Buying breeding goats is one of the largest investments a new farmer makes. A cheap goat can become expensive when it fails to reproduce, requires repeated treatment or dies soon after arriving.
Do not select breeding goats using colour, size or breed name alone. A productive animal must be healthy, structurally sound, fertile and suitable for the conditions on your farm.
This checklist can help you inspect breeding females and bucks before paying. It does not replace an examination by a veterinarian or experienced animal-health professional.
Before Visiting the Seller
Ask the seller for basic information before travelling:
- Why are the goats being sold?
- How old are they?
- Have the females kidded before?
- When did they last give birth?
- How many kids did they produce?
- Are they pregnant or running with a buck?
- What vaccinations and treatments have they received?
- Have there been recent deaths, abortions or unexplained illness?
- Are identification and movement documents available?
A seller who keeps records can usually give more reliable answers than one relying entirely on memory.
1. Observe the Whole Group First
Do not immediately catch the goat. Stand back and observe the flock. Healthy animals should generally be alert, responsive and interested in their surroundings.
Look for animals that remain apart, appear depressed, repeatedly cough, breathe with difficulty or struggle to keep up. One sick-looking goat may indicate a wider problem in the group.
2. Check Body Condition
A breeding animal should not be extremely thin or excessively fat. Very thin goats may have inadequate nutrition, parasites, chronic disease, dental problems or another underlying issue. Excessively fat animals may also experience reproductive problems.
Feel along the backbone and ribs instead of judging only through the hair. Ask why any animal is noticeably thinner than the rest.
3. Examine the Eyes and Face
The eyes should appear clear and alert. Check for excessive discharge, swelling, cloudiness or injury. Pale inner eyelids may be associated with anaemia and deserve professional assessment.
Look for nasal discharge, facial swelling, sores around the mouth and difficulty chewing.
4. Check the Teeth and Estimate Age
Teeth help estimate whether the goat is young, mature or approaching the end of its productive life. Very old females may be cheaper because their ability to graze and reproduce is declining.
Open the mouth carefully and inspect the lower front teeth. Look for missing, severely worn, loose or damaged teeth. Ask an experienced farmer or animal-health professional to help if you are unfamiliar with goat dentition.
5. Inspect Feet, Legs and Movement
Ask the seller to let the goat walk on firm, level ground. Look for limping, stiffness, swollen joints, overgrown hooves or legs that do not support the body correctly.
Breeding goats on communal grazing may walk long distances. Poor feet and legs can prevent an otherwise attractive animal from grazing and mating effectively.
6. Examine the Coat and Skin
The coat should be appropriate for the season and the goat’s condition. Look for excessive hair loss, crusts, wounds, abscesses, ticks or heavy scratching.
Do not ignore lumps. Ask the seller about any swelling or previous abscess, and obtain professional advice before mixing such an animal with your flock.
7. Check the Female’s Udder
A breeding female needs a functional udder to raise her kids. Inspect and gently feel both halves of the udder.
Look for:
- Two usable teats.
- Similar udder halves.
- No severe hardness or heat.
- No old wounds or large lumps.
- No badly damaged or blocked teats.
- An udder that is not excessively low or difficult for kids to reach.
If the female has kidded before, ask whether she produced enough milk and raised her kids successfully.
8. Check the Buck Carefully
One buck may influence the genetics of many future kids, so he deserves a stricter inspection than any single female.
Check that he has:
- Two normally developed testicles.
- A balanced scrotum without obvious swelling or injury.
- Strong feet and legs.
- Good body condition without excessive fat.
- Healthy teeth.
- No obvious defects that could be inherited.
- No close relationship to the females he will serve.
A breeding-soundness examination by a veterinarian is valuable, particularly when buying an expensive buck.
9. Review Reproductive History
Appearance alone does not prove fertility. Ask for the female’s kidding dates, number of kids, kid survival and previous reproductive problems.
A mature female that has repeatedly failed to conceive or raise a kid may not be a good purchase, even when she looks healthy.
10. Confirm Identification and Movement Requirements
Make sure the animals are correctly identified and can be legally moved to your establishment. Confirm current stock-brand, NamLITS and movement-permit requirements with the relevant Namibian authorities before transport.
Record the identification of every animal bought, the seller, purchase price and date.
Red Flags That Should Delay the Purchase
- Unexplained recent deaths in the herd.
- Abortions without investigation.
- Persistent coughing or breathing problems.
- Diarrhoea affecting several animals.
- Multiple abscesses or unexplained lumps.
- Severe lameness.
- Very pale eyelids or extreme weakness.
- The seller refuses reasonable inspection.
- No required identification or movement documents.
- The animal’s age or breeding history keeps changing.
Quarantine New Goats
Even a healthy-looking goat may carry a disease or parasite. New goats should be kept separately from the resident flock for an appropriate observation period.
Use separate feeding and watering equipment where possible. Monitor appetite, droppings, breathing, temperature when indicated and general behaviour. Ask an animal-health professional for a suitable quarantine and testing plan.
Take Someone Experienced With You
If you are buying your first breeding flock, take an experienced farmer, livestock technician or veterinarian. Paying for expert help before the purchase may prevent a much larger loss later.
Final Buying Checklist
- Healthy and alert
- Suitable body condition
- Sound teeth
- Strong feet and legs
- No unexplained lumps or wounds
- Functional udder or reproductive organs
- Good breeding history
- Adapted to your production system
- Unrelated to planned mates
- Correctly identified with proper documents
Final Thoughts
The best breeding goat is not always the biggest or most expensive. Buy animals that are healthy, fertile, structurally sound and adapted to your farm.
Take your time, inspect every animal and be willing to walk away from a questionable purchase. The quality of the starting flock will influence the goat farm for many years.