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Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers! We'll start first with Boer Goats and next with Angora Goats. Why should I purchase Boer Goats from you? Here at Stony Knolls Farm our main goal is education. We try to educate each potential buyer to the qualities of the animal and try very hard to match the purchaser's needs and desires to the individual goat. Each goat has a unique personality and this must be taken into consideration also! Whether a person is looking for show stock, breeding stock, commercial applications or pets, every aspect must be part of the final decision. Are Boer Goats expensive? Raising Boer Goats can be expensive, plain and simple. The quality, health, and blood lines of the breeding stock and how you manage it will determine both your initial expenses and your future expenses. Purchasing less than quality animals or an animals for which you have no background or health records can be very expensive in the long run. What is the best way to get started with Boer Goats? Through research, a potential Boer Goat owner must determine exactly what they want to do! Then a budget must be set up. As Ken likes to explain to people, never invest more than you can afford to loose if disaster should strike! There are several avenues that can be chosen to pursue. Are you planning on a meat goat business? Do you want to raise breeding stock and provide stud services? Are show goats more to your liking? There are many more roads or combinations of ideas that can be followed. As far as the three previous avenues, they are very, very different and light years apart! How much do you charge for your breeding stock? "You get what you pay for". This is especially true in the Boer Goat business! If you buy a cheap stud buck to use as your herd sire, how can you expect to sell his kids for premium dollars? Our goats are priced according to quality, personality, pedigree, whether they are bred, and a multitude of other determining factors. Will you be there if I have problems? Yes! In fact we prefer that you call or email as often as necessary. As neither Ken nor I are veterinarians, we can offer you ideas of how we would handle situations but we can not give you medical advice. Most of the problems you will run into may seem horrible at the moment, but are simple to rectify! Don't panic, we've all been there and as you gradually learn the ropes you'll be amazed at how much knowledge you will have stored away! We always advise first time buyers not to purchase animals from someone going out of business, or from auction. There most likely won't be anyone there to help you out in these situations! What about registration papers on Boer Goats? It is entirely up to the buyer as to how you handle this. When goats are purchased from us, we automatically transfer the paperwork into the new owners names. We recommend that ALL Fullblood Boer Goats be registered and there are several associations for that purpose. Registrations are tracking systems that help you to sell your offspring, and help you to make decisions on purchasing animals. Any animals that will be shown absolutely must be registered. Do you deliver? Yes, we do. In many cases we deliver free of charge, however, depending on the distance, we may charge a nominal fee. We have a beautiful stock trailer so the goats travel in the lap of luxury. Do you run your buck with your does? Absolutely not. Bucks tend to get very possessive of their harem. We have our bucks penned seperately with a buddy, usually another buck of the same age or a wethered male. This type of companionship has worked for us in keeping our bucks friendly and gentle. At least as gentle as a 275 pound guy can be! The other and most important reason for doing this is being able to pin point a nearly exact kidding date for our girls. How do I choose a buck? Your buck is 50% of your herd the first year that you use him. Three years down the road, that same buck can be up to 80% of your herd! This is a very important consideration when choosing your buck. Buying a buck at auction or even a production sale is often NOT a wise decision. A buck should be purchased from a recognized breeder. Being able to see the other goats in the herd will give you a good indication of personality and temperament. Remember, this cute little guy will someday reach 250 to 300 pounds. A good gentle disposition is a must, not only when you are dealing with him for hoof trimming and such, but also for how the buck interacts with the "ladies". Don't buy someone else's cull, buy the very best you can possibly afford. Also, the more times a buck is sold and moved the more temperamental he can become.
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