Silly question but do goats get upset when you give away their kids

Birdsong 82

Free Ranging
6 Years
Aug 17, 2017
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OK OK. I’m sure plenty got a laugh out of just the title alone. But I am seriously wondering when a goat has kids and then they are sold or given away does it have an affect them on? We bred Lucy a couple years ago and I loved the experience. She was such a great mom. Even if they were sleeping and she tried to do her own thing she would scramble at the slightest peep from them. She even broke the door once trying to get back to them. And to this day they all sleep with their heads on each other‘s back‘s and are so close. I know goats in a herd are always close One time when Lucy got herself caught up in some fencing on the other side of the shed and the two kids couldn’t find her they freaked. The reason I’m asking is because I would like to breed one of the younger girls but my husband said we cannot keep any of the babies. And he’s right and till we make some more space for is our limit . It will break my heart to give away the babies but how do the mothers feel about it? My husband says I put way too much thought into these sort of things and rolls his eyes at me and he’s probably right but seriously does anyone know?
 
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My Fainter doe missed her babies VERY much. So much so that I sent her WITH her kids when I sold them last year. She and her kids are now part of a back-yard herd and anyone can tell at a glance that they are a "family".

My Boer does, however, by weaning time.... heck, they are ready to give their own kids away. No calling, no fussing, no looking for one another. And likewise, the kids, when weaned at a proper age so they are serious about their hay - grass - grain meals, they don't fuss either. My first kidding, I tried to wean a bit early due to a show we needed to go to, and it was a DISASTER. Mommas and babies busting thru fences.
 
That’s weird. My goats that was a fantastic mother was a Boer goat. I wonder if the weaning them off had something to do with it. We didn’t really necessarily wean ours. They kind of weaned them Selfs off over Time. Probably a little later than they should of. It would be tough for me to part with the babies but I could learn to suck it up but it would be very hard for me to part with Joan. Don’t know if I can do that one
 
OK OK. I’m sure plenty got a laugh out of just the title alone. But I am seriously wondering when a goat has kids and then they are sold or given away does it have an affect them on? We bred Lucy a couple years ago and I loved the experience. She was such a great mom. Even if they were sleeping and she tried to do her own thing she would scramble at the slightest peep from them. She even broke the door once trying to get back to them. And to this day they all sleep with their heads on each other‘s back‘s and are so close. I know goats in a herd are always close One time when Lucy got herself caught up in some fencing on the other side of the shed and the two kids couldn’t find her they freaked. The reason I’m asking is because I would like to breed one of the younger girls but my husband said we cannot keep any of the babies. And he’s right and till we make some more space for is our limit . It will break my heart to give away the babies but how do the mothers feel about it? My husband says I put way too much thought into these sort of things and rolls his eyes at me and he’s probably right but seriously does anyone know?

You're not being silly at all. You're being kind and thinking about your animals! I've never had goats but I was a 4H kid and have cared for various farm animals since I was a little girl. With a few rare exceptions every farm animal I've ever known has loved her babies very, very much.
 

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