Ugh, kids these days–always lazing about the pasture, twiddling their cloven hooves, and complaining about how bored they are. Back in the day, goat youths used to show some respect to farmers, but now all they do is sit around and baah at you. Yep, back in the old days, if a kid ever talked baah to a farmer, they’d get a good walloping atop their horned forehead, but try something like that nowadays and you’d likely get you thrown in jail. So my question is, how do you discipline a goat that likes to ram you in the butt?
Really, I’m asking. I’m new to goats, and although they seemed at first like interesting and fun-loving ruminants, there’s only so many times a man can get battered in the backside before he starts ruminating about what side dishes pair well with barbecued goat. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if God created goats for the sole purpose of testing human patience by way of testing human fence-building ability. I hate to admit it, but, after a decade of raising various types of livestock, I secretly considered myself an expert livestock chaser, having logged many miles behind horses, cows, and pigs. But pride goeth before the goat. I just spent the better part of two hours pacing up and down a fenceline, trying to find the short in our electric fence, all while playing ring-around the farm gate, as the goats took turns getting out faster than I could get them back in.
Pigs are by far the most intelligent animals I’ve tried to contain, but goats are natural escape artists. Literally, I actually watched one of our goats escape from our pasture while sleeping. He was laying beside a metal tube gate, which has a half-foot gap from the bottom rung to the ground. While sleeping, he rolled over (perhaps dreaming about greener pastures), only to suddenly awake in the green grass outside the pasture.
To be honest, I should have suspected goats would be trouble. As a preacher’s son, I always wondered what Jesus was going on about when he talked about the parable of the sheep and goats, but now I know: idle hooves are the devil’s workshop.
Can’t trust a farm animal with creepy rectangular pupils.
Holsteins can be pretty problematic as well 😉
Yep, preach it, we’ve raised holstien dairy steers for many years and I’ve paid for two of my neighbor’s japanese maples that my holstiens immediately defoilated upon escape from my fence
For us it naughty geese…bowling pin duvet wearing gang. Nothing but trouble! Haven’t had goats yet…maybe later.
We don’t have any geese now, but I have a memory from childhood of being chased by an enraged goose, lol
They can be scary…not small either.
Yep we did goats. They live to antagonise humans. Good news is as they get older kids are less interested in outwitting ypu on the fence front. They even become affectionate especially if they want something. Follow you anywhere for a bucket with a little soaked sugar beet pulp in the bottom. Last resort, goat curry is seriously tasty. Are you going to breed them?
Goat curry, that does sound good. No we’ve only got three weathers. To be honest, we got them mostly for pets for thomas, something a little smaller than cows that he can mess with. But if they keep getting out they may become curry
I’m more of (all) sheep person, for all the motives mentioned above 🙂 Great photos!
We’ve never had sheep, but I’ve always wanted some. They are likely next on my bucket list of livestock
And I’ve read they can climb trees?
Yes, in fact, I’m starting to suspect mine are super goats–able to leap tall trees in a single bound.
I would love to see that, but I don’t want to see it bad enough to adopt any goats. 🙂
Goats have mastered teleportation. He died recently, but I had a big, old goat that routinely teleported to the neighbor’s property and ate their roses. Glad you find time to write again. Great article as always. Watch your backside.
Thanks–ugh, roses, goats have expensive taste
My goat has not yet butted me and I have gotten complacent about turning my back to him. I hope he doesn’t get bolder about it and surprise me.