If your goats are kind of small and a little bit worthless on the trail but are good with kids you might see if there is a 4-H utility goat program in your state. Some of the very best goats I've seen in the 4-H working goat classes were mini crosses. They were a nice size for the smaller kids to handle, and since little kids don't do any intense hiking those goats worked out perfect. They could do the obstacle courses and go for little day hikes and service projects, pull dog carts, etc. It's worth looking into that type of home if your goats are obedient and good with kids. You might also look for a retired couple who just wants a couple of weed-eating pets. I usually find if I talk to someone long enough on the phone I can get a pretty good bead on whether my goats are a good fit for them.

[seth s]

Nanno,

thanks for the help in this! Yes it is a hard decision to make, and spent a good time with them today before work. Still haven't posted them and struggling with it as they are really awesome goats for pets and walks around the property.