Rolled back into home late Sunday evening after being in Texas since late Thursday night. Saw a bunch of really good goats. Gallagher’s had a really deep and consistent set. There were some good wethers at the Bleedin Purple sale. Top end of Kelly’s was phenomenal. Made it to Cooper’s BBQ in Llano on Friday. I love that place. Had visitors to the house on Sunday night looking at the online sale goats. After seeing all of the Texas goats, I feel real good about this set.

Sold some nice goats to some really good homes last night. Nothing got stupid, but honest goats sold for a fair price. Now it is time to move on to the Kelln #2 sale next Tuesday. This is a whale of a good set of goats. I have huge expectations for this set come show time. Call or come by. This set is worth looking at.

I was told that it would take 4-6 weeks to get one of those milking machines for bottle babies. I was told wrong as it took 1 week. Just have to let somebody make a few calls that knows how to get stuff done. Now, it might take me 4-6 weeks to figure out how to set this thing up. We’re going to try to use it to supplement the quads and trips while they are still on their moms. It won’t be the first time one of my thoughts did not work as I had hoped.

Every year, every sale I see the same thing. People will tell you that they have a dollar amount to spend, say $500. They will show up and look at the stock. As a breeder, I try to steer them to the best goat that will be in their price range. But no, they spend all of their time studying the goats that are going to bring several thousand, instead of working to find the green ones that will be in their price range. It is easy to find the real good ones. Its just hard to pay for them. At almost every sale there are really good goats that will slip through the cracks. Talk to the breeder, find out which ones have a chance to feed, but just don’t look the part today. Most breeders will steer you in the right direction. Budget your time and your money. The more a person studies the great ones, it makes it harder to look at the green ones that just aren’t quite there yet.

All of the sale goats are sheared, clipped and pictured. Part of them will sell this wednesday and the rest will sell next Tuesday. I am real pleased with this set of goats. Tyke has a real nice set of Captain Morgan wethers.

Lots of time is being spent in the barns helping babies nurse. Dragon Lady is helping the quads and trips to nurse. Duke has a litter of cats that he is feeding since the mother went AWOL. I’ve been catching sale goats and teaching them to set up and pose for their photos on Saturday.

Had another set of Freak on a Leash babies. This doe had triplets. We are already slowly grafting some of the quads onto a dairy doe and now here comes another set that will need help. Thinking about buying a nursing machine. Verlin, the dairy doe, is also thinking that I need to buy a nursing machine other than her.

The next round of does are due to kid starting June 1. Nothing had happened on the first or second or yesterday morning. However, I got home last evening and asked my youngest offspring if any does had kidded.

“Nope” was the reply. I asked when he had checked last. “15 minutes ago.” We had a quick chat about lying and laziness and get your butt outside and double check. I changed clothes and met him at the barn.

“I was wrong Dad. That doe has twins.” I looked at the doe, counted the babies and then hollered at Duke. At that point Duke learned how to count to four in English, German and Spanish as she had quads. Oh, and another doe had twins also that were several hours old, that he also hadn’t checked.

Five more does due in the next couple of days.

The season is upon us. The lone star elite sale is tomorrow, followed by numerous sales every weekend throughout the month of June. We are going to have a few in the Wild Wednesday sale on the 15th and the rest will be in the Kelln online sale on the 21st. From what I have seen of goats in Oklahoma this year, people can save some gas money and stay right here and buy wethers. The quality of Oklahoma bred wethers has dramatically improved the past year or so. People are welcome to look at our set anytime that you can catch me at home. We will clip/shear/photo on the 10th and 11th. There are goats sired by Captain Morgan, Joe Dirt, Freak on a Leash and Rainman. I will be selling doe kids in both sales.

How do the same people always end up being in the hunt to win shows, make sales, etc? Is it money? Genetics? Feeding program? Showmanship? Luck?

How about all of the above. In order to be in the sales at statewide shows, year in and year out, requires a program.

It takes work studying genetics. Just because you bought a goat from a big name breeder doesn’t mean that you bought a good one.

It does take money, but there are a lot of $500 wethers that make sales. Well spent money is the best kind. If you spend your time studying genetics, judge tendencies, and are willing to spend time going to multiple herds/ sales, then you can find bargains. You also need an imagination in order to project the current animal, the genetics and the results of proper feeding, exercising and showmanship.

It takes work properly feeding a wether. It takes work properly managing a wether. Cold temps/ hot temps. Clean water. When to shear. Faciltiies are important, but the right person can feed a wether in any condition and be successful.

A lot of people go to any given sale and spend their whole cash roll on a given goat. But they don’t spend the time and effort to properly feed and show that animal. That is why they get their donkey’s kicked when it matters. Because somebody else bought the best goat for their budget, fed it properly, exercised properly and showed it properly.

Most wether goats are mis-managed. Meaning that they weren’t fed properly, weren’t kept warm, were stressed at show times or WORSE not shown properly.

In the end, the harder you work, the luckier you get. Start to finish–the consistent winners out work everybody else.

Buy the right goat to fit your budget, feed it right, manage it right and show it right. The rest will take care of itself.