Monday, June 8, 2015

How To Choose Pedigree Boer Does For Sale

By Elaine Guthrie


Stockyard sales may vary greatly in quality and quantity. Such sales rarely carry any guarantees. In many parts of the world goat keeping is becoming popular because of their prolific and high growth rate. With proper breeding and routine management practices, a doe can give birth to twins and even triplets in a year. The guidelines that follow are important to consider before deciding to purchase Boer does for sale.

Consult animal husbandry experts for recommendations when looking for breeding does for sale. Keeping goats requires commitment. You have to feed them every day, pay for their veterinary bills and and feeds. Also, make sure they are healthy, thus, make sure you are ready to take the responsibility on-board.

Consider the physical features of the doe. It should be wedge shaped with a flat or uniform top line. The goat should appear wedge shaped from the top view with strong legs that are straight. The legs must be structurally sound. Check on its posture when feeding and walking. A doe infected with the foot rot disease will walk with difficulty, possibly limping. Check on the level of hygiene on the farm and appropriateness of animal dwellings.

Ensure the animals are free from foot rot disease. Lameness and limping could be because of an infection of the feet by bacteria. You will also observe the animal feeding while kneeling if diseases infect the front foot. Some of other most common and physical signs of sickness in goats include poor appetite or drinking, dry eyes, bloody diarrhea, swollen udders, raised hair coat and coughing.

Check the teats and udder for potential problems. A doe will have two clean teats. The udder should have large teats and udder, which is well fixed between its hind legs. A good doe for breeding has two teats and no vestigial or extra teats. High fat tissue in the udder will replace milk-secreting cells hence lowering production. Check for a flabby udder which may be predisposed to infections such as mastitis.

Take into account the age of the animal. A junior doe is a young goat that has not been bred yet. These are more expensive than doe lings as you do not have to wait as long to breed them and start producing milk. When you are buying goats, it is preferable to source young animals. An eight to ten year old doe may be a little weak in the pasterns.

A young animal offers more productive years than an older animal. It is imperative to remember that production in animals will decline with age. If possible, you should also try milking any potential does, to make sure they have a good temperament and that the milk comes easily an older doe will may start to break down a bit in certain areas, which is quite natural.

Usually when goats get too old they lose their teeth. Ensure goat has its dentition and the jaws intact. Failure to feed appropriately may be a result of loss of teeth. Most likely poor dentition is due to old age. Pick the best, healthiest-looking goats. If you decide to go ahead and start your herd of goats. Improper dentition will affect the feeding habits and consequently, the production rate of the animal.




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