Packgoat prospects for sale

[Catahoula]

Sawyer, purebred Alpine wether born April 2013. Have never packed before but have been on a few hikes. Followed well. He was bottle fed and is very friendly. Would like to find him another home where he is not picked on by my two other much larger goats. He is not very tall or big... 35" tall at the wither, ~42" around heart girth...may be a little chubby. Came from a CL, CAE and Johne free home. I am in Golden, CO. Asking $150. Thanks.

[syncrofly]

I've heard Alpine's can have a bit if a brutal pecking order. I'm in Southern Oregon and trying to get a game plan together that includes a mix of older and younger goats. Golden is quite a stretch for me in terms of delivery but would be interested to talk to you about Sawyer.

IdahoNancy tipped me off you are still looking for a home for the guy.

Kelly

[Catahoula]

I've heard Alpine's can have a bit if a brutal pecking order.  I'm in Southern Oregon and trying to get a game plan together that includes a mix of older and younger goats.  Golden is quite a stretch for me in terms of delivery but would be interested to talk to you about Sawyer.

IdahoNancy tipped me off you are still looking for a home for the guy.

Kelly

Hi Kelly,
I understand Alpines are a bit more 'bossy' than other breeds. Cody, my older alpine sure had demonstrated that ever since he was a kid...along with his sister. They would pick on one of my boers and never refused a challenge from the other goats. LOL. Sawyer is a sweet boy. He's always been in the mellow side.  I have three alpines (Cody, Sawyer and Jazzy (currently in milk)) and one Boer, Walter. Sawyer has always been nicer to any new goats I brought home (leased couple goats in milk two summers in a row) and while he is getting more assertive with Jazzy (bought her in summer 2016), he was never too rough and was the best kid-sitter with Jazzy's buckling. He and Jazzy can share a feeder as well.

I am still looking for a home for Sawyer. I am also willing to sell Cody with him if someone is looking for couple goats to pack with. I had plans to take them packing but in reality, I probably will not. If someone would like both of them, I will sell them together with a pack saddle and a set of pannier also. Cody will be five this April.

Eliza

[Catahoula]

Kelly, there is someone in Northern CA who has some awesome (well trained) pack wethers for sale. Her wethers are also huge. You might check them out? http://mountainviewpackgoats.weebly.com/the-boys.html Couple of them are still too young to carry heavy packs but all the goats are very well trained and are used to hiking, crossing water...etc. Sammy (older wether but she mentioned is showing some issue) and Ranger are my favorite...If I were just start to get goats, they would be my choices.

[IdahoNancy]

The add says that beautiful Ober is "hockey". Is that really bad? The add says he turned hockey last year yet he was born in 2011. I did not know that this happened after a goat was fully mature. I though they were born that way.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

The add says that beautiful Ober is "hockey". Is that really bad? The add says he turned hockey last year yet he was born in 2011. I did not know that this happened after a goat was fully mature. I though they were born that way.

Im with you Nancy. The only thing that comes to mind is mineral deficiency to cause it so late. A slight toeing out is good for a pack goat. To much though and they dont walk right over their hips nor are their pasterns able to do their job correctly.

[IdahoNancy]

Dave, in your experience do you think if it were a mineral deficiency could it be corrected? The add says he is 210 lbs but standing next the young man he does not look that tall. He dose have a thick neck, deep chest and quite a girth, looks can be deceiving. I don't know if size would matter but I wonder if a smaller goat may have more of a chance of correction than a big boy.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Mineral deficiency happens over a long time and it takes a long time to get them back in line. If it is mineral then ya, no reason why that couldnt be corrected. Seen some pretty bad bowing in of the front legs from copper deficiency correct itself over a years time span. Although the hocking out could be mineral related, I have never heard or seen a case like that. Because goats carry more weight on their front legs, thats typically where you see problems first. So to have it happen in the back legs with no sign in the front legs... Wish I could get eyes on him to better assess him.

[Nanno]

I wonder if it's more a case where the goat had this problem from a young age but it only became pronounced once he was mature. I saw a couple of goats at the 2015 Rendy whose hocks swiveled and rubbed badly and they were also about 6-7 years old. The owners said it had only happened recently, but none of the goats (nor Sammy on the for sale page) looked mineral deficient. If the goat has a conformational weakness in the hips and/or hind legs, it's going to become more and more pronounced as he ages. With Cuzco it did not become obvious until he was around 10-11 years old when his hips began to weaken from age. Sputnik was born with very turned-in hocks, but they aren't a problem right now while he's young. However, I'm guessing that by the time he's 5-7 they're going to start bumping when he walks. It's one reason I chose not to sell him, actually. If he stays active it may delay the decline, but mechanics will probably take over eventually.

[IdahoNancy]

Nanno you noted "hocks swivel". I saw another goat like my Cruiser at the 2015 Island Park Rendy. They both have what I have described as a cork screw to the back legs when they walk. Cruiser has been this way since he was 1 1/2 years old. He packs, climbs and gets around things in the forest just fine but he will not jump very high. This past year at age 8 I've seen him clear small creeks with a bank on both sides. Sometimes he amazes me and sticks a perfect landing other times his back legs crash. He doesn't seem to hurt, but you can knock him over with a sudden side push to his back end. This cork screw gait made me assume he would be the 1st of my original 3 Obers to stop hiking but he is the last goat standing. Oddly it was comforting to see another goat with this problem going strong.
They only embarrassing thing was is when Clay Zimmerman was using Cruiser as demo goat at this past rendy. Clay was demonstrating how to pull the front leg forward to free the skin in the arm pit so as not to get it stuck under the girth strap on the saddle. Cruiser was very relaxed when Clay pulled his front leg, suddenly his back end fell on the ground.
Is this cork screw to the leg when he walks what you call a hock swivel?