This was defidently the year of the buck this spring in my barn pen. I am overwhelmed with bucks and want to take them all to auction. I cannot figure out if it is best to castrate them or not. It is not too late to castrate now, but if I wait till auction day and they will be kind of old (I think). Does anyone know if more auction buyers would want wethers or bucks they could breed? I am clueless. All I know is that I do not want to come home with any bucks after the auction is over.

-- Tiffani (cappello@alltel.net), April 01, 2002

Answers

Unless you have a buck that is really exceptional with good conformation and breeding...castrate them all now!! Just my opinion :-)!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), April 01, 2002.

Here in N.C. Florida they will bring more money if left intact. If the Auction has a lot of Buyers for the Ethnic Market they will pay more if they are uncasterated. You must also consider the extra time you will have to wait while they heal from casterating, more time = more feed = more money$$$.

Good Luck!!!

-- Mark in N.C. Florida (deadgoatman@webtv.net), April 01, 2002.

You will get more money period if you leave them intact. You will also make more money if you simply advertise you have them. We sell day old bucklings, with their paperwork for 50$, yeah they are out of first fresheners, but humbly put, most of my girls are a real improvement over the normal homesteaders goats, so I feel like it is a good deal for both. 2 or 3 week old bucklings sell for 100$ etc. Want them weaned 250+, gives folks incentive to raise them themselves and I get them off the lambar. Besides here on the forum which I have had several customers from, there are about 100 forums in which you can find customers, all which will pay you more than auctioning them! If you do auction them simply drop them off and have them mail you the check, no way you can come home with them then. You just missed the biggest holiday for sales, Easter, even 3 week old kids went for 50$ for meat, next comes Cinco de Mayo for us here in Texas. With the internet you have the best avenue their is for free advertising, gone are the days that the dairy buckling not out of the permanant champion was killed at birth at dairies, or given away for free. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (Nubians) (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 01, 2002.

Some groups have religious or cultural objections to wethers, as opposed to bucklings. The bucklings also grow a little faster.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 01, 2002.

We do not sell any bucks for breeding that we would not use ourselves. We also quit selling through auctions about 17 years ago. You just don't know what will happen to the animal. Private sales take awhile to develope but if you treat people fairly, you will get repeat customers for meat and breeding stock and the surplus will disappear. Also, nothing wrong with filling your and your neighbors' freezers!

-- Scotsirish (notreal@anywhere.net), April 02, 2002.

if you sell at auction, they will be meat... have you tried the local "free paper" , an ad for 10.00 might sell 5- 6 of them , save you the trouble of going to auction....

we bought our goats from a dairy operation , no papers, they were selling bucks for 10.00 each at 2 days old. does were 50.00...but that was wisconsin.....

out here, you cant find real goats for sale, plenty of pygmys, and occasionally boers, but not dairy goats.

-- Beth Van Stiphout (willosnake@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.

Un neutered will get you the best price. The last one I sold at 70 lbs I got $75.00 for

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 02, 2002.