Buy a goat only after you have seen it in person, checked its health and age yourself and asked about its vaccinations. Never pay an advance to a seller you have not met, and keep new goats apart from your own for the first weeks. Use this chapter as a checklist when you go to buy.
Before you go
- Know what you want: how many goats, which breed, does or a buck, and your budget. See How to choose a goat breed: South Indian breeds compared.
- Get ready first: the shed, fodder and a separate pen for new arrivals. See Goat farming for beginners: is it right for you?.
- Buy young. ICAR-CIRG advises buying young stock, because it settles more easily in a new place (ICAR-CIRG).
- Buy from more than one flock. Get your buck from a flock that is not related to your does (ICAR-CIRG).
- Take an experienced goat keeper with you if you can.
Where to buy
- Weekly markets (santhai). Many animals to compare, but you rarely learn an animal's history, and goats from many villages meet there — so keeping new goats apart afterwards matters even more.
- Farms and neighbours. You can see the mother, the herd and the shed, and ask about kidding and vaccinations. Some government and university farms sell breeding stock: TANUVAS's Mecheri Sheep Research Station, for example, keeps a Salem Black herd to supply farmers (TANUVAS).
- Online, on Kattutharai. Browse goats for sale near you, ask your questions in the app chat, then go and see the goat. Kattutharai shows farmers' ads; it does not check animals or sellers, so do every check below yourself.
On Kattutharai, 1 Nov 2026
Asking prices in farmers’ ads, not market prices.
Find goats near you on Kattutharai
See goats for sale direct from farmers near your village, with photos, the village name and the distance. No middlemen. Call or chat with the farmer, then see the goat and check its health yourself before you pay.
Looking for a particular breed? Search its name in the Kattutharai app, for example Kanni, Kodi or Tellicherry.
Check the goat's health
See the goat standing, walking and eating, in daylight, at the seller's place. A healthy goat shows these signs (TNAU, ICAR-CIRG):
- Alert and active; stands squarely on all four legs and walks without limping.
- Eyes clear and bright.
- Nose and mouth clean — no discharge, sores or scabs.
- Breathing easy and quiet at rest.
- Skin loose and supple, coat smooth; no wounds, lumps or bare patches; no ticks or lice.
- Dung in firm pellets, with a clean tail.
- Does: a soft udder with even halves and two working teats, no hard lumps.
- Bucks: two well-developed testicles of even size.
Walk away from a goat that is dull or not eating, or has a runny nose, mouth sores, diarrhoea, a cough or laboured breathing, swollen joints or skin sores — these are the warning signs ICAR-CIRG lists for newly bought animals (ICAR-CIRG). Ask too whether any does in the herd have aborted: brucellosis causes abortions in a herd and can make bucks unfit for breeding.
Tell the age by the teeth
Goats have front teeth only in the lower jaw. Count the large permanent teeth in front:
| Large front teeth | Approximate age |
|---|---|
| None (small milk teeth only) | Under 1 year |
| 2 (one pair) | About 12–14 months |
| 4 (two pairs) | About 24–26 months |
| 6 (three pairs) | About 36–38 months |
| 8 (full mouth) | About 48–50 months or older |
Source: TNAU. At the santhai, people call these "two-tooth", "four-tooth" and "full-mouth" goats. Treat the table as a rough guide: some goats have all their teeth by about 3 years, and worn or broken teeth mean an older animal.
Questions to ask the seller
- How old is the goat, and was it born on your farm? Can I see its mother?
- Which vaccinations has it had, and when — especially PPR? ICAR-CIRG advises buying only PPR-vaccinated animals (ICAR-CIRG).
- When was it last dewormed?
- For a doe: how many times has she kidded, how many kids each time, and is she pregnant now?
- Have any goats in your herd aborted or died suddenly this year?
- What does it eat — grazing, stall feeding, concentrate? A sudden change of feed can kill a goat, so you will need to start with the same feed (ICAR-CIRG).
- Why are you selling?
- Is the price per animal or by weight?
Paying safely and avoiding fraud
- Never pay an advance for an animal you have not seen — not as a "booking amount" and not as "transport charges". A common trick is attractive photos, a low price and a request for money by UPI before you visit.
- Pay at the handover, after you have checked the goat.
- Make sure the goat loaded is the one you checked. Note its colour, marks and any ear tag number.
- A price far below other ads for the same breed and size is a warning sign. Compare asking prices in farmers' ads for goats for sale and at your santhai.
- Get a receipt: date, seller's name and village, number of goats, their sex and the price paid.
- If you lose money to an online fraud, report it at once on the national cyber-crime helpline 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in, and report the ad in the app.
Papers and transport
- Long trips need a vet's certificate. Under the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978, sheep and goats on a journey of more than 6 hours need a health certificate from a qualified veterinary surgeon saying they are fit to travel and free of infectious, contagious or parasitic disease; without it, the carrier must refuse them. Each load also needs a label with the sender's and receiver's names and addresses, the number of animals and the feed carried (AWBI).
- Before the trip. ICAR-CIRG advises moving only goats that are dewormed and vaccinated — against PPR at least 20–25 days before the journey — and not moving does in late pregnancy, kids under 1 month, or sick and weak animals (ICAR-CIRG).
- On the way. Keep sheep and goats apart, and males apart from females; spread straw at least 5 cm thick on the floor; carry feed and water; never tie the legs (AWBI). Avoid loading in the hottest or coldest hours (TNAU).
- With a bank loan, the bank may ask for ear tags and a vet's certificate of age and health; NABARD's 2025-26 unit-cost terms for financed goats include both (NABARD).
The first weeks at home
- Keep new goats in a separate pen, away from your herd, for at least 21 days (ICAR-CIRG); TNAU advises 30 days (TNAU).
- Watch them every day for dullness, breathing trouble, a runny nose, diarrhoea or skin sores.
- Ask your vet about deworming the new goats and any vaccinations they have missed.
- Change their feed slowly, starting with what they ate at the seller's farm, and don't overfeed them on arrival (ICAR-CIRG).
- Only then let them join your herd.
Common mistakes
- Paying an advance to a seller you have never met.
- Buying in a hurry at the santhai without checking teeth, udder and dung.
- Buying the buck from the same flock as the does.
- Skipping the vet's certificate for a long trip.
- Mixing new goats with your herd on the first day.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to buy goats online?
It can be, if the ad is only your first step: chat in the app, go and see the goat, check its health and teeth, and pay at the handover. Never pay an advance.
How can I tell a goat's age without papers?
By its lower front teeth. 2 large teeth mean about 12–14 months; 8 large teeth (a full mouth) mean about 4 years or more.
Should I buy a pregnant doe?
You can, but find out when she was mated: ICAR-CIRG advises against moving does in late pregnancy. Ask the seller and your vet before you plan the trip.
Do I need a certificate to take goats home?
For a journey of more than 6 hours, yes — a vet's fitness certificate under the Transport of Animals Rules. For any trip, carry your receipt. Ask your nearest veterinary hospital what your route needs.
Next
Get the shed ready with Goat shed and housing: space, floor and roof, and plan vaccinations with Goat health: vaccination schedule and deworming. Ready to look? Browse goats for sale near you.