To start a goat farm, you need to buy goats – but where do you buy them?
Since big box stores don’t carry goats, you will need to go shopping in a completely different way from what you’re used to. This guide will walk you through all the different ways that you can answer the question “where can I find goats for sale near me?”
Table of contents
USA Goat Breeders Directory
If you’d like to get straight into it, you can use our directories of goat breeders for 12 different breeds. Click a link below to go to the page with breeders in your state:
- Angora goats for sale
- Boer goats for sale
- Cashmere goats for sale
- Fainting goats for sale
- Kiko goats for sale
- Kinder goats for sale
- Nigerian Dwarf goats for sale
- Pygmy goats for sale
- Pygora goats for sale
- Oberhasli goats for sale
- Savanna goats for sale
- Toggenburg goats for sale
Where to Look for Goats for Sale
Knowing where to look for goats is the first step to finding goats for sale.
Over the last couple years, the internet has become an increasingly important tool to helping people find goats for sale. When you use the internet, you can open up many opportunities that you would have never known about. It also helps you to find goats that are hundreds of miles away, view them, talk with the owner, and buy them all without ever leaving your home.
Breeders’ Farms |
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You may already know of goat breeding farms near you, but if you don’t already know of any or you would like to learn of more, you can use the internet to find some. If you choose to not do a web search, you can go to goat shows near you, ask your vet if they know of any, look for flyers at your farm store, and newspaper ads. The biggest key to finding goat breeders is to communicate with others, especially people who own goats. |
State Goat Associations |
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Most, if not all, of the states in the US have their own goat association. If they do not already have a directory displayed online, you can contact your state’s goat association for recommendations on where to find a goat breeder near you. There are also goat associations at other levels like regional, country, and international that you can check out to find a goat. |
Facebook – How to Search Facebook for Goats for Sale |
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Facebook can be a harder place to find goats for sale on because of their algorithms that block the sale of animals. That being said, you would be hard pressed to find a goat on the Facebook marketplace. So, you will need to search Facebook intelligently to find your goats.
One way to do this is to search the word “goat” in your local groups’ posts. Another way is to look for goat farms in your area. Many times people will not post the price of their goats on Facebook since the Facebook algorithm may remove their post and “ground” them from Facebook, so you will need to message the person on Facebook to find out the price of their goat along with other information. |
Craigslist (in Your Area) |
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Craigslist has been around for a long time and has become a great way for goat breeders to find people to sell their goats to.
Most of the time, people will post their goats under the Farm and Garden section of Craigslist. If you don’t see any under that section, you can look under the pet section.
The most important thing about using Craigslist to find goats is to make sure you are not being scammed. Since Craigslist is so easy to post things to, it has become a hotspot for scammers. To avoid scammers, make sure that you don’t send money in an unprotected format and ask for specific pictures to make sure that the goat you are looking at actually exists. If you follow these tips you should be fine searching for a goat on Craigslist. |
Google Searches |
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Google not only answers random questions, it can help you find a goat breeding farm in your area as well as goats for sale. If you are already familiar with searching for random things on Google, you will easily learn how to search for goats for sale and goat breeders near you.
Google also can help you to find specific breeds close to you too. By typing in “goats in my area” Google may pull up options for you to try out. You can also search by breed, state, and more. Google searches are almost limitless. You can also use them to gauge the popularity of certain goat breeds in your area as well as assessing the market’s desire for that breed. |
How Much Does It Cost to Buy a Goat?
There is a huge variance in the cost of goats. For example, an unregistered wether goat is going to cost a lot less than a registered champion bred buck. There are also many factors that will determine how much a goat costs like their age, show history, health, and more. The quality of the goat, along with the market demand will dictate the price that that goat will cost.
A Life of Heritage has a good Goat Cost video that explains how much some goats cost and why.
Factors of Goat Value
Many factors go into the value of a goat. For you to understand what a good deal looks like you will need to know what factors make a goat more valuable than another.
Here are some factors that you will need to look at to determine how valuable a goat is:
- Registration – A registered animal is more valuable than an unregistered, or grade, animal many times since registration can help prove age, genealogy, and breed.
Having a registered animal means that extra work and funds were put in so that the goat could have an accurate set of papers. It can also qualify goats for certain shows that grade goats have no chance of going to.
- Age – Age is a huge factor in the value of a goat. Weanling goats often sell for less than adults of breeding age. This is because more time and funds have been put into the older goat. It also makes it possible for you to see the return on your investment sooner when you buy an adult goat, since they can produce kids sooner than a weanling goat.
- Breed – Some breeds are more expensive than others. This can be caused by market demand, the average number of kids they have a year, the versatility of the breed, the rarity of the breed, and more.
- Gender – Another factor influencing the price of a goat is its gender. A herd buck that will greatly influence the quality of the kids your does produce will cost a lot more than a wether since the wether cannot produce any offspring. Does can also be expensive, since they are one of the most important parts of a goat herd and can make huge contributions to the quality of a goat herd.
- Health – The health of a goat will greatly determine its value. When goats are healthy with a shiny coat and bright eyes that look more attractive to potential buyers. Sick goats are also a hazard to introduce to a healthy goat herd, since they can pass on illnesses with the healthy herd.
How to Buy a Goat – Important Things to Looks for
When you buy a goat, you will want to be educated on what to look for so that you don’t buy something you will later regret:
- First off, you will need to know what you are looking for as far as breed, gender, and so on.
- You will also need to look for any signs of illness in the goats you are looking at.
- If you are buying a registered goat, you will want to have proof of registration that comes with the goat when you purchase it.
American Country Essentials has a great Goat Buying video that you can watch to gain more insight on buying a goat.
How to Buy a Baby Goat
Buying a baby goat is not a ton different from buying an adult goat. You will need to take more precautions with the kid when you bring it home though, since they are more susceptible to illness and injury.
If you are buying a weanling goat though, you will need to know how long the goat has been off of its mom and what it has been eating. On the other hand, if you are buying a bottle goat you will need to know how often it has been getting fed along with the amount and any other information that is deemed necessary.
How Old Should a Goat be Before I Buy it?
You can buy goats as young as hours old, but those will need extra time and care.
Some people choose to buy bottle goats because of the smaller upfront cost. However, they can end up costing more than a weaned goat with the cost of formula, extra care, and your time. If you buy a weaned goat though, the kid should be at least 10 weeks old. This helps make sure that the kid has had enough of its mother’s milk for its optimum growth.
Conclusion
There are many things to look at when buying a goat as well as how you find goats for sale. The best thing to remember is to use the knowledge you have learned as you shop to make good financial decisions. Remember to enjoy shopping and strive to build relationships with those you associate yourself with in the search since you may do business with them in the future too.
