Making $ from goats?

[Dandelion]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to make money with my pack goats?

I have 5 baby wethers, obviously it will be 3 years before they are ready to pack, and I need to make the decision of whether to sell off a couple of them. I really only need 3 goats for my own backpacking needs...problem is, I'm attached, and it's hard to tell which of the 5 will be the best ones. 

The two I would sell are Alpine/Toggenburg, the others are Nubian/Toggenburg and 3/4 Toggenburg/1/4 Alpine. I think they'll all be good, but I'm a little worried that the Nubian/Toggs might not have as good conformation as the Alpine/Toggs (but they are the most bonded to me and I'd have a harder time selling them, also they will probably be the biggest). 

I would feel more justified in keeping them all if I thought they may be able to pay for their own food in the future...does anyone have any ideas? I'm wondering about doing pack goat rentals, but I don't know what kind of insurance I'd have to have for that...also kind of freaks me out to trust a stranger with them...
I am in the process of setting up a small campground on my land, and the goats may be an asset to that, could rent them out directly from there, or lead tours.

In the meantime the hay bill is coming up...hard to know what move to make.

[Nanno]

If you're interested in renting out goats, my best suggestion would be for you to call Clay Zimmerman of High Uinta Packgoats.

Another idea is to teach them to pull carts and charge money for goat cart rides at community events in your area and offer them for birthday parties, etc. The only problem here is that you have to put money into equipment (carts, harnesses), and there is no insurance to be found anywhere on goat carts. You just have to offer uninsured rides. Most people don't care, but some do.

That said, it is hard to make money off packgoats and the effort will probably not justify the expense of keeping extra goats you don't need. Keep the ones you like best. Selling two goats to a new good home is emotionally difficult when you're bonded to those babies, but most packgoat prospects find very good homes where they are happy and well cared for. They may even be happier and better off with someone else who actually has time to invest in them. It can be hard to put enough of yourself into each individual if you have more goats than you can use, and then the ones you like/use least miss out.

Best of luck with your decision moving forward!