Sweet Gum Minis Sales Policy

Thank you for visiting Sweet Gum Minis. Below I will cover all aspects of purchasing a goat at our farm from deposits and payment to shipping and disease testing. Thanks for reading!

General Information

Goats are social herd animals who do not do well when alone. If you are new to goats and are considering just getting one please reconsider. Goats who are kept alone cry non-stop and are depressed. For this reason we will not sell goats by themselves unless you currently have goats. Goats often do well as companions for other livestock so they can be a horse etc companion too. Please know your horses disposition towards goats before purchasing a goat or goats. Thank you for understanding.

All information given on animals is accurate and truthful to the best of our acknowledge. We will not deign any information about any goats on our farm. Goats are priced by how I feel they should be priced. I have purchased goats before for more than I sell them for as well as the other way around. I will not price a goat more than I think its worth.

Please note that there will be no refunds of deposits period. We can however, transfer it to another kid or adult currently available or in the future.

Deposits

Deposits are not taken on breeding(s), however we do take reservations. Deposits are for kids or goats until their pick-up is arranged. Deposits are $100 per goat or half of sales price, whichever is less. Which simply means $100 for any buckling or doeling and $75 for a wether or 2 wethers together.
Deposits are not refundable, but can be transferred to another kid or towards the purchase of another goat, your choice. Should the kid die or become unsuitable for sale then deposits will be refunded in full to you or can be transferred to another kid, your choice. If you have any questions about deposits or purchases email us.

We do accept paypal if you wish to send the deposit by paypal. Please include a 3% service charge on all payments through paypal. Please email or call to inform us of a payment coming through paypal before sending it.

Waiting List

If you would like to reserve a kid please email us with the dam's name and what you are reserving. (Example, a blue-eyed doe kid from Nimue or a Polled buck kid from Anna etc.) Your name will be taken down in order by first come first serve. Once kids are born from that breeding you will be notified of the kids birth and availability. If you're second in line for a kid you will be notified that the kid is born, but the person ahead of you will have first choice on reserving. As with all goats at our farm, breeder reserves all rights to retain any kid to our herd.

We will notify those on the waiting list within 24 hours of birth of the newborn kids. You have 3 days to notify us whether you want the kids or not or the next on the list will be given the option to buy the kid. Deposits should be sent within 2 weeks after you confirm to buy a kid. Please send payment to:

Ashley Capps

119 W. King St.

Easley, SC 29640

Payment

We DO NOT accept checks at pick-up! This is not negotiable, bring cash or please have the goat paid for before pick-up. We will however, accept checks for deposits and we will take checks for full payment so long as they have had time to clear before pick-up is arranged. If you wish to pay by check please contact us and arrange a time frame. We do accept paypal, money orders and of course cash. If you pay by paypal we require an additional 4% off the total price to cover paypal fees. We want all parties involved to be happy with their purchase. Just drop us a line at admin@sweetgumminis.com with any questions. Also, if you need a health certificate, please let us know and add an additional $35 to the total price. Thank you!

Pricing

Prices for kiddings are posted as kiddings happen. For 2010 I will determine prices after does begin to be bred. Please email or call to get prices or a rough idea of a price. Pet wethers are $75 each or $125 for 2. Pet wether reservations will be taken but please bare in mind that bucklings being quality enough to be sold as bucks will remain for sale intact until all buck sales are exhausted. We will not wether an excellent quality buck for pet wether sales. This said, with many does being first fresheners and not proven as well as the lack of homes for all the bucks born, there will be a large selection of wethers available. Email for pictures of available wethers during kidding season.

Prices are honored to those who have paid a deposit. Prices are subject to change on any or all goats for sale at any time until a deposit is received. People reserving kids on the breeding schedule also lock in their kid's price before birth.

Returns

I have decided not to accept returns for any reason. If it is medically necessary I can take the animal back into quarantine until a new home is found, but we have decided not to accept returns due to the fact that we do not know where they go or how they're treated nor what they maybe exposed to once they leave. So all sales are final once an animal leaves. Thank you for understanding this. Questions or comments, just email us.

Kid Care

Kid Care Schedule
Care of Bred Does
I have not missed a birth yet. I stall all my does in a "kidding stall" at least a week, normally 2 weeks before birth at night only. During the day they're out with the rest of the herd and I can watch them from the window for signs. I check the ligaments of my does faithfully. This method of detecting pending birth has never failed me. The ligaments will drop and disappear. It will feel like you can touch your finger tip to thumb around her spine. Best way to notice it, would be to get use to feeling for them daily on your does. I check at least twice, often more times a day. If she's a skittish doe then I only get to check twice. Once in the AM when they eat their breakfast grain before being turned out and last in the evening at their dinner when they come up for the night. I have a baby monitor and video camera in my barn to listen and watch the does with.
1 Month Before Birth
All kid's dams will be vaccinated with Bar-Vac CD/T and give and given a selenium dose a month before their due date. This is a good booster for kids. We have both vaccinated and not vaccinated but I have found personally in my herd that kids thrive if their dams do receive the vaccine and selenium before kidding. So we do all does now.

Birth
Iodine the naval
Squirt of Nutri-Drench as needed
We observe every kid nursing on their own before we take a much needed break from the birth-fun.
1-2 weeks
Disbudded and Tattooed
5 weeks

1st CD/T Booster

6 weeks

1st Deworming (Most likely Ivermec)
8 weeks

2nd Deworming
2nd Bar-Vac CD/T booster

Hoof Trim

Ready to leave

*Kids will have their own health record at time of sale that will include all procedures and vaccinations performed on each kid.*

     I have decided to treat kids as needed for coccidia. I have done both preventive therapy and no treatments unless needed and have found that my kids do extremely well on their own in most cases. Only a small number end up having treatments when needed. However, when we did the preventive therapy we ended up having constant problems and had to switch treatments and use two different treatments at different intervals. So we no longer use this practice. As always, we do what is best for our kids and take each day one at a time. I do not proclaim to be an expert nor do I feel that anyone is. I know each year can vary to the next and may need to be handled differently. So things are always subject to change. This year we will handle kids with regular deworming, vaccinations and many will also receive a tetanus antitoxin when disbudding. Each treatment and procedure performed on your kid will be recorded on its health record.
     All horned kids will be disbudded and this is not negotiable. We will not leave horns on kids so please do not ask. All registered kids will be tattooed with our herd tattoos before leaving as well. Bucklings intended to be wethers will be neutered at approximately 8 weeks of age.
     We reserve the right to retain any kid born here to our herd. This does include any kids who may already have deposits or paid in full. Though we do not anticipate ever having this situation though. We reserve the right to refuse a sale for any reason at any time and all funds paid for the goat refunded. We have heard stories of scams and bad buyers so we are including these for those reasons.

Pick-up

All money due for goat(s) must be paid on or before pick-up. If you are paying off the goat(s) at pick-up bring cash. We do not accept checks at pick-up. No exceptions!

Kids are ready for pick-up at 3 months of age. Bucklings and/or wethers maybe ready sooner. Kids should be picked up promptly after arrangements are made within 30 days. Adult goats are to be picked-up by date made in email/phone arrangements. If previous arrangements are not made, then boarding fees of $2 a day may apply. Should 60 days pass without written or verbal contact then all moneys paid will be forfeited and the goat will be either put back up for sale or kept by seller's discretion.

Please address any and all concerns you might have at pick-up with the goat(s) you're purchasing. Do not wait till you have the goat home to email with questions or complaints. Goats will not be accepted back under these terms. We are happy to work things out in person.

Shipping

     We do ship kids. In most cases two can be shipping together in the same crate saving you a second shipping fee so be sure to ask about multiples. Please call the airline you wish to use in advance to verify if you are planning to ship two together. ALL fees and expenses incurred for the flight including, vet health certificate, any testing your state requires, crate for shipping and other supplies are the buyers expense. We will be happy to drop your kid(s) off at the airport ready for their trip after all arrangements and payments are made. No kids will be shipped if only partially paid for or by COD so do not ask. A rough cost for supplies is $35 for vet health certificate, $15-20* per test requested, $55* crate and the flight averages around $150-250* depending on airline, number of kids, destination and other factors. (All prices and conditions mentioned above are subject to change so please verify costs before submitting payment.)
     Since we plan to show don't hesitate to ask if we maybe attending a show and we can deliver kids or adults that are for sale for no extra cost to a show. The shows we anticipate attending for 2007 are mainly in GA, SC and NC but others maybe added later.
     **Note on shipping. We can take kids to the Greenville/Spartanburg airport for shipping. If the kid(s) must be taken to the Columbia airport then additional transport costs will be incurred. It takes at least 2 hours one way to get to the Columbia airport from here. Contact for quotes.
*These prices are subject to change. Quotes will be given if serious inquires are made.

Registration

     All Nigerian Dwarf kids born at Sweet Gum Minis come with triple registration (ADGA, AGS & NDGA). They will have ADGA, AGS & NDGA applications. If you wish to name your kid please contact me as soon as possible. Otherwise we will name kids.
     All Mini-Mancha kids born at Sweet Gum Minis are eligible for TGMR and MDGA registration. All materials needed will either be supplied, applications or registration will be supplied.
     Kids who require DNA typing will have this preformed before being sold. In that case the goat will have its registration already provided at time of sale.

Disease Testing

When we do our disease testing we include ALL animals here. That can be bucks here on loan, goats sold, everything! We do not skip ANY animal for testing. We test all animals on our property 6 months and older. The reason we do not test under 6 months is because the test is not accurate due to the young stock not building antibodies therefore they'll return negative either way. So we test all animals over 6 months of age. Which will include our young stock's sires and dams.

We have tested for CAE since we began raising Nigerian Dwarfs. Our herd has always been negative. We have never had a positive animal on our farm. We have never had a lesion, abscess or questionable mark on any goat at our farm. We take pride in maintaining a healthy herd.

*March 2007 1st CAE test NEGATIVE by Washington State.
*May 2008 CAE all tested NEGATIVE by Washington State.

Guarantee

All kids are guaranteed healthy and free of any known health problems upon leaving the farm. We abide by the rules set forth by the American Dairy Goat Association as seen here on this page under section XIX Recommended Trade Practices For Members. http://www.adga.org/2004-trade-practice.html#98

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