# Buying Goats at Auction, anything special......



## drgnldy71 (Sep 22, 2005)

Ok I've got someone I trust going to auction for me in a couple of weeks to try and find a couple of Nubian does. Is there anything special I should do with them when they get here? Shots or anything. I'd like to be able to handle most of it at home without having to make a trip to the vet.


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

Why not buy direct from somebody selling them locally? Yes, you may pay more, but in the long run it may be cheaper. 

Buying them direct you can visit the operation and see how all the animals look. You can ask about disease, if they have been tested for CAE or anything else.

Buying from an auction you could end up with a great deal - if the reason the owner is getting rid of them is due to monetary or other reasons. But what if the reason is they are diseased? Perhaps they are sterile or problem goats. You have no idea who owned them before you did, their history, or anything - not to mention about any diseases they just picked up in the auction yard.

I used to think as you do in that I already owned goats, but bought my breeding buck from the auction. Did I end up with a disease? No, but I was lucky! Sooner or later that luck will run out, and you will end up with a diseased goat that may or may not live along with vet bills. Trust me, you may want to rethink your purchase plan.

Signed by a recovering auction buck buyer. How am I doing Vicki?!?!?


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## Ark (Oct 5, 2004)

Don't do it, don't do it!!! 

Surely there are some Nubian breeders in your area? 

KNOWING what you are buying is very important. 

We bought some goats from an auction and boy were we sorry! And now that I know how bad it is there I will NEVER sell my goats there either. They treat them bad, and every sick goat that has ever been there has left it's nasty germs behind for your goat. So, even if they look healthy, there is no telling what they are going to come down with a few days or so later!

I hope you can find some good goats elsewhere - maybe someone here can refer you to someone in your area.

Rachel


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## Milking Mom (Oct 2, 2004)

Just remember......there IS a reason that they are sending those goats to the auction barn. You may not find out what it is until you get them home. They could have a disease, they may have chronic mastitis, who knows. If you are wanting a couple of milkers you can contact someone locally. I have a LaMancha that is crossed with an Alpine that will be having kids in early March. The LaMancha and the buck have both been tested, wormed, vaccinated and taken well care of and if she has a doe kid she should be a good milker. There are people all over that has nice milkers that are not show quality for sale that you would not be afraid to drink the milk from. You can go to www.adga.org and scroll down to members websites. Look for some in OK. Go look at their websites and give them a call. Like I say, everybody has nice milkers they will be selling. Even if you paid $150 or $200 for a nice milker it could be a lot cheaper in the long run.


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## AnnaS (Nov 29, 2003)

I would treat any goat coming from an auction as both ill and infectious. Regardless of previous care, she'll be penned with other goats that may be infested with lice, almost dead from a variety of diseases, or just plain mean.

List O' Needs:

Isolation pen that 1) none of your other goats can get to or touch noses through and 2) is on ground you will not graze. Isolate for a month to be sure most of the worms/lice are killed and she's not incubating a contagious disease.

Electrolytes for water when you first get her. 2 tblsp sugar, 1.4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp baking soda per liter of water.

Louse powder and wormer. Dust for lice right away. Worm her first after a couple of days and again in 21 days, using 3x the sheep dose. Or use Eprinex pour-on, kills both and so much easier than wrestling!

Probiotics. A dose in her grain for a couple of days, and any time you use antibiotics. Helpful to rebalance rumen after stress & nip any digestive upsets in the bud.

LA200 or another injectible antibiotic approved for shipping fever.

C/D Tetanus vaccine. Give one after she's settled down at your place- at least a week- and another six weeks later. 

Syringes & thermometer.

Good grass hay. If you don't know what she was being fed, best to start her on grass hay and a little (1/2 cup) grain and work up from there.

Radio. If she is alone in isolation, a radio will help keep her company or at least drown out the yelling. My vet recommends classical. 

I've been to quite a few goat auctions and only once have I seen anything worth saving from the BBQ. She milks- made 1602 lbs in 153 days so far- and her doeling this year got Reserve Jr. Togg at her first show. 
But she also brought with her blue lice, shipping fever with a 103 temp, and severely overgrown hooves that permanently damaged her feet. Her udder was sore from being bagged up & not milked at the sale, so she was a real bear to milk for a month after. She's both my cheapest goat AND my most expensive!


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## moosemaniac (Mar 7, 2003)

I have to concur. I'd avoid auction goats too unless I was sure they were promoting the goat via a specialty sale or something.

Ruth


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

I sold some buck kids at auction this year, and would add that none of the does I saw go through didn't have nasty looking udders. Certainly none I would bring home. It might be totally different where you are, but I'd look around before buying at auction. Have you visited this auction before to see what they are running through?
mary


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## Mrs_stuart (Dec 24, 2003)

If you are looking for good dairy Nubians, i would not purchase from an auction either...
the ones from the auction are there for one reason and it usually isnt a good one.
If you dont know of anyone who sells nubians around you , contact some local vets, or feed stores and ask around...someone will know who you can call.
Good luck!

Belinda


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## Ken in Maine (May 10, 2002)

Don't buy from an auction... you might get a deal but it will cost you in the long run. ALWAYS buy from a reputable breeder. It might seem like it costs more but in the long run you will get higher quality!


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

I might add that you are far, far more likely to find a decent buck at an auction than you are to find a decent milking doe. Bucks reach the end of their usefulness when they can no longer be used in your herd, perhaps because they're already related to everything, or because they've produced a son you like better. Bucks are difficult to place in homes because of the smell and nasty habits, and because of the special quarters they require. You essentially have to find a serious breeder who wants your bloodlines and likes your guy better than any of the other promising stock out there. Not impossible, but not so easy. And even a nice, healthy buck can be exposed to heaven-knows-what in the auction pen.

A milking doe reaches the end of her usefulness when she can no longer milk due to mastitis or udder damage, or no longer conceive, or no longer stand on her feet due to arthritis or hoof rot, or has developed an incurable and contagious disease, or she's just an intractable witch on the milking stand, or she beats up the other animals, or is incorrigibly dangerous to her handlers. A nice milking doe is very easy to place because she can fit right in with another person's herd, does not smell, and does not have nasty habits, and will easily return her purchase price in milk within a year. I would NEVER purchase a milker from auction. There are just too many invisible problems. A woman I know who sent does to auction from her nationally ranked Nubian herd would write on the slip "FOR MEAT ONLY." Not all people are so honest.


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## moonspinner (Jul 2, 2002)

I too would never purchase at an auction, but if you do, make sure the person buying for you thoroughly checks over these animals before buying. I would check for any signs of lumps, unthriftiness - rough coat, thin, ribs showing, etc - any discharge from any orifice. Any sign of soremouth. Check gums and eyelids for anemia. If a doe feel the udder and make sure it's not hot or any abnormalities. Check hooves and watch the gait. If possible look for evidence of stool to see if the goats are passing normal berries. If you have other goats at home, please isolate the newbies until you get a CAE test done. I'd also check for Johnes. Of course vaccinations a must.


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## Kshobbit (May 14, 2002)

otherside of the discussion.
1. I agree with annas about the quarrantine pen and all the vitamins and dewormer and antibiotics. An auction is a germy, wormy place. Even if the goat was healthy prior to the sale, it is exposed to all the crud the other animals have.
2. Know what to look for in a good goat. shinny sleek coat, no nasal or any other kind of discharge. No lumps or bumps. Udder up off the floor and not hard or hot.
3. Talk to the seller. Here in Kansas, you can talk to the folks selling the goats esp if they are nice goats. I have taken some decent does and bucks to the auction because I HAD to cut down on my herd for financial reasons. 

I bought a wonderful doe kid at an auction. The seller started talking to me when the buck came into the sale ring.
It seems his wife told him to sell the last of his goats. so the buck the bred doe and her two kids were sold. A firend bought the bred doe I bought the doe kid. The buck was a huge Boer, non papered who sold for almost $300!! they were that good. My doe kid has produced twin does and triplets. Her twin does have had a single gorgeous doe kid and twin bucks. She is a big big doe and her daughters are nice and big too.
Another friend bought a simply lovely Nubian that was grand champion grade doe at the goat show in Coffeyville,Ks one year. So there are many exceptions to the horror stories. 
But I do take my cull animals to the auction. so know what to look for and ask questions. :soap:


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