Comments | naturalliving: Goats and horn removal, Safe vs.humane?

theecksteins in naturalliving

Goats and horn removal, Safe vs.humane?

Jun 26, 2009 02:03

Ah, I have a dilemma. I'm hoping some of you animal lovers can give me a pep talk. I need a little encouragement to do the right thing, whatever that is.

First off, I'm a suburban homesteader. I'm in the process of trying to become as self-sustaining for food as possible. One of the ways we're doing this is getting a a pair of dwarf goats. Roll call ( Read more... )

cruelty free, livestock

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hippydippymama June 26 2009, 08:17:38 UTC

Could you just sell the wether and find another polled goat?

bellatragedia June 26 2009, 08:20:44 UTC

That is good thinking!

theecksteins June 26 2009, 08:28:16 UTC

ESPECIALLY since the offspring of the polled doe is likely to also be polled!

theecksteins June 26 2009, 08:26:27 UTC

Oh, here's an idea. When the doe kids, I could let her keep her kid permanently for company and sell the wether at that point. Ooo. I hope I don't get too attached!

bellatragedia June 26 2009, 08:36:38 UTC

I think this could be the solution to your issue! And even if you do get attached [let's face it, I totally would] I would consider it a good trade off to be able to have it go to someone who could better handle the horns issue.

hippydippymama June 26 2009, 08:55:31 UTC

That could work!

theecksteins June 26 2009, 08:58:08 UTC

Well, there's a good chance she might have twins. Why would you choose a girl? It would double my milkers for sure! But if it were a boy, I could have him wethered. Polled dams can make polled bucklings, too.

hippydippymama June 26 2009, 09:13:09 UTC

I originally said it should be a girl because then they couldn't inbreed, because it's three AM and I'm an idiot and it took a second for me to go, "WAIT she can just CASTRATE it... DUH." =P

One year old molars are kicking my ass.

theecksteins June 26 2009, 09:16:39 UTC

And *I* shouldn't have eaten those chocolate covered espresso beans which I originally thought were choco-peanuts. Because I never have caffeine, and I may fall asleep on Sunday.

sapphyres June 26 2009, 12:06:26 UTC

I like this notion best. The male goat avoids pain & death, you avoid guilt, and you still get goats! I love me some goats but I can't have any. Do you post goat pictures? I already like you so I'd just have to friend you if you also post GOATS! :D

What do espresso beans taste like? I'm always looking for new ways to ingest caffiene.

theecksteins June 26 2009, 13:38:29 UTC

I will post pictures of them! I need to post more of my chickens being cool. Here's the photo of the black buckling from the ad! http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs110.snc1/4809_514215276920_61900782_30687518_5358878_n.jpg

Crunchy, and I don't like coffee a whole lot, but these are very nice texture-wise.

naanie June 26 2009, 18:07:46 UTC

Ok, that icon always makes me smile.

cutelildrow June 26 2009, 15:36:28 UTC

Aiiiiiieeee~ As a fellow mommy, my deepest sympathies.

imafarmgirl June 26 2009, 19:58:39 UTC

Yes, but if the kid is a buck you will need to castrate him to prevent him from breeding his mother as early as four months of age. Also, if you breed the doe to another polled animal to increase your chances of getting a polled offspring you will greatly increase your chances of having offspring who are hermapherdites. This is not true of dairy cattle but is a problem of dairy goats. So actually polled animals are not most desired, at least not to breed to each other, and one must also be careful of line breeding them.

theecksteins June 27 2009, 00:04:53 UTC

I asked the farmer about polled hermies in his flock, and he told me noooooooooo... But I am skeptical like you! This little doe that I'm getting, he says she is one and has already been proven. Is this me, or did she get bred pretty young the first time around? He says she may be pregnant now, since she was running with the buck.

Yeah, I know, I'd like to take the polled doe back to a nice horned buck back at the farmer's for a stud service.

imafarmgirl June 27 2009, 03:17:35 UTC

I am very skeptical of a lot of people. I have seen the polled hermi problem before, in a friend's animals. She was dumb and thought polled animals were nice.

Your girl could not have kidded before. Gestation is five months so if she's a year, and usually first heat is approx seven months, she would have just kidded.

Have the goats you are getting been tested for CAE? The disease can be deadly to the goats, but it can also sour the flavor of the milk. It is similar to the AIDs virus in humans and is very common.

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