The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Roxy on May 26, 2015, 02:39:49 pm
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because I love and care for my goats, and want the best for them. If I feel the person wanting the goat is not right for whatever reason, then I say so.
I am quite happy for newcomers to the goat world to buy my goats - after all we all had to start somewhere - if I am satisfied they are blessed with common sense to care and feed the animal. Although if its a milking goat I do question their ability to milk, and if not, suggest they start with a non milker and learn the art first.
I start with asking about CPH number. Its surprising how many have no idea they need one - or say yes they have one, when really they have not, and only admit it when I say I need it for the form!!
Where will the goat live? Sometimes I get a vague answer - no, it needs shelter. Company of other goats? Oh no, I just want the one. No, goats are herd animals. Fencing? Oh yes, its fine. I arrived with two goats to find the fence was not fine at all. It was three strands of barbed wire. I told the man to keep the goats inside until the fence was sorted. Two days later he rang to say they had escaped onto the local estate. Yes, he had let them out, without doing the fencing.
Then a man rang - something did not sound right at all, during the conversation, so I told him the goats were all sold. Ten minutes later the phone rang again, and it was a lady, asking exactly the same questions, with the man in the background telling her what to say .....I told her I had no goats for sale.
Anyway, some of the goats are in nice new homes, but I do have some left still, if anyone can cope with my questioning!!!! Hopefully most people realise I am only thinking of the goats welfare!!
I could list many other examples.
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Good for you!! I would love to keep a couple of goats again but I know my fences won't keep them in, there is no shelter good enough and I am too far from my land to give them enough attention (yet :))
Too many folk think money first and goat welfare second, also think (or rather do not think) that keeping goats is easy.
A neighbour has a biggish herd of meat goats and has gone to great lengths to keep them where they should be but no sooner does he block an exit than the beggars find another one. I love to watch them and they could stray onto my land any day. They would eat all the rubbish and keep my hedges nicely trimmed!!
Good luck with finding good homes for your goats.
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Too ture!! Gotta make sure babies get the right home!
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I get worried if I go to get any sort of animal and I'm not quizzed about it - if you don't care what I'm like, what else don't you care about?!
So I'd be all for 1001 questions :)
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Agreed as someone about to start I would rather be quizzed to make sure I had everything in place. The goats welfare must be the priority
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When I first looked into having a goat, I found one that sounded just right but the owner refused to sell her unless we agreed to buy another one - not from her but she knew of one for sale. She also told us about CPH numbers and checked we could milk the goat by giving us both a go so she could see for herself that we could.
If I were to sell any of mine, I would be giving the third degree as well.
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I do exactly the same with all the pigs i sell. If people haven't done their homework or aren't prepared to give the animals what they need for health, welfare and a good life (even a short one in the case of fatteners) they don't get pigs, end of!
If only all sellers (of all animals) were as thorough, there wouldn't be nearly as many abused, abandoned and unwanted ones out there :(
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This is the hardest part of raising animals I find. Trusting others to care for them as I do ????
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absolutely!
The only time I sold on goats (2 sisters) they went to a farm with sheep, horses, cattle etc and they told me they both had goats when they were children so knew the score but within a week she was on the phone wanting to send them back as they couldn't cope, they had gotten into neighbours polytunnel ;D
So even those you would think would be good goatkeepers can turn out to be less than well informed.