I said it would be a last resort - not something I would do. The man who wanted them, does actually use our local abattoir - and I have checked and he does. But, the only thing he will get from our place is the 14 cockerels. I love my animals and their welfare is forefront in my mind.
As it happens, yesterday I had two people view the male kids. They, like most of us breeders, have daughters of their stud billy ready to be served this Autumn, and need a new non related male. There are goat keepers, like me, who are not interested in showing, milk yields, etc. We just keep ours for the milk, so obviously have to breed, and this year have more boys than girls. Perhaps my boys are not of the high standard some of you want or need, but I am confident that with the level of enquiries I have had, they will all go to breeding homes. Anyone who has bought an animal from me vouch that I do vet the new owner, and am pretty good at judging them. I just say no if I think the home is not right, and would rather lose a sale.
As to why I kept my males intact - surely that's up to me. I have kept goats for many years, and like to think that after 40 years I do know what is what, although sometimes the rather offensive and rude comments that come up on the goat section make me think otherwise!! One lady advertised her female goat for sale - it was her first post on here, and she got upsetting posts because she had a horned goat. She said she would not be doing it again, if that's the way members were treated.
Oh, and for the record, my male goats as well as being intact also have their horns. So if you want to yell at me for that as well, then go ahead. My vet charged me £51 per kid for disbudding, and I would have been bankrupt once I paid for the females, had the males been done too. She told me to leave them horned.
Rant over
