Wethers for Sale

GOT WETHERS?
WE DO!

For all those procrastinators or those that prefer to wait until a couple of months before validation to pick out their prize winning wether, you might have a hard time finding good ones left.

I have 8 wethers, all but one dis-budded, all vaccinated and de-wormed and on feed. Most weigh between 40 and 50 lbs and are gaining about 10 lbs a month on my feeding method. Price starts at $150 and continues to go up the longer I have them.

Hard Lesson Learned in the Goat Business

Hard Lesson Learned in the Goat Business

Submitted by: Rene’ McCracken, Cherokee Extension Agent CEP-AgNR

Since hiring on as an extension agent for Prairie View A&M University in Cherokee County, Texas, I have had the opportunity to learn at least as much as I have “taught” in my few four years as an agent and a meat goat producer. Early this morning, I had the unfortunate opportunity to learn such a lesson the hard way on my goat farm. With the recent deluge of rain and ever increasing size of my herd, coupled with the dismal prices for goats, I like most producers in my county have been holding on to a few more head than my farms stocking rates would allow. As a result, pen space and shelters for goats has become harder to come by lately.

I began the month of October with two herd bucks, and after the results of last year’s breeding, decided to take my lumps, cull the worse of the two and keep only one herd buck. I sold the lesser of the two bucks at the East Texas Goat Raiser’s Sale in Henderson. I did not get the price I should have, but definitely what I expected. My “silver-lining” in selling the buck along with a few does was that I could look forward to gaining some badly needed pen space. The buck I did keep was a newly acquired buck named Storm Bringer and was out of both Blitz and Dr. Pepper. I had not used him before but had purchased does and kids that were his off-spring and was anxious to see his impact on my herd.

Due to threatening thunderstorms and up to 5 inches of rain forecast, I made my first lapse in judgment and penned “Stormy” by himself. My second mistake was to leave the collar around his neck, so that I could move him back in the morning when the rains quit. I know by this point you tenured goat producers and ranchers know the lesson I learned. I walked out this morning to feed and move goats back to grazing pens to find that sole herd buck hanging from a cattle panel with no one to blame but my own stupid self. He apparently had hung the collar on the top rail of the fence and fought long and hard to stay up-right before slipping in the mud and cutting off his air supply. Ironically, it was a choke chain collar clipped together with a double snap that ended his life!

At this point, I began to think back to all the things I could have done differently, and used a few choice words that I was glad no one heard but the goats. Then, I shed a few tears and prepared to figure out how to dispose of a 300 pound buck, which is no easy feat in itself. Up to then I had only lost younger and much smaller goats – this was going to have to be one big hole. I submitted this story not to entertain or add to my misery, but in hopes that this might be a lesson that you may learn through me and not the hard way as I did. Goats no matter their age, type or size, are easily choked or can break their necks in the various ways that you might not often consider. Whether you are raising 4-H or FFA projects, breeding goats, or just have a pygmy goat for a pet, DO NOT EVER LEAVE A COLLAR ON THEM or tied to something and left unattended. Believe me, it is much easier to remove the collar than bury the mistakes! Comments can be sent to me at lrmccracken@ag.tamu.edu or at the Cherokee County Extension Office at 903-683-5416. Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Buck Selection and Care and Goat A.I. Clinic

Wether Sale

County Line Goat's
2009 Wether Sale
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Beginning at 10 am.

This will be a first come first serve pen sale for our 2009 kids. We have only 10 weathers for sale and will start the bidding at $150. All sales are final and goats must be carried with you at time of purchase. All goats will be located at 13878 U.S. Hwy 79 S. Henderson,TX 75654 on the day of the sale only (At the County Line Feed Store). For more informaiton or a preview of what we have to offer, Contact Rene' at 903-316-1031.

About Us

County Line Goats was began in 2006 by county extension agent, Rene' McCracken in North East Texas. With three girls, an interest in goat production and being surrounded by producers like those with the East Texas Goat Raisers Association, it was definitely not difficult to get into the goat business.

Cross-bred does are bred with South African Bucks to produce healthy fast growing kids for market wether classes for spring shows. Rene' positions her wethers to finish at 90 lbs around the last week of March, which is her local county show times. "The great advantage of CLG's wethers is their hardiness brought on by the utilization of various breeds as cross-bred does. This year, I have Alpine, Angora, Nubian, and LaMancha cross does that have out-performed their full-blood Boer pasture mates."

All CLG livestock has been born and raised in the humid "jungle" that we call East Texas Pineywoods. They have been selected for resistance to parasites and hoof rot. They are all raised on improved pasture and available brouse but started our Bryant Show Goat feed at 2 weeks old. In addition, a strengent herd health program of vaccinations including: CD&T, Nasalgen (pneumonia), and Famacha system techniqe for de-worming with Cydectin and Levasole.