Today The Bibbed Wonder and The Bean have what I consider an unpleasant task. Today, they will load up an ill-behaved whether goat and take him to a broker who will then take him to an auction in New Holland. We do not frequent auctions. Actually, we despise auctions. They are stressful for the animal. The animals' conditions are often poor. Also, those who frequent auction houses are not necessarily animal lovers but view them as a commodity. Auctions aren't our thing at all. However, this young lad has created a situation in the barn that we feel an auction is our only option.
This goat has a name, Pesky Pete. Pete is the son of my little Alpine/Nubian cross, Fuschia, aka Little Black. Little Black is in the top five of my favorite goats. She is smart, an outstanding producer, an excellent mama, and a sweetheart. However, Little Black's babies are always terrible little creatures. Her offspring is always borderline feral in their behavior even though they are loved on and handled as much as any other baby. They are always pushy with the other goats. They are often troublemakers in the barn and just generally unpleasant creatures. Pesky Pete is all of that x10. Not only does he display all the general unpleasantness listed above, but he has horns. He has horns, and he is not afraid to use them. He is hitting the baby goats, he will hit the adult goats, and he uses his horns for nefarious purposes. If we try to pet him, he will angle his head in such a way that whatever part of our body he can target, he wraps his horns around and pulls. We have all had bruises from him at one time or another.
I believe this bad behavior comes from the lack of Nubian genetics present in Little Black's offspring. The Nubian goats have such calm, docile, pleasant personalities. Little Black's offspring are only 1/4 Nubian, and I feel like the Alpine/Boer traits are more dominant. This is just my theory. Whatever the reason, this goat is an a$$. I never like to see an animal go to the auction, and I hate to think about his future. However, if he poses a threat to the other goats and us, we don't have many choices. With his unpleasant personality, he won't make a nice pet. Also, with his proclivity to use his horns, he is likely to become more aggressive the bigger he grows. This is problematic for all.
Today demonstrates one of the hardships of being a farmer. Often, we have to make difficult choices that go against our beliefs or moral codes. These are tough choices, but we have to look at the bigger picture. It is unfair and unsafe to keep an animal on the property that doesn't know his place or have good manners. If Pete hurts one of our beloved ladies or little ones or even harms my bean, we will be regretful we didn't make the tough decision. This is the downside to being a farmer.
Dear reader, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please remember to stay safe, stay smart, make the tough decisions when you have to and wash your hands.