Buying a goat

A breeding doe grows your herd. A breeding buck improves it, but only if you have enough does to keep him busy; with a few does, buck service is cheaper. A meat goat is bought for its weight and condition now.

Look the goat over in daylight, and watch it walk and eat before you decide.

• Eyes. Bright and clear, with no discharge. Pull the lower lid down gently: the inside should be pink to red. Pale or white means anaemia, often from worms.

• Nose and breathing. No thick discharge or cough, and quiet, even breathing at rest.

• Coat and skin. Smooth and shiny for the season, with no bald patches, lumps, sores or heavy ticks.

• Body condition. Run a hand along the back. You should feel the spine and ribs under a thin layer of flesh, not sharp bones and not a thick layer of fat.

• Legs and feet. Walks without limping. Hooves trimmed, with no bad smell or swelling between the toes.

• Droppings. Firm pellets. A dirty tail and loose droppings can mean worms or illness.

• Breeding doe. A wide body, a straight back and an even, soft udder with two working teats. Ask whether she has kidded before and how her kids did.

• Breeding buck. Strong legs, a deep chest and two even, firm testicles. Ask about his parents, and never use a buck on his own daughters.

• Meat goat. Well fleshed over the back and hindquarters for its age. Ask its age and, where the seller knows it, its weight.

Teeth tell you age roughly: a kid has only small milk teeth, and a goat gets its first pair of large front teeth at about one year old, then another pair about each year after.

• How old is the goat, and how do you know?
• Who are its parents?
• When was it last dewormed and vaccinated, and against what?
• Has it been sick, and what was it treated with?
• For a doe: has she kidded, and is she in kid now?

A seller who keeps records can answer these straight away.

In Kenya, moving livestock needs a movement permit from the county veterinary office. It shows where the goat came from and that it was fit to travel. Ask the seller who gets it before you pay. We arrange it for every goat we sell.

Carry the goat with room to stand, shade and air. Do not tie its legs for a long journey.

• Keep it apart from your other goats for two to three weeks, so any illness it brings shows before it spreads.
• Change its feed slowly. Give it the browse and feed it is used to at first, then mix in yours over a week or two.
• Clean water every day, and shelter from rain and the midday sun.
• Talk to your vet about deworming and vaccines that fit its records.