The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: little blue on April 21, 2011, 09:47:08 pm
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How much should we be asking for, for Max our nearly 9 month old Goat wether??
I want him to have a lovely new home (If it was guaranteed, he'd be free!) so feel I should charge ... but really don't know what is an appropriate price ???
He is a Toggenburg X Bagot, very tame & gorgeous-looking.
I've had a couple of enquiries, but nothing definite and maybe its the price I suggested.
please help!
:wave:
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Difficult one... I would only sell a wether to people I know, where I can check out the facilities (playmates, shelter, field etc etc), but really couldn't think of a figure... so we have decided that our wethers are for our own "use".
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that's exactly my problem!!
But there's no way my o/h would even consider eating him ... and I'm not that keen either!
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A difficult one - could you sell him to someone wanting him for the freezer, but offer to rear him untill it's "time to go" - not quite as bad as eating him yourself & at least you will know he's been cared for & loved?
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From my experience of castrated males - it appears that people have them as pets, then for whatever reason they want to rehome them - I took in 5 castrated boys - large BT's. The owner gave them to me, and said I could keep them, eat them or sell them!!! She took three of my castrated male pygmys for her petting farm. The BT's were sold to her as pygmys, but when they grew to the size of a Shetland pony, she realised pygmy goats they were not!!!
Over the years I have taken in a lot of goats that people for one reason or another, could not keep. Sadly, castrated males go to pet homes, and then for whatever reason need to be rehomed. None of the owners wanted any money - just that they be looked after.
I know you, Little Blue, and you care for your animals, and would want the best home for them. I am pretty sure you would not want Max to be eaten!!
Sometimes, you need to put a price on, to ensure the person is serious and will look after your goat, but realistically there are a lot of male goats out therewanting to be rehomed (and quite a few of them are in my sheds at this moment in time because I have felt sorry for them!!!!
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Why are you selling him? Did you breed him? What did you breed him for - to be eaten or to be a pet or to be a stud? Not judging just asking as that may clarify in your own mind what his price should be. If he is castrated one of these is eliminated. For instance if you want him to go as a pet, I would price him considerably higher than his dead weight value would be to try to avoid him being slaughtered fro food. Personally I wouldn't eat goat anyway. For the same reason as I wouldn't eat rabbit, cat or dog - to me they are pets.
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I think I am right in saying Little Blue bred Max so she could milk his mum, and also as a companion for Geraldine following the loss of Margo. But now that she has Cesar, and also the two kids born this year, Max really needs to go.
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I occasionally sell a castrate.... but even at a few weeks old I always ask £75 each. Look at it this way, you have had them disbudded/castrated and that will have cost around £50. Not forgetting the time/cost of fuel to get to the Vet !
At this price if people are serious, they will pay. If they argue that is too much/ or they are buying 2 castrates at the same time, then of course you would do a deal.
Selling 1 boy means you must be sure that they have another as companion who is about the same size. An older bigger goat could bully an incomer.
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I think I am right in saying Little Blue bred Max so she could milk his mum, and also as a companion for Geraldine following the loss of Margo. But now that she has Cesar, and also the two kids born this year, Max really needs to go.
Spot on Roxy, thats exactly right!
I just dont want to put a price that will put genuine people off...
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I have to say I agree with Wytsend- you do need to charge, and you need to recoup what you have spent.
We only keep male kids for castrates, if we have a booking for them. And ideally, it's with people we have met in advance, discussed it through with them etc.
We have two booked this year (and actually I am having trouble getting the second- relying on the last goat to kid now having a male!) and we are charging £50 apeice. A bit cheaper than Wytsend, but we are a lot further north, and as we disbud ourselves, that lowers our costs.
But for charging, you have to consider- did you get him disbudded, and if so how much did it cost? Did the vet castrate him and how much did that cost? Did you pay a stud fee to get the female in kid- or if you bought a male, then how much did he cost you? Obviously you wouldn't charge the price you paid for dad, but maybe a small percentage. Did you vaccinate the mum before she kidded- how much was that? How long have you kept him for? In your case, 9-10 months, so you have fed him concentrates and hay/straw all winter.
When you add all that up, it actually comes to quite a lot.....
Beth