What "must do", do you hate the most?

Donna1982 · #1 10/03/14, 09:22 AM

This Sunday we have to go disbud the triplets. I hate doing them but am very thankful that I have a good friend/breeder that does it for me. I know not everyone does dibudding and this is not a horns or no horns post but wanting to know what is the one thing you hate doing but it has to be done.

Mine is horns, followed by hooves then coppering.

Goats Galore · #2 10/03/14, 09:59 AM

Selling those babies and seeing Mamas search for them! Breaks my heart.

GoldenWood Farm · #3 10/03/14, 10:03 AM

Hoof trimming, I know it isn't hard but I detest it. It isn't hard and I know one person who LOVES trimming hooves, I am just not that person. I am smart like you Donna, I have my friend burn all my kids horns

. It is a win win situation, it helps her out (she doesn't have a lot of money) and I don't have to disbud

.

Justine

fffarmergirl · #4 10/03/14, 10:12 AM

I'm one of those that loves trimming hooves. It's just so satisfying to be able to make such a difference with so little effort!

I haven't come across anything I hate yet because I haven't had to band or disbud or sell babies or eat bucklings that didn't sell yet. Wait and ask me again after our first breeding season :/

marusempai · #5 10/03/14, 10:21 AM

I actually rather like trimming hooves. They are all neat and tidy when I'm done, I feel like I made *progress.* We'll find out about disbudding in the spring...

Giving them any kind of oral medicine though. UGH! They act like I'm trying to poison them.

GoldenWood Farm · #6 10/03/14, 10:50 AM

Oh I love the end result of trimming hooves but my hate comes from gearing myself up to get out there and get started. Once I do I generally enjoy it, I actually like it better now that I can clip properly

. I started researching how to correct certain hooves by looking at pack goat forums and now I can actually fix certain hooves. I brought in a buck 4 years ago that threw weird (for me) hooves and it took me FOREVER to figure out how to trim them. Now I know and I don't get as frustrated but I think that dread still resides in me until I actually start clipping.

Justine

Donna1982 · #7 10/03/14, 10:58 AM

I do not like doing hooves because by the end of doing 34 goats my hands are killing me and I cannot stand up straight for days lol. It's not so much doing them as the pain I am in after.

Alice In TX/MO · #8 10/03/14, 11:42 AM

Do five a day?

GoatGirl123 · #9 10/03/14, 11:49 AM

Hooves. For the same reason as Donna1982. My back really hurts by the time I'm through.

dozedotz · #10 10/03/14, 11:56 AM

We did the hoof thing this morning...it rained yesterday and I thought they might be easier...they were not!! LOL. We do it monthly and they are really pretty good about it...except for the bucks who when in rut get all exercised over us messing with "their" girls. It is the once a month "chore" that is really the problem...not the chore itself. I agree with the disbudding being the worst! I hate it, Mac hates it. You spend all your time loving those little darlings and sweet talking them (ours all hand raised) and then you do THAT! It is just awful and while we have few in numbers and are always glad when they look so much better without horns to worry about...I just HATE it!! Last thing I ever want to do is hurt those kids!

fffarmergirl · #11 10/03/14, 12:49 PM

There's no way on earth I would do 34 goats using hand trimmers. I would be ordering one of those electric knife things.

SeaGoat · #12 10/03/14, 01:01 PM

I detest cleaning the goat house.
Its not that bad, I just hate after I have raked it all up having to move all the used straw out.
Its my least favorite goat chore

wintrrwolf · #13 10/05/14, 11:06 AM

cleaning out the goat house.
That makes my back hurt the worst of all. Though I have been throwing some scratch grains in there when the goats are out in the field to encourage the chickens to root around in there, then I rake up the loose stuff...takes longer but least my back doesn't spasm out on me.
I use my old milk stand for hoof trims takes less time, less stress, makes us all happier.
Disbudding is just a step below cleaning out goat house. I hate not knowing that once I do it if it will be successful or if your gonna get scurs...

southerngurl · #14 10/05/14, 11:15 AM

I've started trimming once per week, 1/4 of my girls, at milking time (milk them first, quick trim -and it's quick because it's done often -then sweep off the stands, wash my hands and continue with milking the next group). Keeps it from being such a chore.

I hate disbudding and I still, after over 8 years in goats, don't do it myself. :P

karenp · #15 10/05/14, 11:26 AM

What is "coppering"?

V-NH · #16 10/05/14, 11:46 AM

I really hate watching my goats waste hay. I think it is the worst part of goat ownership. I spend $6 per bale of random grass hay and I think they waste at least 50% of it. I've tried all kinds of strategies to solve the problem but I haven't had any luck yet. The only way I managed to make it work before was when they were little goats and I had them in a small cattle panel enclosure. They would stick their heads through the cattle panels and eat hay from the outside and much less got wasted. I am considering taking a chunk out of the fence, replacing it with a cattle panel, and cutting head holes out of it so I can put the hay back on the outside again. Haven't gotten around to actually doing it yet though. If I could reduce hay waste I think raising goats would actually be economical.

southerngurl · #17 10/05/14, 12:29 PM

V-NH, check out the thread on the hay feeder. I have a picture of mine on there. Very little waste at all.

marusempai · #18 10/05/14, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karenp

What is "coppering"?

Giving them a copper bolus - it's like a big pill. I have one that I can stuff it in a donut hole and she'll eat it herself, but the others think I'm trying to kill them. Trying a proper bolus gun next time. At least it's only twice a year!

southerngurl · #19 10/05/14, 06:27 PM

The smaller ones like this are good: http://www.caprinesupply.com/product...lling-gun.html

SeaGoat · #20 10/06/14, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V-NH

I really hate watching my goats waste hay. I think it is the worst part of goat ownership. I spend $6 per bale of random grass hay and I think they waste at least 50% of it. I've tried all kinds of strategies to solve the problem but I haven't had any luck yet. The only way I managed to make it work before was when they were little goats and I had them in a small cattle panel enclosure. They would stick their heads through the cattle panels and eat hay from the outside and much less got wasted. I am considering taking a chunk out of the fence, replacing it with a cattle panel, and cutting head holes out of it so I can put the hay back on the outside again. Haven't gotten around to actually doing it yet though. If I could reduce hay waste I think raising goats would actually be economical.

I hear you!

We built the one sided Premier goat feeder and took the length on fence out.
LOVE it!
I don't even have to go in there and get tripped up by rude, impatient, and STARVING goats.