A young goat is easy to buy with your heart. He is small, bold and charming, and the checks below are how you buy with your head as well. Work through them in a set order, stance and legs, feet, body condition by hand, eyes and nose, coat and skin, and jaw alignment felt last. Ask the seller's agreement before you handle him, and keep him calm throughout; a kid checked quietly gives you honest information, while a chased and grabbed one tells you nothing except that he can run.
Stance and Legs Straight
Start at a distance, before you touch him. Watch him stand on level ground and look at how his legs are set: they should stand straight under him, front legs parallel, hind legs neither cow-hocked nor bowed, with his weight shared evenly rather than rested off one leg. A kid who persistently unloads one limb at rest is showing you something worth questioning.
Then watch him walk away from you and back, on the flat. His movement should be even and free, each leg swinging straight, with no shortening of stride, knuckling over, or dragging of toes.
Feet Sound and Trimmed
Pick up each foot in turn, gently, with the seller holding him if that keeps him calmer. His feet should be sound and trimmed: toes of even length, walls without deep cracks or flares, and soles clean and firm.
Look into the cleft between the claws. It should be dry and clean, without a sour smell, softness or soreness, because trouble between the claws is a common hiding place for infection in goats of any age.
Body Condition by Hand
Goat coats lie. A fluffy kid can look round while feeling bony underneath, so judge body condition by hand, never by eye alone. Run your fingers along his ribs and spine for a smooth covering you can feel with light pressure.
Feel his chest and hindquarters as well, and take in his overall shape. A pot-bellied kid with a thin back is a classic picture worth pausing over, because it can reflect a worm burden or poor early feeding, and the seller should expect the question.
Eyes, Nose, Coat and Skin
Look at his face closely. His eyes should be clear and bright, without discharge, cloudiness or a dull, half-closed look, and his nose clear, without crusting or a wet, snotty discharge.
Then go over his coat and skin. Part the hair along his back, belly and hind legs and look at the skin itself: it should be clean, without scurf, crusty patches, lice or raw spots from scratching.
Jaw Alignment Felt, and Calm Handling Throughout
Finish with his jaw. With the seller's agreement and the kid held calmly, feel gently along his jaw and, if he allows it, lift his lip to see how his teeth meet the dental pad. You are checking alignment: his lower teeth should meet the pad evenly, because a jaw that overshoots or undershoots badly affects how he grazes and browses for the whole of his life.
Keep the whole examination unhurried. Speak quietly, let him sniff your hand between checks, and stop and settle him if he panics.
Reading His Records Before the Money Changes Hands
His body takes an hour to check; his history takes longer, and it matters just as much. His records come to you through the Transferrable Profiles system on KinsLe, passed by the seller as part of a genuine sale, covering his birth, his rearing, his feeding and any health entries recorded for him. Read the file before the money changes hands, and set it against what your hands found: a kid whose record matches his condition is a far safer purchase than a charming kid with no past at all.
Once he is yours, those same entries become the start of his record under your care. The Transferrable Profiles packet on KinsLe carries his breeder's notes home with him, so his first weeks with you build on knowledge rather than guesswork.