I need some cheering up....

[mekasmom]

Quote:
I do have one comment about the whethers. Please keep them as pets. I live near a Hispanic population, and I can tell you that whethers are never safe. They are seen as meat-- the best meat. Please keep them. At least intact billies have a chance to be used as bucks, but whethers are not safe in the market place at all. I won't whether my goats. If I have to sell them then at least they have a chance at life if they are intact.

Have you considered just keeping what you have for pets/milk and letting them live out their lives with you? You don't have to get more. And if you are willing to just keep them for pets then you don't have to breed them. Or perhaps you could find the does homes (they will be safe from slaughter) and just keep the whethers as pets?

 

[Nupine]

UGG! I don't know what the heck I'm doing honestly. Its so frustrating, because I just don't know what I want. I don't like the emotional side of raising goats, its too rough. I'm not sure if I'll eventually become ok with my animals going to slaughter. I'm ok with my chickens going for meat, and I was not ok with it several years ago. I think wethers have somewhat more of a chance around here then where you live mekasmom.....there is absuletly no ethnic population around here, I have yet to see one, besides one man that owns a gas station like 45 minutes away, there is Amish people, but no ethnic people. Also, there is a lot of woods and brush, and people do have brush goats around here. I think a good friend of ours has a friend that grows them out on grass and then eats them. You see, I don't have a problem with my goats being eaten. If we could find a local Amish family who would take my weaned wethers, grow them on pasture for a while, then butcher and eat them themselves, I would be tickled pink. Its more the sale barn, being transported, having periods of time where they aren't being fed/watered, not handled properly, etc. is what I'm concerned about.

 

[glenolam]

Hi, Nupine.

First, I don't think at all that you are acting like a baby by getting too attached to your goats. I have 5 total, 1 doe in milk, her wether from last year, her two doeling kids from this year, and a yearling doe that I'll breed this fall. My husband was offered $275 for our wether (I bought mom and wether for $200 a year ago!) and you can imagine what it was for. I said no, of course, but I am contemplating selling him to a friend as a pet. I cannot see my goats as meat, but understand how some do.

Second, Heatherlynn is right - if you are overwhelmed by the thought of someone mistreating your goats, either stop breeding or keep all offspring to yourself. I am not a vegitarian and we own beef cows (which we plan to slaughter one of this year) and I am interested in getting pigs for meat but we give all our meat livestock the best life we can. We don't necessarily treat them the same as our inside animals or goats, but we don't mistreat or hurt them in any way. We just didn't name them or form a bond. Many people who come to our house say "But how can you eat them? They are so beautiful!" and we reply "Because we want to know where our food is coming from, what the animals were fed and that there's nothing funny in the meat". Most people who take the time to raise their own meat also want to take pride in what they are doing - mistreating the animals would be like spraying your organic garden with pesticide....

You will never know what kind of person you are selling your goat to, unless it's a close friend or neighbor and you can see the goat every day. All you can do is interview and try not to be too selective. Otherwise you will end up with goats you cannot sell or even give away and too much stress in your life. You just need to keep in mind that you gave those goats the best life possible while you had them and tried to pass them along to someone who will hopefully do the same.

I wish you luck and, most of all, peace to enjoy those animals!

ETA: Nupine, you posted right as I was writing, and clarified that you weren't worried about people raising for slaughter, rather worried about mistreating your animals. Unfortunately, that's something you'll never know or be sure of - and as I said you can only trust that whoever you are selling your goats to will treat them the same as you do. There are good people out there - don't let those who run the barn sales ruin it for you. That's why I don't go to livestock auctions - I couldn't take seeing how badly some of the animals are and would want to take them all home! I don't even watch the news or read the paper because I got too consumed by all the negativity out there and it made me spiral downwards. Now I just live my life for me and my family - maybe it's selfish, but it's how I became happy again.

 

[Katy]

There is a reality side to raising livestock whether it's chickens, cattle, goats, etc that a lot of people are not willing to accept. Part of that reality is that every creature that is born or hatches is not going to die of old age or be someone's pet, but is part of the food chain. Unless you are willing to feed for many years dry cows and goats without getting either offsrping or milk from them you are going to have sell some animals.

 

[Nupine]

Thanks again....the wether born this year I really love, so I think we are going to ask the nice man that took the two grade nubian does of ours last year, and see if he's interested in him, and maybe more in the future. I plan on keeping my herd very small, and breeding small numbers of does per year, maybe 1-2.

 

[sourland]

Ashlyn, you're in a tough situation. Everything Katy has said is right on the money. It may be that the only logical situation for you is to stop breeding your does. Unless you have unlimited funds and space, you just can't keep all of them. The initial purpose of farm animals was to provide food for humans. You might try to find homes (with people who have previously gotten goats from you) and then severely restrict your breeding program. Good luck with your decision. Geo.

 

[Nupine]

I get what you guys are saying. I'm definetely going to restrict my breeding program. The goats we purchased this year are not low quality stock. Our new milker and buck cost around $1000 total. I'm getting a website up, and shouldn't have a rough time selling the buck kids for breeding. Also, my uncle bought the house across the street last summer. He has two big, friendly dogs, but they aren't moving down here for quite some time. They have about 5-6 very well fenced acres with a small shed [we are cleaning it out], we currently keep our two lambs over there to keep the grass down, and as a last resort, I could keep unsold wethers there. It is a very nice pasture, lots of grass, and also a wooded area with lots of brush and briars. The fencing is great. My uncle does not care that they are there, my only concern is how his dogs will react to the goats when they move down here. If they are ever placed together, we will keep a VERY close eye on them for a while, til we know everything will be ok.

 

[glenolam]

good luck and keep us posted!

Our two dogs (not very big, mind you, only 45-50lbs each) messed with the goats a little at first, but as soon as the "new" wore off everyone got along and now sometimes nap together.

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
How much do you sell them for? I want two for pets and that is it. Not just yet, but its coming!!

 

[Nupine]

LOL My uncle's dogs are BIG! One is an older female GSD, she's a pretty sweet dog. The other is male mastiff mix, he's huge! Probably about 150 pounds, biggest dog I've ever seen! He's pretty harmless, but he's also playful and a little rough, so I'm not sure how he would react to goats!