Private Information For Reservation Clients
Quick overview of our Sales Policies:
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All horned kids will be disbudded unless we are specifically directed not to by you.
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Wethers will be banded by us (at no additional cost) or your vet at 10-16 weeks old.
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ALL KIDS need to be picked up by 4 weeks old unless specific arrangements have been made and agreed upon.
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We will email you a sales receipt with your balance which is due in cash at pick-up.
Links:
2024 Shared Google Drive Folder
We have tried to foresee any questions you may have in our Homesteading Articles, but if you have any other questions we didn’t cover, please let me know! (Don’t feel bad for asking! We want to help you all be as successful as possible and your questions help us to make our website more comprehensive!)
Feeding your new babies!
Kids will be eating alfalfa hay with their mamas and will need to continue having access to hay and fresh water even while bottle feeding. At 3-4 weeks, kids' rumen begins to function and hay becomes their primary source of nutrients.
We do our best to send home about a quart of fresh milk per kid and will have additional milk available as we are able to, $6/quart. We also have bottles available for sale at $10 each.
Comprehensive Guide to Caring for Your New Kids - This is a new article we posted with a run-down of what you should do to prepare for before bringing the kids home as well as common issues and questions for the first few weeks.
This article goes over what we feed our herd. Your kids are with their mamas and eating along side of them. You will want to mirror this when they get home.
The cliff notes of the article:
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#1 alfalfa. Non breeding does and boys can switch to a grass mix around 4 months.
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Fresh water in a shallow dish
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Free choice, goat-specific, loose, minerals (yes babies eat the minerals!) We like Sweetlix.
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NO GRAIN!
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Treats - babies don’t need treats! They won’t want treats until around 6+ weeks. You can offer a mix of raw, unsalted seeds if you want to have something other than bottles to give them. We like black oil sunflower (BOSS) & pumpkin.
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NO CHICKEN FEED EVER EVER EVER! It’s too rich and will make them very sick. If they get into chicken feed and have diarrhea, call your vet asap.
Milk and Bottles
A common question we get is how much milk to plan for. Each kid eats about 4-6 oz per feeding and works their way up to 8 oz. (Do not feed more than 8 oz per feeding before 6 weeks and no more than 12 oz ever!)
Milk is currently $24/gallon. It keeps fresh for 2-3 weeks and can be frozen for up to a year.
Plan on about a quart/day per baby under 6 weeks old. You can cut back to two 10 oz bottles per day after 6 weeks and begin to cut the fresh goat milk with cows milk if they kids can handle it and you need to economize.
Some people use cows milk. The younger babies, under 4 weeks, need the extra fat of goat milk and we have found that kids under 4 weeks are more likely to have issues with the cows milk. We suggest using goat milk (fresh or store bought) until 4 weeks and then transition to cows milk or formula if you need to economize.
There are some people who have done diy formulas with adding some cream to balance the fat percentage of cows milk. I don’t recommend using buttermilk or egg or really anything other than milk and cream. Cow milk is 4% and goat is 6-8%. Some babies can’t digest the cows milk so there would be that to watch for.
Buttermilk is almost always 2% so you’re reducing the fat content not increasing it. The only advantage to buttermilk is the probiotics so just add probios if you are concerned.
Some breeders use formula but I don’t have any experience with it. I have heard that some kids don’t do well on it but other breeders use it routinely with no issues. You will have to make this decision about the best milk for your babies based on your own situation and research.
Store bought goat milk is $4-6 per quart and a good alternative but still expensive. Walmart and most supermarkets carry it. Trader Joes and Walmart are usually the best prices. I also like trader joes as their milk is in a plastic jug I can heat the milk in when I am feeding a lot of babies and need to bring jugs of warm milk down to the barn.
I stock the Premier 1 Bottles for $10 each. I do not recommend the feed store or tractor supply bottles as the top is too small to get a bottle brush in to really get a good cleaning. Do not buy the giant calf bottles! The kids will drink 10 oz MAX.
If you plan to buy bottles and milk from me, let me know asap so I can make a note and ensure I have enough bottles. I do my best to have as much fresh or frozen milk available for everyone at pick up. I send at least a quart home with each kid so that their first day home there is no change in their food.
If I have enough milk to sell, I will let you know. My prices for milk are $24/gallon. Towards the end of the season, I can be more flexible with the price and offer some discounts for bulk purchases but typically the first rounds of kids create a higher demand than I can keep up with. I can also try to help you find farms closer to you to purchase raw milk from. The facebook goat and farm groups are great to be a part of to connect with other like-minded folks in your area.
IMPORTANT!! Be sure any raw milk you purchase for your kids is from a farm whose does are ALL tested and negative for CAE. This is Caprine arthritis and is passed on through raw milk.
What products to we need?
Our Amazon Storefront lists most of our recommended products. We do collect a small commission on your sale and appreciate your support!
Vaccines & Wormers:
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We do not vaccinate our goats.
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We do not routinely worm our goats EXCEPT each kid for coccidia. They will receive a dose at 3 weeks and be sent home with their 6-week dose.
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You will need to discuss your risks with your vet and make your decisions about these issues, however, we strongly advise that you do not give any new medications until your kids are home and settled for 5-10 days.
How we assign reservations and our families pick their babies
Reservations w/ a paid deposit will be listed in the order, by date, the deposit was received.
If there is a specific breeding requested, that will be noted and this reservation will only be for that breeding. If we are unable to provide the requested kid (gender only, no color or horn preferences) the buyer will be put in line to pick from the general kid group in the order of their reservation date.
Reservations with general requests, good milking, blue eyes, polled etc, will be placed and given pick choice in order.
We generally have groups of does bred for each month/week. We have been affectionately referring to these as “rounds”. So if you’re reservation is for the first half of March, or “Round 2”, reservations placed after yours but for Round 1 will pick ahead of you. Your place in line is saved and you will take the appropriate priority for Round 2.
For example, John reserves 2 spring 2024 doe kids on August 1, 2023. He knows he has a trip planned March 14-21 of 2024 so he requests that his kids be ready to go in April.
Sally reserves her 2 spring 24 doe kids on December 3, 2023 but wants them the first week of March so she can be done with bottle feeding before her summer tennis tournaments begin. Sally will pick before John. Sally will be notified when the February Round 1 kids are born and she will be given the pick. John will be notified with March Round 2 kids but he will be first in line.
If Mabel only wants a doe kid from Buttercup but Buttercup gives us all boys, Mabel can roll her reservation over to the next spring or she can get back in line, based on her deposit date, and pick from the available doe kids. If Buttercup still doesn’t give us a doe kid in 2025, we will offer Mabel another kid or a refund.
Waiting until everyone is born will also give us a chance to see who is polled vs horned, who is healthy vs who might need extra TLC and also which babies we are going to be keeping.
Picking your baby!
When it is your turn to pick, I will send you a text. You will look at the posted list and the corresponding photos or the specific babies we have available to you at that time. (This varies with wethers, does, and bucks.) We ask that you get back to us within 24 hours so we can keep things moving along.
If you opt to wait for the next round, you will be first in line behind specific breeding reservations for that next round.
Wether reservations who roll over into the next round will be first for the wether picks but behind the next round of buck picks.
The date your kids go home will depend on their birth date and how old you want them to be when they go home. We prefer to keep customers within the same “round” so their babies are as close in age as possible.
If one baby is born on Feb 1 and your second baby is born on Feb 8 and you want them to be 3 weeks old when they go home, we will wait for the younger baby to be 3 weeks old or can opt to take them at 2 and 3 weeks but commit to the extra bottles for the younger kid.
Refunds?
Refunds are only offered when we are not able to meet your request. If the buyer passes, the refund is forfeit. It is at our discretion to grant a roll over when the buyer passes. We typically allow for one roll over into the next breeding season without any penalty. (Note that we aren’t doing 2024 fall kids!)
How to name your goats?
We have a tradition of having a name theme for each year for the registered kids born in our herd. This only pertains to their registered names that we put on their papers. Their barn names can be anything you want.
For example, Pumpkin (born on thanksgiving w/ a giant white "whipped cream" spot on her head) is named Eye of the Tiger in honor of her grandmother, Tiger Tracks.
Each registered goat will start with “Red Rooster” as this is our herd name. We like to use the buck’s initials next followed by the individual goat’s name. The entire name including Red Rooster and spaces must be 30 characters or less.
2024 - Ancient historical figures and places
2023 - fancy food
2022 - 70-80’s pop culture
2021 - classic literature
2020 - European history & geography
2019 - plants, flowers, herbs
2018 - weather
As names are picked, we will update the spreadsheet so getting me your names sooner than later will increase the chances of you getting it. We can’t do identical names, they must be unique. We will also be posting the list of names we are keeping for ourselves as well as a list of suggested names that we come up with. The suggested names are open to be used but the list of our names will not be.
Wethers do not come with papers so don’t need an official theme name but a lot of people still find it fun to play along and pick their pet boys’ names from the theme.
Your Pick Up Appointment
Once you have picked out your kids, I will calculate a date range for you to pick them up and we will schedule your pick-up appointment. The balance due for the kid(s) is due in cash as well as any payments for milk or bottles. You will receive a sales memo/invoice for your records.
I will email you a few days before your appointment with specific instructions on how to find us. It’s not super straightforward with GPS so please be sure to follow the instructions carefully!
You will need to have either a designated baby goat holder or a small dog crate and room INSIDE YOUR VEHICLE. These babies are TINY and will not be released to anyone planning to haul them home in a trailer or pick-up bed.
Note that you may not post pictures or videos from our property without first getting my permission! We are very private and we also do our best to respect our neighbors’ privacy. Thank you!! (Send me the videos and pics and I’ll get back to you asap with what you can post!)
If you need to reschedule your pick up appointment, please give us 24 hours notice. We will add a $25 fee for any late arrivals or “no shows”. A second “no show” will result in the canceling the sale contract and all deposits paid will be forfeit.
It will be considered a “no show” if the buyer is more than 30 minutes late for their pick up appointment. Should you find yourself running late or stuck in traffic, please text us asap and we can discuss rescheduling or same-day accommodation. We understand that when traveling a long distance there are variables out of your control and we will accommodate the best we can as long as you are in communication with us.
Each pick up appointment is 45 minutes long and we can go over any questions you have at that time. If you have more questions or would like to schedule a q&a before your kids are ready to go home, we are now offering a mentorship program. Let me know and I will send you the information.
We are working on a comprehensive FAQ on the website and will be adding to it as we have time to compile the information. As of now, there is a lot of information about reserving/buying/and picking up from us already posted. Please take a look at that page as well as our articles before sending in questions.
If we haven’t covered something, please do ask! We love to help and educate and we also appreciate knowing what content we need to add to the website to help others in the future.
ADGA Registrations
Our new policy starting in 2024 is that anyone purchasing goats from us who has their ADGA membership at the time of the final sale will receive complimentary registration and transfers. This article is helpful to getting started. Let me know if you eed additional help getting your membership.
We will process these with ADGA online within a week of your goat pick up and typically, you will have your new registration certificates within a few weeks. If you do not have a membership, we will provide a hard copy of the registration and transfer paperwork for you to submit and you will be responsible for the fees.
If you are uncomfortable with picking up your kids without papers in hand, we are happy to provide hard copies and you will be responsible for the fees. (We also don’t recommend paying in full and leaving without the papers from breeders you do not have a relationship with. Too many people have told me horror stories of paying for registered kids and never getting the papers.)
ADGA has a new policy going into effect for 2024 requiring all new bucks to have DNA on file with their registration application. Therefore ALL buck customers must sign up for an ADGA membership so that we can handle the DNA and registration to ensure it is done correctly. If you need help doing this, we have this article posted.
You do not need your herd name or tattoo, just your membership number.
Why do we require pick up before 4 weeks?
Over the last 12 years of breeding and selling goats, the system we have come up with to create super friendly and bottle proficient kids requires a great deal of work and effort from us each day.
Every evening we separate the mamas from their kids and every morning we bottle feed and snuggle each kid (we do not bucket feed!) Mamas are milked each morning and nearly all of this milk goes into the morning bottles or for sale to bottle families. After the night and morning apart, we move the kids again back into the pen with their mamas.
Not only does this routine build a bond between us and the babies, but it also conditions everyone to be apart for a period of time making the transition to going home easier on the babies and the mamas.
If we leave them on their moms all day/night, we have several situations to contend with. The first and most is relevant to you in that that they become more wild and independent. (Which is honestly already happening even before 4 weeks.)
After 4 weeks old, if they aren’t full time bottle kids, their personalities change and they are more independent. They aren’t as dependent on the bottle and it can be more difficult and stressful to transition them to full time bottle babies even if we keep up the morning routine of bottles and snuggles. Some kids start to refuse their morning bottles after 4 weeks and insist on waiting for mom.
After 5 years of doing it this way, combined with the high demand for our kids, we have made the decision to implement the policy of earlier pick ups. All kids - does, bucks and wethers - must be picked up by 4 weeks old. The workload to keep them sweet and friendly is too great and we are turning people away who are not only willing to bottle feed but prefer to. There are other farms who dam raise and will keep the kids for 8-10 weeks and we feel that these resources are a better fit for customers not looking to bottle feed.
Baby Updates
It’s very tempting to text me every day and ask, “How is my baby?” The answer will always be, Your baby is great!
In all seriousness, it’s hard to keep up with individual updates and videos for customers. And guess what? If there is a minor problem with your kid, we aren’t going to tell you! We will not needlessly worry anyone with common and basic issues nor do we have time to download all of the details of our daily routine to each customer.
In the event the issue becomes something that will interfere with the sale date, the health of your kid, or the purpose you are purchasing the goat for, we will notify you as soon as possible and make the necessary adjustments to the reservation. (Either a new kid or a refund.)
We post to instagram as much as we can and will upload pics and videos to the google drive as often as we can. Anything we share on social media is absolutely available for you to share directly from our pages. If you want to download a “story” to share from your page, check with me first but it should be ok as long as you give us credit with a tag. Please don’t ask me to send you individual movie or photo files that I post. I do not have time to do this.
Please learn how to save them from Instagram if you would like to keep them for yourself.
We just ask that you do not share any photos or videos on social media unless they have been watermarked by us. We are very private and also value our brand and content quality. Anyone who violates this will be removed from the drive access.
We have tossed around the idea of allowing customers to pay for personal updates and even daily facetimes. The fees would be paid to my kids as an extra source of income for them. Let me know if this is something you are interested in!
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Thank you for getting through all of this information!! We know it is a lot but hopefully, having it here in one place will be helpful as questions arise. Again, we are here to help so if we missed some important information, please don't hesitate to ask!