07/13/2026
Well, I have handled the new boer goat kids twice, and been horned 4 times. The first was when a doe got her horns stuck in the hay rack. I freed her and she threw her head back, horn tip first into my upper right arm.
Today we got hold of all 3 to give them collars, hoof trims, health checks and worming for the boy. They got my left forearm, just above and to the inside of the back of my right knee. The most fun one was high on the inside of my right arm that then slid and black blue and red path all the way up into my arm pit.nome of the spots broke skin but they are spectacular bruises.
It doesn't help that they are wild, as in, I come slowly with no sudden movements into the stall and they literally climb that walls and hurl themselves around.
I HATE wild goats and I HATE horns. We tried to band the horns today but they slid off. We'll try again and clip the hair around the base so it's less slippy, tape the band in place so it can't slide and we'll bring the tree branch loppers to take off the sharp horn tips so we are more protected until the bands work, it will be like being poked with the end of a thumb instead of stabbed with a pen.
I also started training them to stand chained up by the collar without fighting it. That will prep them for learning to walk on a lead without strangling themselves or having a melt down. All with the end goal of having goats that I can move around and manage when they are full grow and 300lbs of muscle. Unfortunately, that means I have to catch them first.