A Crash Course in Goat Management
The goats are finally back. The fencing is complete and the blackberries (and starthistle, an evil prickly demon-plant beamed upward straight from the depths of hell) are growing like, well, weeds. We anxiously waited for the return of the goats not only for land management, but also as our “training wheels” into the realm of livestock ownership.
We’re doing a trade with the goat herder. I’m working with his wife on her software business, and in return, they’re letting us keep about 140 goats and a semi-retired livestock guardian dog, Cody, at the ranch. Since we have no livestock experience other than chickens, this arrangement lets us learn to manage the goats while having the herder as a backstop/sounding board when there’s a question or problem.
And so far, yes, we have had a few problems.
The first one was a male goat that died, probably because he over-indulged on sweet pea (which is not great for goats). Lee put the carcass in the meadow and, as the goat herder instructed, we let the circle of life play out. A bald eagle joined the feasting of many satisfied vultures.
The second problem was more of a real problem. I was alerted by my stepbrother that a goat wasn’t looking well. The night prior, Cody was barking up a storm. It was the same night that a mountain lion was reported on our road. We took a look at the goat and sure enough, her right eye was missing and her wounds, while not immediately fatal, were likely the result of a failed predator attack. I knew I had to put her down. Being out on a ranch, goat euthanasia isn’t something that’s done at a vet - you have to do it yourself. I’m hopeful that I made it as quick and painless as possible for her.
The third problem was a sick goat. The herder hypothesized pneumonia. I reached out on our local Facebook group and within 15 minutes, a local goat farmer had devised a concotion of 3 injections that I was to administer subcutaneously by making a skin tent and then rotating the injection sites. “It’s just like when you give your dog a shot,” she said. I nodded in completely false knowing agreement and prepared for some on-the-job learning. Unfortunately the goat had passed by the time we got home.
At this point, the goat problems seem to have come to a halt. They’re mostly doing their job eating away at the blackberry. We’ve had multiple requests to loan them out to neighbors; I guess actually getting goats to graze your land these days is challenging. As I was driving back to Sausalito last week, I listened to goat management podcasts. I’ve decided that I need to get ahead of any other problems that might occur and create a crash course in goat management. Because out here, we’re on our own. And we like it that way. But I’d really like to make sure that when I poke a needle or three into a sick animal, I’m doing it the right way.
