I need some cheering up....

[Nupine]

I was going to post this on the goat forum I belong to, but they probably already think I'm a big cry baby, so I'll post it here. I raise Alpine dairy goats. I love it, I love the milk, the personalities of the goats, showing, meeting other breeders, taking care of them, etc. I am not a super emotional person, who gets stressed over everything, having major meltdowns [I do have occasional meltdowns over jeans though, when none will fit

] over everything. But goats stress me out like crazy. I've had goats for 4 yrs, and the herd has grown very slowly. But they stress me out to no end. There are times when I just want to sell off my valuable animals, and just keep the pets....as pets. BTW....my herd consists of 2 bucks [one for sale], 2 pet wethers, 4 useless does, 2 adult milkers, 2 dry yearlings [for sale], 1 kid doe coming this week, and a doe and wether kid born 2 weeks ago. I go up and down constantly, from wanting to improve my herd, buy new animals, show, etc. to wanting to sell out besides the pets. I'm a vegetarian, so the idea of selling kids/culls I have raised for meat scares the living daylights out of me. I've just purchased 2 new animals this year, excellent ones, and now I feel in the pits again. I hate the thought of selling anything [besides meat chickens] for meat, or to a home where they will be neglected or abused. I sold a doe and wether kid a couple years ago as brush goats with success, but I'm just terrified I won't be able to find our wether kid this year a suitable home. I've been to the sale barn around here, and I don't want to take any of my babies there. I'm a very happy person, but these things scare the living crap out of me, and make me want to cry. Any kind words of advise/cheer/encouragement? Just please don't make me feel worse than I do already

Ashlyn

 

[Nupine]

No one can cheer me up?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

As you have found, there is no easy road for you. Like you, I worry about the home the animal/pet will/would have should I sell "it" - so much so I no longer raise horses, dogs or pet birds. I do raise chickens but process my own roos (I worry about their life outside of our property too). When I sell chicks to people I do not know, I worry for two days if the chicks are being cared for

For me - I just know that in my heart - I am responsible for each life I create and it can be a heavy burden at times.

Wow - I am no help

 

[zatsdeb]

We raise saanen goats and boer goats too, I kept wanting to keep all my goats, but realized I can't keep them all. I am a big crybaby too, and it makes me sad. I have my favorites, but we have 1 registered billy boer goat, a black and white paint, and he is bred to all we have, I have my first mamma goat sharabell, her first baby angel... they are the only purebred saanens, then we have Peaches, Ruth, Naomi, Dixie, and lucy, they have all had their babies for this year, except lucy who was a late bloomer. I love watching the babies, 13 total, running and playing, that cheers me up. I try not to think of them going to market, we have a good sale place here, the amish run it, and I at least know the nannies sell good for breeding stock, and the billy goats, if they are pretty may go for breeding too, I try not to think about it, the first year we took them to the sale I was so sad, but I had to think of the ones I did get to keep. I will always have my pretty girls, the babies I try not to get attatched to. It is easier when the little billy goats start getting pushy and try to knock me over when I am trying to feed them. I don't go to the sale barn, I let my DH take care of that. I just try to give them the best life they can have while they are with me here, I have 2 miniature donkeys, and 1 paint mare horse, ducks chickens guineas turkeys cats 2 beagles and a euorpean fallow deer named lily to keep me busy.

 

[Nupine]

Wow....you did help. I feel the same way. I love having my goats, and I love seeing the kids, but I'm so concerned about their lives after they leave my care. Its not so much them being eaten, but more making sure that they are handled correctly, transported humanely, not left for days with no food/water. I do have one possible outlet for the wether kid, and maybe one of my pets. Last fall we sold two Nubian cross does as pets to a local man, and I'm fully satified with that. He used to raise beagles, and had a 40 acre well fence pasture for them, with several other healthy goats. They had shelter, hay, mineral block, water, etc. I fully trust his word of giving them a forever home. I recently heard they are doing great. My mom and I might drive out there and see if he is interested in any more.

 

[Nupine]

Zatsdeb, the only sale barn around here, I do not like. A lot of unhealthy animals, prolapsed cows, etc. Last time we went, someone took about 10 newborn lambs there. We ended up purchasing one, and we love her [and the second sheep we have] to death, she was so tiny when we got her, only 4-5 pounds. I just hate when people take newborns to the sale barn.

 

[zatsdeb]

I love nubian goats! If I ever got another doe, it would be a very colorful nubian, I love the spotted ones with tricolors!!! I hope you do cheer up. I was outside trimming ruths feet just about an hour ago, sitting on my back steps, I was holding her while my DH trimmed some more, then as I was slumped over holding her a stupid little billy goat jumped on my back!! all 4 feet!!! That is the time I feel like sending them to sale! Those billy goats tend to be a pain!

 

[zatsdeb]

Quote:
they take newborns to sales for 4-H kids for bottle babies, but I feel bad for them, we don't take our goats off the mammas, we let them nurse until they are weaned, then weaning we don't stress them, we do it gradually and always make sure they are side by side so they see each other too. They get stressed to easy, and the mammas also get depressed when they have the babies taken away like that. that makes me feel sad too.

 

[HeatherLynn]

I probably won't be much help either. Some who buy won't just want them for milk or for show. There is no avoiding that other than keeping all of them yourself. We had the same issue with cows. In the end we ended up selling all and giving up because we just do not have the personality to eat our own livestock. I'll eat someone else's, just not any of ours. Once they have names they stop being food in my opinion.

If you want to raise for showing and milk for your own consumption then keep a small herd. Be prepared to sell some offspring though.

Keep in mind, not everyone is vegetarian but that does not mean they will be inhumane. Many who raise the meat they consume will be more careful and take better care of their livestock.

 

[Nupine]

Thanks HeatherLynn, that helped a lot.