[Lesley Silvester]

I have been quite happy planning on taking Curry to the abbatoir - even named him appropriately.  However, while researching something else on goat websites, I found a piece abouthow goats bond with their kids for life and mourn if they die or are taken away.  Curry and Pom do sleep side by side and call each other soi now I'm feeling guilty.  What is the experience of others who have sent goats for slaughter?

[chickenfeed]

yes goats can pick out their offspring typical example when taken from mum to be bottle fed after weaning mum runs all the gaot together during the day in the paddock when its time to lay in the sun the kids can pick their own mothers out to curl up with.

having said that we have split bonded groups (to take to slaughter) in the past with no ill effect the ones left behind may well be off for a day or so this is usually the exception rather than the rule.

so long as pom has other goat company she will be fine.

[jaykay]

I've got to take my boys this morning. I'm expecting the two girls to miss them to start with, but they need to go, I can't keep every kid 

[plumseverywhere]

When we first had our 4 goats, a male castrate kid got struck down with an illness that eventually did kill him. He was 8 months old (it was reggies brother, ronnie).
The vet came and as we were trying to help the collapsed goat, his mother a Togg called Avocet, stood over him, talking to him and trying to sooth him.  It was pouring with rain and the other 2 ran for shelter but she would not move away, she literally stood with him for 2 hours until he died and then she cried.
Both the vet and I were quite emotional as it was unexpected the extent to which she mourned 

[Mammyshaz]

Oh that is soooooo sad. 

Hope curry's mam doesn't get so upset. Big treats in order maybe., take her mind off the situation for a while.

Good luck with it.

[trying]

Hi, we bought a nanny & kid in september and after a couple more months we removed the kid and left mum with the other nanny's, over Christmas I became worried that the nanny was not doing well, loosing weight and sort of sad looking even though  she was in with one of our older easy going nanny's, two weeks ago we reunited her with her little girl and the differance in her is amazing, they are always together and curl up really close to sleep. Parental bond is an amazing thing in some spiecies.

[jaykay]

Well, Ellie shouted when the boys were making a fuss getting into the car, but since I've come back she doesn't seem overly bothered, she's tucked into her food well enough and seems her normal self. She would have chased them away anyway when she'd had new kids.

[little blue]

MGWM, Pom will make a fuss initially, but will settle down I'm sure ... especially if he is a pain in the proverbial (!)
Are you due to have kids this year? (not you personally, you know what I mean!)
If so, would it be an option to coincide Curry's departure with kidding, so the girls have other things on their minds?

[Anke]

If the offspring leave the holding entirely the nanny just accepts that very quickly, if they are separated but both still on the same holding there can be issues I think. (Btw sheep also seem to recognise their offspring and when re-united in a field after several months of separation will go up to each other and say hello. I bought some gimmers in the autumn sales and later on (from the the same breeder) also bought one of gimmers dams - the young one tried to dive under for a quick drink when mum came into the field - and lost one of her horns almost immediately as mum was having none of that nonsense!!!)

It also depends on individual goats my GG's (mother and daughter) share a pen. They have regular bust-ups and also adopted between them a bought-in GG kid last autumn. My BT girls has both her daughters around and shares a pen with one or the other - but no close cuddling up or sharing feed bowls.

If you are not a vegetarian the most honest option is to eat meat that you have raised yourself to your standards etc etc.... also we have to accept that half of all kids born will be male and in most cases their best use is for meat. Worldwide I believe more goats are raised for meat than milk...

Believe me - the meat will be fantastic!

[Lesley Silvester]

I'm looking forward to Curry living up to his name.     Thanks for the advice.  I feel a bit better about it now.  Just need to be able to afford to buy some ear taggers so that I can take him.  He's 8months old now so shouldn't be tough.

[chickenfeed]

I'm looking forward to Curry living up to his name.     Thanks for the advice.  I feel a bit better about it now.  Just need to be able to afford to buy some ear taggers so that I can take him.  He's 8months old now so shouldn't be tough.

he will be perfect at that age, we have eaten goats upto 4 years old they just need slower cooking as with lamb the older the animal the better the flavour.

[Lesley Silvester]

I might leave it a couple more months as he's not very big but if he butts me again, it might be sooner.  Pom is in with her mother so won't be on her own.  She won't be kidding this year.  I think she might well be fed up with him as well as he keeps trying to mount her and his gran.  I was leaning over Flo doing up her coat in the cold spell and he mounted he and kicked me in the head.  She is certainly fed up with him and so was I.