Easy Come Easy Go

Granby the billy goat has been with us for one week.  That has been more than enough time to realize that he is going to have a limited tenure with us here on Gael Glen Farm. 

This is our first time breeding goats. When breeding both our sheep and goats, we have found that it is difficult to find a stud. Most farms do not allow does from another herd on their property to mate with their bucks and they do not allow their bucks to leave their farm. This is to control the spread of disease and parasites. We did have a farmer agree to do a "driveway breeding" where we would bring Martha and Mellie back to the farm that they came from to be bred by an unrelated buck on their driveway.  However, this required figuring out exactly when each doe was in heat (which is challenging without a buck around) and would have cost $60 per breeding session. Yikes!  This is why we decided to purchase a buck.

In the course of doing my research on goat breeding I read that billy goats can be gross.  I honestly did not realize exactly how awful they are when they are in rut. In Granby's defence he is very horny - which is exactly what I brought him here to be - but it is all the other things that go along with him impregnating my does that I cannot wait to be rid of.

#1 Granby's extremely goaty smell. Have I mentioned that Granby reeks of goat? Reeks! It is so pungent that you can smell him from the front of the house. It is gag worthy.

#2 Granby is horny, in that he uses his horns for everything: deforming my brand new gate, destroying my garden hose, ripping two pairs of my pants (in one day!). I hate his horns.  The reason he does this is because his scent gland is located near his horns and during rut season it emits a strongly scented goat smell which he spreads by rubbing his horns against everything.

#3 Granby's goat "sneer" is revolting. He first shoves his nose up under the doe's tail right near her butt or right in her urine stream and then curls his upper lip to determine if she is in heat. It is all so very disgusting.

#4 Granby is whiny. He has started making very strange clucking and whining sounds at the does. It is most bizarre.

#5 Granby's penis is constantly out and flopping around. Again, disgusting. It is long and thin like a drinking straw and bright pink and he has absolutely no problem waving it in the air like he just don't care.

#6 Granby is aggressive. I read that you should never have your back to a buck in rut. No problem but that means that instead of bucking me in the bum, he got me on the thigh.

This goat needs to go. As soon as Martha and Mellie go through another ovulation cycle he will be re-homed. In fact, I am going to advertise him on Kijiji right now for pick up 21 days.  Thanks but no thanks.  Bye, bye billy goat.  Time to find a new home where you can be yourself without any judgement.

P.S.  There is currently a rooster living in our mudroom but that is a story for another day.  Stay tuned...