What do you think of these does?

They'd be absolutely gorgeous if it weren't for their coats. The second picture looks alright, but in the first one their coats look iffy to me. Are there any siblings, mother, grandmothers in lactation they could send you udder pictures of? Not many people test for anything around here either. If you do want your doe(s) of choice to be tested, you could ask them if they would draw some blood and send it in, and that you would pay for it (A brief warning: even if you offer to pay for it, many people don't like this and may get rather upset with you, like it is a sign of distrust or they know that their goats have something and they want you to still buy (a) goat(s) from them,). Hope that helps. What are they asking for her/them?

I'm no expert so I'll help bump this for you. It's hard for me to tell though without seeing pictures from the side and the doe does look a little steep in the rump. Although that could just come from how the picture was taken. I personally wouldn't buy a goat from a non tested herd, but everyone does things differently.

There is another person selling unregistered Saanens, can I post CL ad so you all can see pics??
They look nicer to me but then again I don't know much about conformation. Also, I don't care about registration, I only want a good milk producer that is disease free. Thanks

I'm pretty sure you could just post the link so someone can check it out. If you want to be sure they are disease free then I would definitely do what Moka said and ask for the one or ones you want to be tested. Better safe than sorry IMO. ;-)

I like the doe in the third picture of the ad best, her rump isn't as steep as the others, she has a nice strong topline, and her legs look good. If you want tested animals, ask if they'll draw blood and send it in and you pay for it, or you could buy um and quarantine them and test um yourself.

If the first girls are pregnant, that is why they are more. The Craigslist goats aren't bred and aren't full blood. But the second group does look nicer. From what I can tell, it would be worth it to look at all of them. I would want proof of pregnancy and registration. You may have to pay for any testing but hopefully they are tested.

They say they are pregnant but no test was done and they don't look very big. Both of these people are quite a distance from me so going to look is not really an option. I would have to test them once I buy them and take a chance. I know second ad they are open but it looks like he has many to pick from and they look healthier. Do you think it would be better to wait until kidding season and buy one already in milk? That way I know what udder looks like, how milk taste and if they are ok with getting milked? I'm just worried I won't find anything and if I get an open doe now I could breed her for May kids.

Also, when you say steep rump, what does that mean? Does that have any impact on kidding or milking? I looked at pics again and can't see a difference. :/

The angle of the rump. It's harder for them to kid with a steep rump, anatomically, a steep rump is not correct. It's easier for a doe to kid when she has a long level rump.

You would be better off to buy a doe already in milk, a lot less chance of anything going wrong, her having a bad udder, or kidding without any milk, etc. In the craigslist ad, in the first pic the adult doe looks like she may have a lump by her jaw. I would be kind of worried about that, unless it is a badly placed wattle. They do all look pretty nice, but if registered is what you want then I would wait and get a registered one. There are usually quite a few goats for sale in the spring, and especially around nationals you might be able to find someone with a doe you really like that is coming near you on their way to Nationals.

Thanks, I think I will wait until spring. I'd rather buy from a good breeder than a CL ad but just haven't been able to find anything. Are you looking at the hip bones to the end of tail when you say steep? So, what angle are you looking for, flat?

Great chart! Thanks!
I see Nationals in 2014 are in Louisville, KY. I will be going to look for a doe there.

You should be able to find a nice one for sale there, or put out an ad that you are looking and find a breeder that may have one that they can throw in the trailer and bring with them.

An ad on here or do you recommend another site where breeders look?

You can try one on here, but might get more notice on another site. If you are on any Yahoo groups you could try the SaanenTalk Yahoo group, or on Facebook there is a Saanen Breeders group, a Dairy Goats Saanen and Sable and a Saanen and MiniSaanen group.

farmchick897 said:

Great chart! Thanks!
I see Nationals in 2014 are in Louisville, KY. I will be going to look for a doe there.

Click to expand...

If you are willing to wait until Nationals, you basically have the entire country at your fingertips. Most people will be willing to haul an extra goat to Nationals if she is already purchased. You could pick from almost any bloodlines.

This could also be to your advantage because you could then breed to a more local buck or breeder without worrying about inbreeding too drastically.

Don't go to nationals expecting to purchase a goat from the animals there though. Most of us can only afford to take five or six of our very best goats there = not usually the ones we want to sell (although we will sell kids from those animals).

What are your goals of your saanens. Maybe I can offer suggestions or breeder to contact?