I can't undo the fact that we started this mess but I need some input into getting out of it.
Four months ago my husband brought home 3 goats that he was given. We already had two goats but we had thought and talked long and hard before we made them part of our lives. He thought adding three more would be easy. It wasn't. One was pregnant. I survived her delivery and getting her to latch her baby. The kids adored the newborn. But, the goats were Nubian - very large. And they easily escaped. Every day.
There were days and days of work associated with the birth and caring for it and huge money to expand their enclosure and then many attempts to make it more secure. Then one goat broke her leg jumping the fence. $500.
Now a second goat has broken her leg - in a tree. It has been 4 months and the goats have cost us around $2,000. Financially, I am done. Emotionally, the wear and tear has been too much. You know us mamas always end up with the lions share of the work.
The problem is the kids are deeply attached to the baby. And they really really don't want to give it up. Hubby has found a home that will take all four, leaving us with the ones we had when all of this started. Do I let them go, knowing how badly the kids will take it and just rip this band aid off once and for all, or do we try to keep making this work? The kids think I am turning my back on "their baby" I see a very expensive pet that will only get more so as he grows. He's not a dog He's a goat. What would you do? Fast and done or try longer? Would that just make it worse?
Ok so it's done. I had to laugh at the goat playground because you should have seen what we built for these goats!! It was a great playground but their 3/4 acre enclosure wasn't large enough for them. The new farm has a 4 acre enclosure. It does not have half of the entertainment offering but the farmer said his goats almost never jumped. (We'll see whether these stay there) We kept three goats, two pygmys and the baby. The baby and mother were going to be separated because the farmer wanted to milk the mother. The kids can go visit and he said we can work out a deal to foster future babies and old sedate goats that are not interested in jumping out so much. We'll see! Many people said we did everything right by these goats but that some goats have different needs. I think we should stick to pygmys in the future.
The kids aren't the ones doing the work and footing the bill.
When you don't have the means or the time/energy to properly care for another living thing, you let someone take it who does.
If you have truly found a GOOD home for them, let them go.
Keep the mama and the baby, then down size the rest of the herd till you have a manageable number.
Goats are climbers - you've seen what mischief they can get into.
Give them something safe to climb in the middle of their pen.
There's a person a few blocks away that keeps a small chicken coop in the middle of his goat pen.
Most of the time you can see a few goats sunning themselves on the roof of it and it's low enough for them to get up on it and off it again without injuring themselves.
It doesn't bother the chickens at all.
Give the goats something to play with and they won't escape as often.
It doesn't have to be anything expensive.
http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/84-3/danielle_westvang/
Google 'goat playground', then view images and you'll see what others have done to amuse their goats.
Just tell them that the baby should go with its parents. And explain it using them as an example. Lots of people love your children, I'm sure, but in the end they go home with Mom and Dad.
Fast and done would be my vote.
Goats are livestock animals, not pets imho. Livestock are supposed to generate income in some sense, not drain it endlessly.
I would tell my kids that - of course - the baby needs to stay with its mommy, and that their little family is going to be better served at a new property with people who have the time and resources to deal with them.
On a side note, goats are a major pain in the butt. My job as a kid was keeping our goats out of my dad's garden. They would eat anything and could squeeze through the strangest places. Ours stunk to high heaven too.
Never been a goat fan so take my response with a grain of salt.
Good luck.
Dang, computer ate my reply!
Is there a way to keep the mama and her baby. Goats aren't stupid and they are somewhat trainable, so there is hope for the baby. I can see the kids point, they love the baby, and if there was something I could do to keep it I would, but if there isn't the truth is the kids will get over it.
You have to do what's best for the animals, not the kids in this instance. They need to go somewhere where they are going to get the best care and right now you are stretched and have injured animals. Let them go and explain to the kids that we as humans have a responsibility to make sure that animals have the best care possible and your family just can't do it. Remind them of broken legs. It's time for them to go.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
Like you said rip the band aid off once. They will get over it. Too much money and time! Get a dog.
If it were me? Rip that band-aid right off.
Good luck. Kids are resilient. It is a life lesson. They will be fine.
I was just thinking the other day about all the money I would have saved if I'd never brought home one pet. It's probably in the tens of thousands, because we've run the gamut in pets. I've spent about two thousand in the last three months on just two cats and a dog. But kids do learn a lot from their pets, and I think pet-owning is an important part of their lives.
Do what you have to do. Kids are always attached to baby animals, and then when the animals are grown they usually ignore them. If the baby is a uniquely special goat, keep him plus the initial goats. One thing I learned the hard way was that you can't have farm animals in the suburbs. But if you live on a farm, what's one more goat?
I'm not sure from your story how many goats you started with, but two goats sounds like a good number to me. I like a woman who has goats. :)
Good luck.
I would do fast and done. They are wearing on you too much and costing way too much money. I would explain to the kids that this is how it has to be and you know they will be sad, but it will be okay. Can they go visit the goats at their new home?
Rehome them now. Of course your children love them but it's not a good fit for your family. Explain to your children that the goats need a new home where they will have more room to move around and live a good life. You can let them know that the goats keep getting hurt and eventually these injuries might lead to really bad things for the goats.
I would talk to the kids. Tell them that you have found a home for all 4 goats. That in the past 4 months, the goats have cost a lot of money and time. If you are able to keep the baby and/or mother, then I would lay out what you require of the kids to be able to do that. Being attached is one thing. Not pitching in is another. Are they going to earn money for vet bills and feed? Do they get out there and mend fences with you or feed and groom the goats? If not, then they don't get a whole lot of say. My DD wants a pet of her own, and until and unless I see her taking care of the ones we have it's a big fat no.
If the friend is close by they can go visit right? I'd put it like that. They'll get to go see the baby and spend time playing with it. Unless the goats are planned to eventually be dinner.....
