We've only been in the goats for about 5 years now and just starting to make a name for ourselves. We just had our first division champ at a national show in early July this year and we bred and/ or raised several champion wethers and supreme does at county fairs the last 3 years. We are working with a breeder in Iowa (Windrush Farms) to become some of the first in the nation to scan Boers for carcass traits like you do in cattle. You have to remember, Boers haven't been in the US that long, so standards and ideals are just starting to gel. For example, a finished wether can be 50-150lbs-that's a huge range for a relatively small animal. We have worked with Windrush (the Thorpe's) for a while now, and they really gave us our start in the industry by selling us a great buck. If you are planning on selling reg. stock (I highly recommend getting at least %papers on them), look up Windrush's website. They have great stock and stay on the forefront of the breeding stock industry. Just like cattle, there are certain lineages to avoid and less than reputable breeders, so do your research before you invest. Unfortunately, most big breeders in the country are in the central states, not exactly handy for you!
As far as picking a good one, look at what is wining and go with your gut! Stick with breeders you can trust and have a clear direction in mind. Do you want to raise wethers to ship, wethers for the majors, breeding/ show stock or AI bucks- all require different game plans!
We have never had an issue with our feeding program or "crystals". Like I said, we use Purina for everything else, so we tried that first and it worked so we stuck with it. We don't show wethers, only feed out a couple dozen a year we pick up at the sale barn for cheap, so there may be a more optimal feeding program for them, but this has been cost effective for us. I would think someone who shows wethers at the majors down south would have more input on that end of things. Also remember that like cattle, they need a good salt and mineral regimen. This can have a huge impact on conception and reproductive health, not to mention hoof and joint maintenance.
Our website is down for updates, so I will post some pictures of our stock later in the week. We will be kidding out about 20 of our does the start of October, so we will soon have lots of hoofed monkeys running around! Glad to answer any questions I can for you!