Please feel free to contact us to be on the waiting list for a specific goat(s) or a goat from a specific breeding(s) and we will let you know if we end up with what you are looking for. We have started back keeping a waiting list for any registered doe/buck, as well. Please contact us if you'd like to be added. Wethers are sold on a first come, first served basis only. Our Facebook group, Crosby Lake Farm, will provide the most up to date information regarding what is available. We do not allow visitors.
To hold a goat for more than 24 hours, you must put down a deposit. Deposit amounts vary depending on what is being purchased. UPON SENDING A DEPOSIT, BUYER AGREES TO AND UNDERSTANDS ALL TERMS AND POLICIES LISTED IN OUR SALES POLICY AND CARE SHEET, IN ADDITION TO ANY DETAILS LISTED BELOW. Deposits are accepted by PayPal, Venmo, or cash ONLY, and hold your chosen goat for seven days. After seven days, if you would still like to purchase the goat and not forfeit your deposit, there is a $5 daily fee for boarding. PayPal deposits MUST be sent Friends and Family/Personal. If they are sent in any other way that results in fees being charged, we will refund your deposit. The remaining balance must be paid in cash at pick up. Do not arrive with a check, PayPal, or other method of payment. Cash is all that will be accepted.
Buck kids being dam raised MUST be picked up during the 7-day period between 7 and 8 weeks of age. If you are not sure of the timeframe, ask before sending a deposit. Our kids tend to mature quickly, so we do not leave buck kids with dams any longer than 8 weeks of age. If pickup does not occur by 8 weeks old, any payments aside from the deposit will be returned and the buck kid will be wethered or listed back for sale.
Bottle kids MUST be picked up in a timely fashion. The timeframe for pickup will vary kid to kid but will be explained to you in writing before we accept a deposit. Sometimes it takes a few days to have a kid ready to leave, and sometimes it takes more than a week. Once kids are on bottles and deemed ready to go home, pickup is required ASAP. Example, if a kid is ready on a Monday, we cannot hold it until Saturday for pickup. Please make sure you are flexible before sending a deposit, the seven-day pickup timeframe outlined above does NOT apply to kids on a bottle. We do not under any circumstances bottle raise kids until weaning for buyers.
Bottle kids will go home on goat milk, cow milk, or a combination of the two. You will be given enough of what is being used (if it's anything other than whole cow milk) to slowly transition to the milk of your choosing. Our first choice is goat milk, with cow milk coming in at a close second. We do not recommend replacers of any kind or goat milk from untested animals. If you choose either of those options, we will not be available for advice on further care. We use red Pritchard teats and/or human baby bottles with an x cut in the nipple and suggest buyers having both on hand when bringing home goat kid(s). **NEVER FEED WATER FROM A BOTTLE. ONLY ALLOW YOUR GOAT(S) TO DRINK WATER FROM BUCKETS, ETC.**
When buying a bottle kid, please follow our directions exactly. Some goats go home eating more than others, so there is not a one-size-fits all description of how to feed bottle goat kids. Typically, Nigerian kids work their way up to 24-32 ounces per DAY, divided between 2-4 bottles depending on the availability of the buyer. No matter how much the kid is eating when it leaves the farm, the buyer needs to be sure to make any changes SLOWLY over time. Any abrupt changes will cause unnecessary stress to the kid.
Kids sold weaned from Crosby Lake Farm will likely be combination dam and bottle raised. This is no guarantee, however. We also do not guarantee the temperament or friendliness of any dam raised kid.
Kids will be disbudded before leaving. If you'd like your kid(s) horned, you must pay for them in full before disbudding. Their cost is NONREFUNDABLE. Some of our goats are polled, so sometimes we have polled kids available. Occasionally, a kid we have marked as polled will grow horns. PLEASE CONTACT US immediately if this occurs.
First time goat owners will receive a suggested care sheet with basic information on what we do here at Crosby Lake Farm as well as all registration documents, if applicable. PLEASE read the care sheet well.
We do NOT, under any circumstances, sell single goats to single goat homes. You MUST purchase at least two goats if you do not already have others. If purchasing a baby, we strongly suggest buying two from us for pickup at the same time. At the very least, we suggest having other babies at home of similar ages to make the transition to a new home easier.
Wethers are fixed male goats and make the best pets. They are $150 each. If they leave weaned, they will go home banded. If they leave on bottles, they must be brought back to be wethered around 7 weeks of age. It is up to the buyer to contact us to make arrangements when the buck is of age. If the buyer does not contact us in a timely manner and the buck becomes too old to wether by the banding method, then the buyer will have to make other arrangements. A buck sold as a wether is never intended to be used as breeding stock and we are NOT responsible for the animal if you choose to keep it intact. There will be NO replacements given if a buck sold as a wether cannot reproduce. If you are looking for a breeding animal, we suggest choosing an available registered buck.
Registered kids are $450+. We will not sell a doe kid, as a pet, "without papers", and at a discounted rate unless she has a conformational defect, in which case the cost of the kid will be $250. Please do not tell us you "don't need papers" or "don't care about papers". We do not discount goats for someone not wanting papers. While we do offer pet wethers often, we do not offer pet quality does or bucks to be used for breeding at a discounted rate. Prices listed are non-negotiable unless otherwise noted.
Any buckling purchased at advertised price can come with a wether if requested at no charge, depending on availability.
Due to not monitoring the care received once leaving our farm, we cannot guarantee goats once they leave the property, unless the goat is proven by a veterinarian to have a defect that would have been present prior to selling. In that case, we will replace the goat after the return of the original goat's registration and within 12 months of purchase. Refunds will not be given, only replacements of comparable quality.
When taking bottle kids (or even adult goats) home, it would be best to keep them in a small, escape proof area for the first few days until they are acclimated to their new surroundings. Stress is a serious health concern for goats; minimizing stress levels is key to good health.
General Goat Care
For BASIC goat nutritional requirements, we suggest a pelleted goat feed and alfalfa pellets fed daily and mixed in equal parts. There are lots of other things you can purchase to add and make a ration that suits your animals' needs. As time goes on, you will have to research and feed what works for you in the amounts that work for you. All goats need clean, fresh hay at all times. Water is a necessity. Even kids on a bottle at a few days old need to have access to hay, feed, and water.
Goats also need minerals. The easiest minerals to find are Manna Pro loose goat minerals from Tractor Supply. Blocks should not be used as the main mineral source, only loose minerals that are fed free choice in a feeder should be the main source. We supplement with selenium and copper; both can be purchased through Jeffers and other places online.
We also suggest you have dewormers and a coccidia treatment on hand prior to bringing a goat home. Lots of times, goat kids will need a coccidia treatment of some sort before they are weaned. Most coccidia medications are prescription only so be sure to take that into consideration. We usually give dimethox at 3, 6, and 9 weeks of age.
IF YOU ARE BUYING A WETHER, please be sure to provide adequate minerals that contain ammonium chloride, as well as feed that contains ammonium chloride. This is the best way to prevent urinary calculi. Please research this if you are not familiar with it. Do not feed corn or a general all stock.
Occasionally, goats get lice. This usually happens in the spring but can happen anytime. At Crosby Lake Farm, we use a permethrin-based fly spray applied down the spine, Cylence, or injected ivermectin. While they can be life threatening if not treated, it is normal. External parasites can come in on straw, bedding, shavings, or other goats. Do not be alarmed if you notice lice on your goats, but treat them as soon as you see them. We recommend checking for lice at least twice a month during the Winter/Spring, and at longer intervals during the warmer months.