05/12/2020
It is not just a goat
GOAT MATH: Here is some goat math that we don't usually talk about: when we freshen a doe as a yearling and milk her for 300 days every lactation and freshen her every year for 10 years, she has hopped onto our milk stand and we've milked her 6,000 times (2x a day milking). When we have a baby goat born, we have given it sometimes 250 bottles before weaning. If we trim a goat's feet every 2 months for 10 years, that's 60 hoof trimmings per goat. Working with this animal day in and day out forms a bond that is very hard to describe to people who don't do this every day. All of this work doesn't include the sleepless nights when you know something is wrong and you've done all you can...the infinite scratches behind the ear or on the chest...the frustrating moments in which you're overwhelmed and desperately want to throw in the towel...etc. This is why she isn't "just a goat" and why it hurts so much when she dies, needs to be sold, or needs to be put down. This is why breeders can get so insulted when people haggle for the lowest possible dollar. It isn't just a goat. It's our time, our energy, our affections, and so much more. Some math can't be figured, but it's real just the same.
