How do I check a goat farm’s fencing, kidding records and herd health?

Goats test fences constantly, so inspect every run, gate and corner. Look for sagging wire, rusted posts, gaps under the line and patches that have been mended in a hurry. Ask how often goats have escaped and what that cost in time and trouble.

Then read the kidding records. Ask who attends births, how losses are logged, how kids are identified and what happens to the weak ones. Patterns matter more than any single year. If the records are patchy, the herd’s productivity is harder to trust.

For health, ask for veterinary visit notes, treatment logs, vaccination routines, and any recurring problems such as parasites or lameness. Have your own veterinarian walk the herd, and ask the seller to be present. Compare what you see with what you were told. Finally, ask your accountant how animals and fencing are treated in the books, and whether herd numbers match what the financial statements imply. Ask what the seller would do differently with the herd if starting over. It tends to reveal problems that records alone do not show.

Key takeaways

• Walk every fence line and gate, noting repairs and escape history, then compare with what you were told.
• Read the kidding records for loss patterns and who handled births.
• Bring a veterinarian to look at the herd and its treatment logs.
• Ask what the seller would change about herd or fencing if starting over.