[BCG]

So I'm at a show and sale this weekend. The Boer goats being shown and sold are what I consider to be a sad display of the industry. Several are under weight with dull coats, obviously wormy. Others are coughing and snotty nosed. The rest are just poor in their general confirmation. These animals are from multiple producers.

To top off the disappointment, while talking to a few of the spectators and potential buyers, I mention that I trim feet every 30-45 days and worm every 3 months. The response...we only trim feet when they can't walk any more and worm when they're too skinny to breed. Hmm...

I certainly hope these folks around here are the minority and the rest of us actually care about and for our livestock.

 

[sbaker]

That's sad! My husband and I have played "goat rescue" this year, and are currently working on our second poor girl from owners who have that same mindset. I know they are just animals, but really?!?! If you are going to have them, take care of them!

 

[nancy d]

BCG that IS sad. I saw some last year at a fair, while they were in great condition & everything they were small framed.

 

[ksalvagno]

Wow, that is sad. Why bother owning them then.

 

[xymenah]

I've known many people like that and not just in the goat world but in the dog and horse world too. I rescued one mare that they bred every year. Her hooves were so long that she walked on her pasterns half the time and rocked when standing because of the pain. She wasn't foundered they just didn't cut hooves. Another of their horses had a terrible upper respiratory infection for quite some time. He would go into coughing fits to the point he would spit up a ton of foam. They laughed and said they were so spoiled because they got a few cups of grain every day.

 

[BCG]

WOW!!!! I just don't understand the mind set of these people. Just lazy I think. Anyone can trim a goats feet! Horses on the other hand cost money for a Farrier, but if you take on an animal you should have the funds and time to care for it!

 

[Kaneel]

Down here we have the same problem. Sadly, it's mostly in my own community. At shows, I never really saw it, we have a lot of Boer breeders down here, so people tend to buy from the reputable ones, and care for them enough to try to win something. However, in my town, I helped out with clipping a couple of goats who weren't at the ag farm, I felt so bad.
One of them managed to jump a 4 foot high fence in its panic at us being near it, and the halter on it had been tight on it so long, it had open sores from it!
Another goat was skinnier than anything. Skin hair and bones, almost 0 muscle on her. It got to the point where everyone at the ag farm but the owners were feeding it. We gave it grass from outside the pens, leftover food from our goats, etc. Eventually their ag teacher got them to feed, but even then we only saw them come out once every 5-7 days. The poor thing didn't even make enough weight to go to the exit show! It stayed at the farm by itself for 2 weeks, before I managed to contact the ag teacher and take the goat. She is literally the sweetest thing and just wants love. She is still skinny, but you can feel the fat and muscle on her now.(EDIT: She is the goat on the right in my avatar btw )
It's terrible how badly people treat their animals, I mean, yes they are just going to slaughter at the end of the year, but come on, at least take care of them until then!

 

[Dani-1995]

I've met more amazing Boergoat breeders than not so great ones. I think the good, caring ones far out weigh the ignorant, selfish ones.

Its ashame that some people see them as just a goat and not as a living creature that is ultimately providing for you in some way. This is the exact all my goats, wethers included, are treated as good as they are. They serve a purpose that benefits me in the long run so they deserve a good life with good care.

 

[BCG]

I've met more amazing Boergoat breeders than not so great ones. I think the good, caring ones far out weigh the ignorant, selfish ones.

Its ashame that some people see them as just a goat and not as a living creature that is ultimately providing for you in some way. This is the exact all my goats, wethers included, are treated as good as they are. They serve a purpose that benefits me in the long run so they deserve a good life with good care.

I agree...there are, thank God, a lot more good caring breeders out there than bad. I was just shocked at the level of blatant disregard for the health and welfare of these particular herds.

 

[Goats Rock]

Unfortunately, the few bad ones give everyone a bad name. Then the animal rights folks point out the lousy few and their mistreatment of animals and we all suffer.
There is nothing wrong with being new and learning, but to intentionally not care for an animal is just plain wrong! Or, be unwilling to listen to others that have more
knowledge than you. And my biggest beef, "we have always done it this way!" (Those are the ones that worm when the goat is down to a skeleton!).

 

[Scrubs620]

Obviously any animal needs to be taken care of but these things need to be bred out of the goats. If you have a doe that is always skinny because of worms, cull it (notice I didn't say sell it). If one constantly needs hooves trimmed, cull it. The poor breeders are doing just as much to harm the farmers down the line as they are the goats. I just started raising goats about three years ago so I have only a handful of does. I chose to get my start from a breeder who looked for these things and culled heavily. I have not had to trim one hoof (nor do they need it) and I've wormed exactly 0 times. Some animals are just more resistant than others and those are the traits that need to be selected for to improve the future. God bless those of you who have rescued the animals that were not cared for. I'm not promoting or condoning that in the least. I'm just pointing out that a good breeder will not just hide defects and sell all the offspring as the next generation of producing animals.

 

[DonnaBelle66]

I have seen animals treated very poorly around here where I live.

The is a special corner of Hades reserved for them, I believe that with all my heart.

DonnaBelle

 

[m57gonefishing]

Is it possible that a lot of these people don't know for nothing other than lack of a mentor to show the way. Maybe we ought to be teachers to those whom don't know. There are a lot of unhealthy goats though.

 

[Dani-1995]

I've noticed alot of "set in their ways" or cheapskate goat owners lately. I'm all for saving money but sometimes you spend more than you'd like for the Goats well being. The set in their ways owners should do more research... if its not working than time to find what is. I do have to say somethings work and will always work but there has to be a willingness to learn. Otherwise, you aren't doing your self or animals any favors.

 

[Jessica84]

Ohhh you guys would just throw up if you ever went to a sale here. I get so dang mad at people. I am the biggest......penny pincher I guess we could say but still my animals have fat on their bones and can walk. A few weeks ago someone took in a goat with a broken leg and could hardly walk at all, if it was me I would have put it down not but it threw heck on the haul to the sale for $10. Right now Im sitting at 78 does, do they get their hoofs trimmed every month, no, but I dont let them get out of shape either. I get laughed at a lot because my animals, even though I do like them all, are livestock. But I also dont care if 'freddie' out there is going to be on someones dinner table, he will be loved and taken care of till that day comes. The more I see, the more I think I would rather go find a butcher house to sell my kids to then have them end up like so many I see.