Experienced Packgoat For Sale

[Taffy]

This ad is on the Wenatchee, WA Craigslist.

http://wenatchee.craigslist.org/grd/5528798706.html

[IdahoNancy]

He says this goat is "about 6 years old" and had been in good health.

[dutch007]

What would a person do before bringing a new goat into a herd?
Especially if all you had to go off of was their word on that it has been vaccinated by a previous owner?

[Taffy]

I would go to the place the goat lives, check it out head to toe, look at the place it lives in (shelter/pasture/pen and look at the other animals it lives with or has contact with. If the goat looks healthy with no indication of CL or parasite overload and I like what I see I would request the owner do a CAE test if they don't have current negative test results in hand. Before a goat is brought onto my farm I need to see a negative CAE test. Once that base is covered I'd bring the goat home, keep it in a separate enclosure where it can see, but not come in contact with, my other goats. I'd do a fecal test and treat if needed and give it all vaccinations to be sure the goat was up to date. I'd spend a tremendous amount of time with the goat to begin the bonding process. I'd wait to introduce the goat to the rest of my goats for a minimum of 2 weeks after vaccinations, worming, etc. 30 days is recommended.

I believe in practicing bio-security. When I go to someone's farm where I don't know them, their animal husbandry practices, or what I am "walking into," I wear clean clothing and I wear my rubber muck boots which have been disinfected. When I get home I wash everything I was wearing and disinfect my boots. This protects them from anything I may potentially may transmit and protects my herd from anything they may potentially have at their farm. Once I know them and have seen their CAE, etc. negative test results and know they practice good animal husbandry I am not quite as cautious.

[IdahoNancy]

The man selling this goat told me any testing would be at the buyers expense. Dutch if you are in the West and planning on taking this goat into any area where Big Horn Sheep may have ever resided or possibly traveled you may want to have a MOVI test done in addition to other routine bio-security test.

[dutch007]

The man selling this goat told me any testing would be at the buyers expense. Dutch if you are in the West and planning on taking this goat into any area where Big Horn Sheep may have ever resided or possibly traveled you may want to have a MOVI test done in addition to other routine bio-security test.

I only live a few hours away and i'm thinking about checking him out. I will do my due dili, but I'm new to this and I'm liable to make a mistake.

[dutch007]

What does a goat with cl look like

[IdahoNancy]

He may be a health friendly goat. Just spend some time with him. Get a feel for his heart. You'll know it when it feels right. He will choose you. Just go into it knowing you can and should say no if it does not seem right. Don't rush it.
MOVI may be rather rare in packgoats but until we finish proving it you may want to consider adding it to you testing.
CL can be present but not visible. You need testing. Visibly CL may look like an abscess.

[dutch007]

He may be a health friendly goat. Just spend some time with him. Get a feel for his heart. You'll know it when it feels right. He will choose you. Just go into it knowing you can and should say no if it does not seem right. Don't rush it.
MOVI may be rather rare in packgoats but until we finish proving it you may want to consider adding it to you testing.
CL can be present but not visible. You need testing. Visibly CL may look like an abscess.

Thank you for the insight. I requested the phone number of the previous owner so I could try to track down his origins
and get some info on him. They sent me pics of his living arrangements as well as where they keep their horses and 
everything in the pics look really clean and well kept. I look forward to bringing an experienced packer in with my boys.
I don't want to wait another 2 years to be packing. My boys are 15 months old and are awesome to hike with, but from what I
have read and been told, you shouldn't pack them until 3.5 yr old? I have been told that I can put their saddles on them and work them 
into a few lbs now, but I don't want to ruin them. If you know of anyone that has a dehorned packer, let me know.

[Taffy]

When you get your new boy home quarantine him from your other goats. Draw blood, collect a fecal sample and send them to WADDL for CAE and CL testing and strongyle/cocci testing. This will give you a baseline to start from. Give him a CD&T vaccination when you get him home. I prefer the Cavalry 9 which you can buy online at Jeffers.

Be sure to post photos!!! :-)