Chat
07-13-2017, 03:11 PM
There aren't many packgoat-specific breeders, so finding one close to you is definitely tricky no matter where you live, but the northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho) has more than most other areas so you're in luck there! There's also no guarantee that a packgoat breeder is going to churn out exactly what you're looking for either. Breeding is not a hard and fast science, so some packgoat breeders are going to produce some real duds and some dairy breeders are going to produce some outstanding packers. Much of it can end up coming down to each goat's attitude and will to work.
I encourage you to go check out the weanlings. Even if you're not ready to buy anything, visiting different goat herds and asking questions may help you figure out what you want. The weanlings may be perfectly well-socialized and if so you may end up deciding that it's better to buy a weaned kid than try to raise a bottle baby. Bottle babies are a lot of fun but they are also a lot of work and it can be tricky to feed them properly so they get enough growth without overfeeding and causing other issues. I never sell kids less than three months old because I raise them on their dams for optimal early growth and health. This means they are more expensive for the buyer, but I feel they have a better chance of surviving and thriving than if I sold them cheap as bottle kids. Every breeder does things a little differently for different reasons so ask a lot of questions, and when looking at weanlings, make sure they are friendly as advertised. They don't have to be trained to lead and tie yet, but they should walk up to you for attention and not run away when you reach down to pet or pick them up. They should not be tense or jumpy around people.
A good packgoat prospect should have strong feet and legs. If a goat looks spindly with splayed toes and weak pasterns he probably won't hold up as a packer. He should look sturdy throughout but not necessarily bulky. While some packgoats get to be 250+ lbs., this isn't necessarily always a good thing. A goat that heavy needs to have extra good conformation (especially in the legs) to be able to heft around his own bulk as well as your load. If a big goat is not exceptionally well-built, you're going to run into diminishing returns because he may only be able to carry 20% of his body weight, which means you're no better off than if you used a 200 lb. goat who could carry 25%. These are just some things to think about. Having spent most of my life working with horses from ponies through drafts, I've gotten leery of work animals that are overly large. The big boys can heft a lot of weight for a while, but they tend to break down a lot younger due to their own bulk, and they don't have the endurance or agility of a smaller horse. In general I think the same principle applies to goats to it's important not to get sucked into the "bigger is always better" mentality. I tend to think athleticism and correct conformation are more important than size.
I encourage you to go check out the weanlings. Even if you're not ready to buy anything, visiting different goat herds and asking questions may help you figure out what you want. The weanlings may be perfectly well-socialized and if so you may end up deciding that it's better to buy a weaned kid than try to raise a bottle baby. Bottle babies are a lot of fun but they are also a lot of work and it can be tricky to feed them properly so they get enough growth without overfeeding and causing other issues. I never sell kids less than three months old because I raise them on their dams for optimal early growth and health. This means they are more expensive for the buyer, but I feel they have a better chance of surviving and thriving than if I sold them cheap as bottle kids. Every breeder does things a little differently for different reasons so ask a lot of questions, and when looking at weanlings, make sure they are friendly as advertised. They don't have to be trained to lead and tie yet, but they should walk up to you for attention and not run away when you reach down to pet or pick them up. They should not be tense or jumpy around people.
A good packgoat prospect should have strong feet and legs. If a goat looks spindly with splayed toes and weak pasterns he probably won't hold up as a packer. He should look sturdy throughout but not necessarily bulky. While some packgoats get to be 250+ lbs., this isn't necessarily always a good thing. A goat that heavy needs to have extra good conformation (especially in the legs) to be able to heft around his own bulk as well as your load. If a big goat is not exceptionally well-built, you're going to run into diminishing returns because he may only be able to carry 20% of his body weight, which means you're no better off than if you used a 200 lb. goat who could carry 25%. These are just some things to think about. Having spent most of my life working with horses from ponies through drafts, I've gotten leery of work animals that are overly large. The big boys can heft a lot of weight for a while, but they tend to break down a lot younger due to their own bulk, and they don't have the endurance or agility of a smaller horse. In general I think the same principle applies to goats to it's important not to get sucked into the "bigger is always better" mentality. I tend to think athleticism and correct conformation are more important than size.