Auction Action

Yesterday, we intended to go to the auction and meet goat people that we could use as resources for the purchase of a few goats. Well, we met one of the people we went to see and he was very helpful. He explained that this auction was not a bunch of herd culls but was a good source of prime animals. It follows a Boer Goat show and the local breeders bring some of their best young animals and sell them. Prices would range from 250 up to over a thousand dollars. Further, quality breeders from as far away as Texas would have some good young animals at the Auction.
He suggested if we were serious about getting into Boer goats that this was good place to pick some good stock. He even offered to keep them at his farm until we could get the pens and the fencing put together.
Well armed with this bit of encouragement and more nerve than sense, we decided to get our feet wet and buy a few goats at the auction. Well, seven is more than a few, but you get caught up in the bidding and even with Kris wrestling me to the ground and trying to sit on both my arms, I managed to get enough bids in to end up with a herd of goats before it was over. We now have six does and a very young buck that will end up in the freezer unless he becomes a spectacular specimen in a couple of months. Five of the does are yearlings and could be bred now. The sixth is this spring's doe and very friendly. Kris intends to make it a pack goat or teach it to pull a cart.
Some of the goats we bought are from out of state breeders that have large herds and probably haven't been handled much. I'm sure Kris will have them doing tricks before long, but for awhile it's going to be very interesting. In general, Boer goats are quiet, docile animals that don't push fences like dairy goats. Still they are strong herd animals so they can panic or be stubborn depending which behavior is more inconvenient to you. I imagine we are in for quite an education.
You can learn a lot from observation. The herd will need to establish which doe is going to be the lead goat. Once the herd determines this, Kris merely has to butt heads with one goat to establish herself as the herd leader. This is a lot easier than being part of the herd buttoffs and will save Kris a lot of headaches.
I have only included a few pictures since the object of good breeding is to make all your herd look the same. These are well bred animals and look identical to the untrained eye. I of course can easily tell the difference. You pick up little differences like the numbers stapled in each ear or the number written on their horns for the auction. If you have one standing on your chest, you can reach up and lift an ear and read the tattooed number.
Well, I have to go finish the chicken pens so I can start on the goat pens, then
Walters barn and then finally the new goat barn wood shed complex. That should take care of summer, maybe fall.