I had goats while I had a job, and it was a great counter balance. That is, until they got sick. Both of our boys had calcium stones, and both had surgeries.
One of them would eventually get an infection and his penis swole all the way up. It was a mess, and we had to have the vet euthanize him. I have never cried so hard in my life because he was the lovable and affectionate one. He wasn't awkward, and he'd come up and bear his head in your chest and let you hug the shit out of him.
The other boy was more awkward but still lovable, and we maintained his health with on and off urine burns and a variety of issues. He would eventually succumb to arthritis.
The girl was awful, and only I was able to love on her. She was super aggressive to my wife and every single female visitor. I don't know why, and I tried everything the vet had us do.
I love goats very much, but I do recommend that if you go in then go all in and get a herd. Develop a strong relationship with a vet. Prepare for loss as herd animals meant for milk production may have bad genetics. Don't trust small time farmers to have good genetics, and make sure you get a vet that knows what they are doing with respect to castration as timing is crucial.
My advice is go for with fiber producing goats as they may last longer, but they are most likely not as lovable since the sheering process is super traumatic.
It basically was. If your urethra is blocked by a calcium stone, then bad things happen. The boys were making stones left and right, and they were not fixable via diet.
One of them would eventually get an infection and his penis swole all the way up. It was a mess, and we had to have the vet euthanize him. I have never cried so hard in my life because he was the lovable and affectionate one. He wasn't awkward, and he'd come up and bear his head in your chest and let you hug the shit out of him.
The other boy was more awkward but still lovable, and we maintained his health with on and off urine burns and a variety of issues. He would eventually succumb to arthritis.
The girl was awful, and only I was able to love on her. She was super aggressive to my wife and every single female visitor. I don't know why, and I tried everything the vet had us do.
I love goats very much, but I do recommend that if you go in then go all in and get a herd. Develop a strong relationship with a vet. Prepare for loss as herd animals meant for milk production may have bad genetics. Don't trust small time farmers to have good genetics, and make sure you get a vet that knows what they are doing with respect to castration as timing is crucial.
My advice is go for with fiber producing goats as they may last longer, but they are most likely not as lovable since the sheering process is super traumatic.