Check out the Changes! This is what has changed-- incase you haven't had the chance to check out the new web page this is the list of changes ;) ADGA-LaManchasWe have always had 1-2 standard does to provide milk for our family/ bottle kids. But 2020 marks a historic change for our farm. We will still raise minis, and strongly advocate for them, but going forward we are going to be putting more focus on breeding standard ADGA LaManchas for a few (we feel) good reasons... 1) Better Quality-- Since we started seriously breeding mini-LaManchas in 2007, we have seen an extremely steep drop in the number of breeders who focus on producing high-quality dairy animals. This has made expanding our program and finding quality established lines (lines that have proven DHI/Show data that are unrelated) nearly impossible. There are just too many 'pet' hobbiests flooding the market with poor/mediocre quality minis with no data which leads to this... 2) Finding Quality Homes. Most of our best animals that would have out-performed current well know lines were sold on promise that they would be used to continue our work, and be used for show/DHI--13 years later... not a single one of our animals has been shown, nor has been put on DHI test (to-date) by their owners who claimed they were 'serious' about raising minis with us.. a pet home is not the type or quality home we are looking for when re-homing animals-- a performance home, in the hands of a dedicated breeder serious about growing the breed is what we want for our animals. Folks. I simply dont raise minis 'just for pets' or to otherwise become a backyard milking goat. I do not raise minis to be 'fun' farm ornaments. I dont raise them for 'homesteads' to have a super high quality animal comprised of the best lines in the country for a 'just for milk-pet' hobby. I raise minis to improve minis as a breed, and to produce a mini that can perform just as well (if not out-perform) a standard goat in the arenas of show/ milk production for their size. "Pet" quality minis are a dime a dozen. Some even tout 'great milking lines.' But producing a 'designer' mini goat for some backyard hobby farm is not the goal of my herd, nor will it ever be. Miniature LaManchas are vastly under-represented in performance areas of the breed despite their 'popularity'. Very few attend shows around the country, and even fewer have made their way onto the list of animals earning milking stars through their respective registries. A Mini LaMancha with a milk star is so incredibly very rare.. But more than that, they are falling behind in quality in general. Quality can not be maintained without an evaluation system in your herd in play. Essentially, this means that MORE serious breeders who are willing to invest in DHI and Shows are needed to keep mini LaManchas from deteriorating and falling by the way side. The mini breed is still in development, and very fragile. Without people participating in performance programs, and supporting those few serious breeders who partake as well, the pulse of the breed grows weaker... That all being said... ADGA LaManchas are far more likely to find their way into homes that show, that do DHI, or who breed for improvements. Farms that focus on performance programs take better care of their animals, and are far more attentive to their care/breeding practices. So, for the continued health/safety of our herd (and to keep minis out of the hands of hoarders or non-performance homes in general) we are going to be gradually switching to focus more on our standard-bred LaManchas. Sales terms & conditionsBreeding and raising high-quality performance geared Minis for 13 years in Arizona has taught us ALOT about the demographic that is attracted to owning a mini, and goats in general. As the years progress, the number of people desiring to try to own goats continues to grow exponentially. This has brought about many good things ( new breeders, new herds getting put on performance testing, new advancements in goat care) and many more not so good things... We have had the unfortunate privilege of sharing some of these least pleasant experiences with other mini breeders. Such as having some of our best animals being sold to people who turned out to be hoarders that starved our animals to death, people that have housed their animals inappropriately and have let them get sick and die, people that have lied about their intended 'use' for the animals the purchased, people that have dumped their goats to become meat rather than contact us, people that allowed minis (born as preemies on our farm, who should have NEVER been bred) purposefully bred to full sized Nubians/boers rather than commit to keeping their special needs animal in a strict pet-only/non-breeding home, and people that have purchased from our very best performance lines to not only not show, but also to not register their animals. Or to dump a performance animal as meat because it developed a scur, and so much more!! These things are absolutely in no way acceptable. So, in response to the out-right BLATANT abuse/neglect of our minis at the hands of their 'pet' owners here in the Southwest... we will be now be 10 fold more selective as to where our goats end up, and ultimately to whom we sell. This means potential buyers must meet the following criteria: 1) Buyers interested in our goats will be required to sign a buy-back agreement on most of our animals offered for sale (except wethers). 2) Buyers of minis must be a show or DHI herd (2+ years experience minimum). - In 4-H? Great! I need a letter of recommendation from your 4-H leader & veterinarian. I will need their contact info/ email, so I can ask my own questions to confirm who they are and the club you are affiliated with. -Do you do open shows? Great! What shows do you attend? What were your placings? Do you have a web page? Breed club membership? I am going to drill you to confirm that you do in fact show. -Do you do DHI? Whats your tester number? New to DHI? Welcome! But once you get more practice we can talk. -Just want milk? My goats for sale are not suitable for your home. -Just starting out? My goats for sale are not suitable for your home. 3) Minis (aside from wethers) will not be sold without registrations--PERIOD! - Only want a goat for breeding/ milk but don't need papers? My goats are not suitable for your needs/ your home. But I know plenty of pet-goat owner/breeders who take good care of their animals that you can try if you want a referral. -What about farm culls? If I ever have a doe I wouldn't want to keep, or would be tempted to sell without papers (possibly due to her small size, age, or other defect that would make breeding unsafe for her)--she will go to freezer camp just like a buck-- she will never leave my farm. I will no longer sell 'pet does' only for them to be abused, bred into the ground, or worse. Only animals worthy of their papers/ my farm name to be used for show or DHI, or otherwise having any redeeming qualities will be sold with papers. No longer will we offer goats as 'homestead' milkers to become 'pets'! -All buyers will be required to provide their information (including transfer fees) for papers to be transferred into their name. All animals will be transferred into the owners name before the animal will leave-- we send them in and submit an electronic bill of sale to the registries--the papers get sent directly to the address of the new owner as provided to the registry via their membership. 4) Potential Buyers must have 5+ years experience raising goats. -I will no longer sell my animals to first-time goat owners. Or people who haven't been in the hobby for at least 5+ years. WHY? Because on average 'new' hobbyists give up, move on, or otherwise drop off the face of the earth in about 2 years. I want my animals placed in permanent homes (10+ years)-- not 2-3 years down the road "this costs too much, it is too much work, I have to move, or I cant handle the loss of my goat now I need to sell the rest" homes (which has been the standard with not only our past clients, but also the clientele of respected breeders nation wide). Performance pricingOur pricing schedule has changed! Our young stock are now priced based on the performance of their dam/sire. Mature animals with show/performance records are priced based on their achievements. It costs ALOT to attend shows, host shows, and participate in DHI/evaluation programs. And since our animals are expected to pay for themselves, our pricing has changed to reflect the amount of work/effort it takes to produce a high-quality mini. All money earned from the sale of offspring goes right back into our herd. We make no personal profits. All monies earned pays for the herds yearly maintenance. Our base pricing is designed to cover a percentage of the feed, medical expenses (minus emergencies), registrations, and goat area improvements (new toys, feeders, barn, etc.). Performance add-ons covers what it took to have an animal evaluated (travel to shows, show entry fees, award status/certificates, DHI milk testing, etc). This schedule of pricing more accurately reflects the value of the animals in question, as well as the at-cost expense it takes to raise a single high-performance animal every year in our herd. We do not price our animals based on superficial factors such as 'flash'. You will never see an animal priced higher for having blue eyes or moon spots in our herd. And we never increase price based on 'F-Generation' either. An F1 will likely cost the same as an F6 if they have the same level of performance in their background. Our goats pricing is accurate and honest. We do not sell our animals to be cheap pets-- or 'expensive' designer lawn ornaments. They are priced based on their genetic potential and achievements as a performance dairy animal. People looking for high-quality show/dairy minis-- who also show and participate in DHI--will receive a slight discount on our pricing. Otherwise, our prices are absolutely firm. We will not negotiate. If our pricing seems too steep-- that's fine, there are other options for buyers looking for a bargain somewhere else. *NEW* |
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