When you first start out with your very own goats. You may not be too worried about the quality of your goat. I’ll admit, the only thing I looked for in a goat initially was what pretty colors I could get. As I became more educated, I discovered there’s more too it than just color that you want to look for in a good dairy goat.
Buying From A Reputable Breeder: There’s many good breeders out there that take the genetics of there goats seriously. Often times this means paying more, but it’s worth it in the end. You can charge more for kids if they are backed by good genetics, and you will need fewer animals to provide you your milk needs with a heavy milker vs one that doesn’t produce that much.
Tight Shoulder Blades: This means the goat will have tight shoulders in which you can’t easily see the shoulder blades. This means the goat will support itself better during the coarse of their life. 
Body Structure: You want a goat that is structurally sound. They’ll stand the test of time to provide you many years of productivity. You’ll want a goat that’s long bodied with a level topline and wide hips (to make room for that udder).
Stretchy/Loose Skin: A goat that has loose/stretchy skin will also have a soft supple udder that is easier to milk out.
Udder Attachment: This refers to how well the udder hangs from the body. A goat with high attachments will get a saggy udder over time as there’s less support. On the other hand a goat with lower attachments is more supported and will look better in the long haul.
Medial Support Ligament: This is the line that runs down the udder. The more defined the line is the more supported the udder will be.
Teat Size: Teats come in all sorts of sizes and obviously the smaller the teats, the more difficult the goats will be to milk. A goat with medium to large teats will be easier for you to milk out.
Milk Production: The obvious one is whether or not the goat is giving an adequate amount of milk. Find out how much your breed of goat should be giving to use as a reference. Just note that the amount of milk your goats gives depends on how many kids they had and which freshening it is.
Bonuses (In My Book)
-They are relatively quite
-They are good mothers
-They don’t nurse off themselves
-They don’t kick when you milk them
Linear Appraisals
When in doubt, if you have a registered goat with a goat association like ADGA, you can get them linear appraised by a professional. This is a scheduled day in which a member of your goat associated looks your goat over to see if they meet the standards of the breed. You’re goat is given a score. This score will help you decide who in your herd has the most desirable genetics to continue on and strengthen your herd quality.
Recommended Goat Products (clickable)
