By: Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PHD 2009
Myotonic goats are a wondrously varied breed, so varied that they can; in essence, serve nearly all facets of goat ownership. Whether you’re a seasoned breeder looking for a “new” addition or a buyer just looking for a pet you’re almost certain to find what you’re seeking within the realm of the Myotonic goat world.
Goat ownership should not only be fun but rewarding as well. Education is the key to having happy and healthy goats, education before and after bringing your first goats home. Sometimes new goat owners head into goat ownership unaware of what the true needs of a goat are, even less aware of what questions to ask of the sellers or breeders they’re intent on buying from. The following should be used as only a guide to those all-important firsts on the road to goat ownership.
If you’re planning on buying already registered goats your goats should come with the proper paperwork, filled out where needed by the seller. The paperwork should include the original registration certificate, a transfer form, and a breeding or AI memo if applicable. This paperwork needs to be sent to the registry’s home office for processing after the buyer fills in his applicable information. Sometimes sellers choose to file the paperwork for the buyers verses the buyers having to send in the paperwork themselves, either way works and is really up to the individuals carrying out the transaction.
Young goats, as well as adults, are often times sold as “registerable”. Basically what this means is the goat isn’t currently registered and as such will not come with a registration certificate. Even though the goat doesn’t have a registration certificate it may have come from registered lineage and if so then a filled in application for registration generally accompanies the purchase. A seller should be more than willing to provide the necessary paperwork to follow a goat’s lineage if it was a product of registered stock. Sometimes the seller will offer to file the goat’s paperwork for a buyer of registerable stock, just as some offer to file the paperwork for already registered stock. Just remember, both the buyer and seller have sections of information to fill out within most all paperwork pertaining to registered goat transactions.
Remember, education is the key to good goat ownership. Questioning the background of a potential goat one wishes to purchase should be seen as a good thing, don’t be afraid to ask the seller about the goat’s background, its health and production. Sellers should be openly willing to provide buyers with reasonably complete information. If a seller is hesitant to provide background information on a particular goat this should be heeded as a warning, because all ethical breeders are eager to answer questions.
General goat care practices can vary greatly from breeder to breeder, not to mention from one region to another, and no one way of management is the only right way. Buyers should educate themselves in basic goat care as it pertains to not only goats but to their general region of the country as well. This education will become useful when it’s time to inquire about health related issue such as deworming and vaccination history along with general herd health care or ailments.
Production and background information is also important and this information should include pedigree information, located on the registration certificate or application for registration, production records, such as years active and number of kids produced, production records of any young goat’s parents, and the birth status of young goats, such as single, twin, or triplet.
Many common first time pitfalls can be avoided by simply educating oneself before diving into goat ownership. Even a little basic goat knowledge is far better than none and simple questions asked before hand can help one avoid despair later on. Owning goats shouldn’t be perplexing it should be fun!
