The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Hilarysmum on May 05, 2011, 09:17:41 am
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On another forum someone had advertised well handled uncastrated male goats as suitable as pets. Another person pointed out forcefully that males could be very smelly and difficult and that to be suitable for pets they should be castrated.
Several other forum members felt the posting was unduly harsh and that the posting could deter possible buyers.
I wondered what people here think ....
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I know diddley squat about goats, but generally, uncastrated males don't make the best pets. They have "urges".
Sounds like the whole point of the post was to deter possible buyers ;D But folk who don't know better sometimes buy animals on the strength of what the "experienced and reputable" seller is telling them, then it all goes t*ts up and it's usually the animal that suffers.
I have sheep and I'd never sell an entire ram as a pet. My ram's pretty docile and friendly but he does smell a bit and can be a bit "boisterous". Not pet material, unlike my wether.
I'm sure goatkeepers on here will have comments to make.
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I only really know about pigs and have 3 uncastrated boars on site, one retired firing blanks 7yrs old and still having 'urges' and wanting to fight the other two thro the fence as he still thinks he's top pig! One is nearly 4 and can be a handful when the mood takes him and my youngest of 10months can be bolshy when hes in with a gilt in season. They all smell and my OH takes especial ofence at their perfume!
I would never recommend anyone kept uncastrated pigs as pets they're meat and thats it. Most of the time at 24wks i'm glad to see them go because they're such boisterous terrors.
Mandy :pig:
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maybe the person should not have been as forcefull but how do you inform others that this is not the best idea
it is not every stock owner that keeps the males of there particular breed for the very reason pointed out smell boisterous and it is an extra mouth to feed but everybody has there own views :pig: :chook: :cow: :dog: :goat: :horse: :sheep: :&> :llama: :bunny: :wave:
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View from a pig keeping "non-goatkeeper" (though my mother had them when I was a child) ...
I agree whole heartedly with Rosemary here - it's the same with pigs too. I would never sell an uncastrated boar to someone wanting a "pet" & I use that term very loosley, as I have Kunes NOT MICRO PIGS - NO SUCH THINGS (sorry have to get that one in). Even with Kunes being such a small, friendly, docile breed the boars soon get feisty when the hormones kick-in & it's careful breeding & selection for temperament that makes the difference between stud or sausage.
I think this forum is an excellent resource to those looking at keeping a different breed & I am sure all advice is made with the best intentions for the animal's welfare. Maybe some of us get a little heated at times, but I think it's driven by a passion & compassion for our animals.
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Male goats smell pretty rank, especially during the rut, and the smell is almost impossible to remove once on clothing and skin. Anyone who bought one would very quickly learn the error of their ways when they started to lose friends, or when they were banned from the shops.
I can understand some people getting irate about some of the things people advocate as being pet material. Shades of micro-pigs, perhaps?
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Male goats smell pretty rank, especially during the rut, and the smell is almost impossible to remove once on clothing and skin.
plumseverywhere makes a coffee soap that is guaranteed (I think) to remove even the smell of billy goat ;D Maybe the seller of the uncastrated male goats should throw in a box for good measure ;D
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;D ;D ;D
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It's a well known fact that anyone walking bitches says 'oh no' when they see a big black lab heading their way - they are the randiest dog I know and they are rarely castrated - god only knows why you would keep an uncastrated dog if you aren't going to breed with it. Mine are both entire but are used at stud, but I recommend castrating at 1 year old for my pups. My breed is not a big one but they are very strongwilled.
What are the regulations about 'pet animals' anyway - you still need a CPH and movement licence don't you?
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Yep Annie - you are right about the "pet" farm animals needing to be covered by the regs. I can only speak for pigs, any
breeder decent breeder will insist on seeing a CPH number BEFORE releasing any pigs/pigletts to their new home, will provide the movement paperwork ensuring the animal is correctly marked for moving & will give advice to the new owner on the regs.
However, from some of the things I've seen, heard & directly experienced this is not always done. I know there are members of organisations - SPKA, RBST & Smallholders Ass's really trying to raise the welfare standards & I think it's down to us all to play a part in this.
Afterall this is the welfare of the animals we all love & care about :love:
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Not having seen the wording of the original email which caused offence, I can't comment on that, but the message is absolutely correct, as everyone else on here has said - uncastrated males are not suitable as pets. Sounds as if Billies are stinkier than most, but some people will accept anything. What concerns me more is the unnatural life he would lead and the damage he could cause to people as well as property. By using forceful language, the original poster has certainly brought the subject into the limelight, so success there :)
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Thanks for all the comments with which I wholeheartedly agree. I love this site. :love: :love:
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Although I don't have my own Billy - as I take my girls to the Billy - last year one didn't take first time and I was offered the Billy for the week just to make sure - it was a good plan as the Ram had moved out off the wee paddock to join his girls and he would be next to all my goats. I knew he was smelly from my visits, just on my clothes and the smell from my goats after a few seconds of contact, what I failed to consider was the wee paddock is closest to the front door and depending on wind directing you got a very strong blast of Billy smell when you opened the front door!!! Not pet material.
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Doesn't HM start some interesting topics? ;) ;D
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Doesn't HM start some interesting topics? ;) ;D
Anyone who calls pigs Hilary and Digby and allows them into her house and on the furniture is BOUND to have interesting things to talk about ::) ::) ::) ;) ;) ;D
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Don't billies anoint themselves with urine to make themselves smell good for the laydeez - smelliest goat wins? Rampant billies smell like one of those gent's urinals that make you glad you're female and don't have to go in there...
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must be the same as pigs when a new girl arrives the smelliest wallow gets used for a liberal coverage of brut or what ever turns them on before the nickers get ripped of :wave: :pig: :love:
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As a bone fide billy goat keeper ....
yes: the are absolutely NOT pets
yes: they are livestock
yes: they smell "unique"
yes: they spray their front legs with urine to smell "attractive" and have massive scent glands around the horn area (no jokes please!) which is kind of musky smelling. ....And greasy
yes: like any bloke on the pull ... they can get veeerrrryyyy stroppy if they feel their masculinity threatened
yes: the billy smell in the Autumn never quite leaves you!!
And, like most creatures, some are smellier than others, some are more easy-going, some are permenantly stroppy/macho/sexually frustrated!
Dare I ask just how much these "pets" were being sold for?
And I won't make comment on the "Micro pig" thing, other than to say agree with BW (and AAAAARRRGGGHHH!!)
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;D ;D
Not sure why the ref:to Lab's, when ALL the posts are about goats!
I have never come across a randy lab jumping up, we see them all the time, and IF, they get fruity its usualy while you are chatting to thier owner, not anything like a male goat who I doubt people would take out for a walk off the lead, you may as well mention randy Ducks, Pigs, Horses, Bulls, Deer, Cockerals as a comparison, and why Labs and not other dogs??? So, if you are using a male thats OK for him to have his bits but if hes not used thats wrong to keep them, surly thats personal choice, a responsible owner will make that choice, irrisponsible owners do what they want anyway.....what about Priests???? (sorry Pope)do they need thier bits? my silly comparison ;) ;) ;)
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If you know of anyone who is intending to buy an intact male goat as a pet ....send them round here. I could put them off the idea within minutes.
Bobby,our pygmy billy smells all year and yes, it contaminates everything within a mile.......if he spies a female up the field, he will spray his head with urine (must think its some sort of aftershave ....phew, really?) and when he is really smitten he will spray it into his mouth ....urgh, disgusting.
I certainly would not allow anyone who was not experienced with goats handle him - he has big horns and he will use them.
He started life as a pet in a back garden, no proper shed, just a tiny wendy house which he shared with Molly who we also rescued. No grass, no hay, just fed on goat mix. The lady thought it was fun to swing him round by his horns when he was small, and he continued to "play" with the owner. To my horror she gave me a demo of what they did. Little wonder he is as he is now. This "pet" got the female in kid, and then the kid in kid, at which stage, I took them all. Sadly, the female was in kid at 5 months, and the kid was born dead.
I cannot understand why anyone would even think of having a uncastrated male as a pet - people selling them probably think of it as a good sales pitch to sell them as pets.
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I am loving the google ads that are coming up with this thread; all about body odour, pet urine smells and goats for sale! Even with a houseful of pigs called Digby one need never be at a loss!
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I kept goats years ago and agree with everything said except for the smell. The urine bit is a tad disgusting but the musky smell is actually not bad.
Also, touching on the "micro-pig" I have discovered that there really is a tiny breed of pig!!
My son has bought me a book entitled "The Whole Hog" by Lyall Watson, your library may be able to get it for you, if not it is well worth buying for those who love pigs.
The smallest pig in the world is "sus sylvanicus" which is found in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is less than 16 inches in length, 10 inches tall and weighs around 10 pounds. Another point of interest is that it only has 6 teats and has never been domesticated. You can see why, you could one between two slices of bread! :D
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what about Priests?Huh? (sorry Pope)do they need thier bits? my silly comparison
Mebbes a good idea to castrate some of that 'flock' given the relevations and scandals of the last few years ;D
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.....if he spies a female up the field, he will spray his head with urine (must think its some sort of aftershave ....phew, really?) and when he is really smitten he will spray it into his mouth ....urgh, disgusting.
Aside from the google ads, this is the funniest thread we've had for ages. I am beside myself wondering HOW Bobby actually does both these things ;D
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On another forum someone had advertised well handled uncastrated male goats as suitable as pets. Another person pointed out forcefully that males could be very smelly and difficult and that to be suitable for pets they should be castrated.
Several other forum members felt the posting was unduly harsh and that the posting could deter possible buyers.
I wondered what people here think ....
Uncastrated males can be a bit unruly and a bit dangerous depending on what they a re. Yes goats will be a bit smelly, and yes may try to mate with you. Others such as a male ram can also be dangerous, particularly if he has horns to with it. iPigs uncastrated can be a menace also. Barrows behave like a sow and are very quite. I would suggestion sterilization if you want males for pets.
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;D ;D
what about Priests????
I've been around a long time now, and I've never heard of pet priests. :D
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Uncastrated males can be a bit unruly and a bit dangerous depending on what they
SO, if you're not going to use um, cut them off ;), I think a pet Priest may be more "unruly" than an uncastrated goat ::)
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Uncastrated males can be a bit unruly and a bit dangerous depending on what they
SO, if you're not going to use um, cut them off ;), I think a pet Priest may be more "unruly" than an uncastrated goat ::)
No, they would turn the other cheek ;)
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The pygmy billy has not tried it on with me yet, and he had better now with his habits - unfortunately the male llama seems quite keen on me though ......but he does not smell