New Member Intro: From Oregon

[Nanno]

Well, it depends on the dairy operation. Some of them are cranking out strong, healthy goats with great packing potential. Others not so much. My first packgoat was a cull from a small dairy herd that I got for $25 and he was amazing! Others have not had such good luck. It's important to train your eye to look for strong, active, robust, healthy-looking kids with good feet and legs and level, balanced conformation. One risk of buying from a dairy operation (especially a large one) is that buck kids are not always cared for as well as doe kids because most of them will end up on a meat truck. They also may not be socialized. I find that many dairy goat kids are small for their age because their mothers' milk is being sold so the kids don't get fed as much milk or are being raised on replacers and weaned too early. But not all breeders do this. It can be helpful to visit several farms and see how they do things and also talk to people at fairs and goat shows.

Ask if you can look at the parents. The goats at any operation--whether they are breeding for milk, meat, packgoats, or pleasure--should have bright eyes and healthy coats to show that they are properly fed and their parasites are under control. Unhealthy parents often produce unhealthy offspring. Nursing mothers usually look skinny and often have duller coats than their non-lactating herd mates, but they should not appear unhealthy or listless.