Horned buck story

[madness]

The post about whether or not to buy horned goats reminded me of a story. I have yet to get my first goats, but we had them when I was a kid, so most of my goat knowledge comes from my parents. My dad loved the horned goats because they had built in “handles” but my mom said that she would never again have a horned buck.

Sandy was a pretty ornery Nubian/Boer buck. Maybe even more ornery than your typical one! He had his own enclosure with a nice big oak tree in it. He wasn’t particularly dangerous and usually didn’t bother you if were in his enclosure. One hot day when my mom was 8 months pregnant, she went in to Sandy’s place. Something ticked him off. He did not butt her but he pushed her up against the tree and pinned her there! His head was right below her belly and his horns caught on either side so that she couldn’t get free. He held her there for over an hour until my dad came home from work and got her free! You can guess whose job it was to feed Sandy from then on!

(by the way, my brother was born a-ok, but when he is being ornery, my mom always blames Sandy!)

[Sher]

In our experience..that buck showed the consequences of being grabbed by the horns on a regular basis. It becomes some what of a game. The buck doesn't know the difference between a pregnant mom or joe blow down the street. Its a way to present himself as king of the farm..the biggest and baddest.

Bucks are also something that people should not take for granted as safe. A buck is a male..a breeding machine. And if you think dehorning makes them safer, I might say that a dehorned buck can hurt you too. They are big, they are strong, they are hormonily challenged. Horned or not..."pet" or not..they can change in a heartbeat. Male animals can and do kill people every year. Heck..so do cows.

Horns or not..bucks need to be respected as something that can kill or hurt ya. No different than studs, bull or boars.

[bergy5]

Very good post Sher.

[moosemaniac]

Originally Posted by Sher

Bucks are also something that people should not take for granted as safe.

Absolutely...and as much as I love my bucks when they behave, I know enough to watch them, and we taught them to respect us from the time they were kids. Nonetheless....they are bucks.

Ruth