# Keep goats in our HEARTS, NOT stomachs!



## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

Goats deserve to live to see past one! Please reply your opinion whether it is for or against slaughter. Friendly debate welcome! I am just doing it for fun to see everyone's opinion.


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

These are the goats we got from SANTA ROSA. They are Nigerian Dwarf Goats.


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

I am pro humane slaughter. I am an omnivore and fully support taking responsibility for the life and death of the meat you consume.


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## MylieD (Sep 16, 2013)

If a person eats meat, then I don't see the problem with eating goats. If you raise them yourself, you know they had a good life first.

I'm for people making their own choices and not judging others for having different choices.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Im with MylieD. We have not processed a goat yet..but im not against it. We process our own grown lamb..chicken...duck and turkey...humane kind raising and humane kind butcher...


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with someone raising or buying goats for meat. IMO it's how those animals are treated up until that time comes and how humanely they are processed.
I don't walk outside and think of any of our goats or the babies they have as meat. But in the end you have to decide a purpose for them. With that said... we've only ever consumed '1' homegrown goat, kids didn't like him and that tells you right there... because my kids love their goats.
We sell extra bucklings mostly to 4-H kids, and so far my kids have had 3 wethers go for processing after being purchased at the 4-H auction. 1 of them I had to drop off at the processing facility - I cried like a baby all the way there & home! It's not easy, but you have to do what you have to do. We all love our goats, and have different purposes for them. 
I am not a big fan of goat meat, I think it was the way it was processed, had a game flavor to it. But my kids and husband do like it. 

Don't knock people who do eat goat meat.


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

I think I have that opinion about not raising goats for meat because I raise milk goats.  My last milk goats got turned into meat goats. My neighbors dogs got into their pen and ate them. Take into account that my neighbor lives on the other side of our 75 acre walnut fields. I was devastated


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

I'm fine now though.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I am sorry about those goats, that is heartbreaking. The farm my husband works for bought my kids market wethers a couple of years ago to keep out with their cattle, and someones dog or a coyote got one of them because they wouldn't stay with the cattle - the other goats would stay with the cattle as they knew they'd protect them.
We ended up bringing the other one home, rehabilitating him (he had a laceration on his side, and was shaken up  ), we rehomed him as we didn't have the heart to let anyone use him for meat after all he'd been through.

We have % does mostly, and we adore them. Every goat here is treated like a pet no matter their purpose. I have to instill in my kids minds early on after they pick their wether, that their wether's will eventually go for meat. They've handled it well, and I tell them it's okay to miss them, and feel sad. But to know they had a great life, and if they'd been sold, who knows where they would have ended up, if they'd really have been cared for, etc.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

I raise mine for slaughter. It's not always the easiest thing to do, but coming from a farming background, it's just something one grows up with and has always accepted. I just make sure that they are happy and have a good time, and the opportunity to just be goats.


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## F-A-R-MdotUS (May 18, 2015)

We would no sooner eat one of our goats than we would one of our dogs.
Of course, we choose to love all animals, and eat none! We love to help others interested in pursuing a life free of animal flesh consumption.

That said, meat eaters who raise their own in a humane fashion, who give their animals a nice life prior to slaughter, who are responsible in their herd management are not offensive to us at all - it's just not our thing! Some people forget that farmers who value their animals for their financial value have great incentive to develop (and ultimately share) effective husbandry methods and push veterinary pharmaceutical companies to develop new and better wormers/meds.

Merry Christmas!


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

More than 70% of the world's population consumes goat meat. We import millions of tons every year.
In fact, chevon is one of the healthiest meats out there. It has less fat, calories & cholesterol of all & packed with more protein & iron per serving.
We love our goat meat but do not look down on those who don't.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Aww the meat goat, that is what they are intended for, just like cattle, sheep, chickens ect. Some purchase them from a store, while others raise their own. It can be difficult for some to do, raising and butchering their own, but with some too, it is a normal thing and are use to it. They help feed families. There is no difference in that aspect. 
Some people do not eat meat, which I respect. But remember, we do not all have the same opinions. I for one see nothing wrong with goats for meat, as long as it is humane. I did that once and for me it was too hard, I love my goats, so I haven't done it since. I do sell some meat goats for meat, but, it is really hard for me to let them go. But that is what God made them for. 
Meat goats though, even though they are suppose to be for meat and are not always eaten. Some breeders love them as do I and they are considered pets or show animals. All ways of thinking about the "Meat Goat" is OK, no one is wrong, unless they are cruel. Do know, others may not have the same opinions as you do. So we have to respect that as well.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I am 100% "pro slaughter" for all livestock. And as long as the animal is cared for and treated humanely, I have no problem with someone butchering at any age.


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

Yeah. I guess they don't know what is happening. They just think, "Ooh! A trip in the trailer! Is that grain I smell? Man this is a great life!" Lucky for them they don't know where they're going! All that matters is that they have a great life up until their death!


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

I'm an pro slaughter as well. I have no problem with raising animals for your family, it is no different to me than eating beef, chicken, pork, etc.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Unfortunately, unless you keep every goat you breed, some will turn into meat in the future.
I breed dairy goats, but have to sell most of the buck kids. I am sure they go to slaughter. 
All I can do is give them the best life possible when they are with me, then try not to think about
them after they are sold and out of my control. We have a farm and eat meat. We just do the killing
as humanely as possible. (haven't eaten any goats, but they get threatened when bad! ).

I do know that if you sell a goat, ask a decent price because if someone has to pay for something, they are much more apt to seek veterinary care when needed. Free animals don't seem to get the same care. Why pay $75 to the vet for a free animal?


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

Hey! Do you have Pygmy goats?


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## Failingfarmer (Nov 24, 2015)

We butchered our first chickens this year. It was hard! Then we raised 2 very fun piglets. Driving them to the butcher when they were 300 pounds each was heartbreaking! We are now thankful for freezers full of meat. We like looking back at photos of our pigs. We don't have many goats and we have many acres of overgrown land so our little goats will remain our pets. We might raise meat goats someday. I'm not against it. My teenage son will only eat meat we raise ourselves. He researched how animals are kept on huge comercial farms. He refuses to eat meat raised in crowed dirty conditions. My son is the one that convinced us to raise our own meat.


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## MoonShadow (Mar 1, 2015)

I myself am vegatarian(though I eat more vegan then vegetarian 99%of the time) but i dont have a real problem with people butchering and eating their own meat as long as it has lived a humane life and died humanely. I dont like the idea of goats dying under the age on one but i do understand why this is so. I myself would never kill and eat one of my animals unless i had to(like if i was in a survival situation). The more people who eat humainly treated meat the better because that means there is less money that is going to those horrid feedlots, hopefully someday they will get the message and change there practices ether by force or y pleasure.


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## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

I would raise for slaughter if I could. My mother lives with us and is a strict vegetarian and would get way too attached to any animal on our property. Of course keeping things as humane as possible is always the way to go.


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

I agree


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I am pro old time farming...farming livestock means eating meat or selling for meat even if just occasionally. Part of caring for your herd is to keep the numbers to a manageable level for you. Besides, it tastes great and is healthy for you!


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I'm planning on keeping some kids for meat this year now that we have a mobile slaughter unit. 

I eat meat. I figure if you eat meat you should be willing to partake in the process of getting the meat to the table. Be it feeding it, butchering it, etc etc. 

Few things do I hate more than someone telling me I'm cruel and should get my meat from the grocery store! lol


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I remember being a kid and going to my grandparents house, one week we'd be petting the cute cow in the barn, next time we'd visit we'd be eating her. I love animals, but I'm no vegetarian. I like meat, and I would much rather eat meat from a humanely raised animal. I've seen my share of confinement farming, feed lots and commercial dairies. No thank you.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Big time pro butchering. But I'm also born and raised cattle rancher so it's my life. I am 100% ok with my kids being sold for butcher. I actually prefer it to be honest. I would rather them be a bit stressed out and their life end fast and painless then end up at a bad home where they just slowly die. Been there and it tore my heart out even though they were not pets. I love all my mamas and I love having the kids and calfs and watching them grow and tending to their every need, I love it all but I'm still ok knowing that I gave them a great life till their time comes.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Dayna said:


> Few things do I hate more than someone telling me I'm cruel and should get my meat from the grocery store! lol


 I was told this too, when we slaughtered chickens last year.


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

I dont mind raising animals for meat. I can't say i enjoy it but i like taking care of and getting to be apart of the process. I have caught (pig scramble) raised and slaughtered (a friend did it) I haven't got the courage to watch it but we will be getting pigs in the spring so maybe i will get the guts. I have had goat meat and it was hard to think about at first I pictured eating my babies but this was why this goat was bred and raised. It wouldn't be human to not feel sad about it. When I get pigs or any animals that are intended to get slaughtered I always keep it in mind when taking care of them. They are cute and fun but one day you'll be taking care of them and they will knock you down and it will be like "ok you you gotta go" 

But the once I stop feeling emotional about slaughtering an animal I will stop.


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

I guess I also feel that you shouldn't slaughter goats because I'm a kid. I have two milk goats. I'm not judging anyone that does slaughter goats but I still don't.


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## dreamacresfarm2 (May 10, 2014)

I personally could never eat one of my goats. That is why I have Dairy goats. We raise rabbits for meat. The extra roosters go in the freezer. If I had meat goats we would have to eat them, that is what they are raised for. Considering all the inhumane practices, antibiotic injected etc. at least the ones of us who raise are own meat know that they had a good life and didn't suffer. I feel is we are going to eat meat, then we have an obligation to see that they are raised in the right conditions.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Years ago, there was a movement to stop eating veal. People decided it was a cruel industry and they should boycott it. Their intentions were good but, their method was wrong. Yes there were some feeders who weren't doing it as they should. A good amount of them though cared very well for the calves. 

So all of a sudden, nobody could could sell a veal calf. People who depended on them for their living and the dairy farmers who needed them gone, were just stopped in their tracks. 

I don't know what people thought was to happen. Maybe they pictured thousands upon thousands of Holstein bulls playing together on some mythological million acre ranch somewhere?? 

What did happen was that for a couple years they were shot and tilled into the fields wasted. There were some pinkie swears put into place to ensure the calves well being and the industry opened up again, thank goodness. They are my best dairy goat customers...

It's kind of evil to think it's funny but, all those people that caused a whole group of farmers to lose all that revenue, never did find out that all their grains and beans were being grown on the bodies of all those calves. 

The truth is that to feed the masses in the cities we need industry farming, without it, people would be starving way more than they are now. Unfortunately most of those city people don't even connect that cellophane package in the meat case to an actual animal. After all, it's pork and beef not ox and pig. Plus, there is not nearly enough open farm land to grow vegan food for everyone. So, that leaves us with a necessary evil that we can only hope we can make better in many ways while at the same time trying to educate the general public about urban farming.


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

Goatzrule said:


> But the once I stop feeling emotional about slaughtering an animal I will stop.


I think that way too. I never want to become so seared that I don't care when I slaughter a animal. I think you take care of the goat as best as possible, love them, nurture them. When the time came for my bucklings they wheren't stressed at all and were super healthy and happy and round. I cried and I can still cry if I think too much of it but I am glad I do. That means I cared for them well. If people knew how much work went into raising good human meat I think they would appreciate it more. I always thank God for the goat and the ability to raise them well and not like the feed lots. Slaughtering my own goat makes me really understand about the sacrifice God made in sending His own Son, the perfect lamb, to die for me.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

I am not a vegetarian and feel that if I'm going to eat meat I would rather it be an animal that had a good life albeit short.

Not every buck should be used for breeding and there are not enough homes for whethers.

I would rather have them humanely slaughtered and the meat appreciated than end up at a sale barn or neglected or abused.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Same here. Very VERY few of my bucks ever have a career. They have to be super top knotch.
I would rather they be on someone's table including ours rather than "Oh he is so cute I've always wanted a goat."
It is always a somber moment to put one down. But I fed & cared for him all his life, I watched him being born. For us it is part of the cycle.
When their lives have ended they are no longer who they were.


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

Life can't exist without death, so I don't have any problem with the concept of eating meat or with raising animals, fish or birds for slaughter. Likewise, I don't have a problem with humanely culling any that are sickly or severely handicapped.
Unlike all other omnivores or carnivores, humans have the ability and (usually) the will to kill their prey in a way that minimizes pain and suffering. 

I believe that death is unavoidable, but cruelty is not.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

You know Jill I never really thought about that with the veal. I guess I never really thought about it (I was never anti veal or any thing) but your right it would be the same thing with goats as well. Even the dairy goats. The girls of course would have a use but you can only find so many pet homes for they boys. I know people on here have very good luck finding homes for their little boys but think about all the big dairy and them trying to find homes for them all. It's impossible. California doesn't allow butchering horses any more. People are now to a point they can't give a horse away that doesn't have some kind of special training so they are dumped in orchards. That's not a life for a animal and for sure isn't safe for people who end up hitting them in the middle of the night. 
I really do understand not being able to butcher your own animal. It's been a part of my life since day one and at 31 it's still tough but I know what my kids and I am eating so I cry a bit and do what I have to do


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

With all the garbage our store meat has in it...we should take great pride in providing clean safe meat for our families as well others families...I think most all members of this forum love what they do..love the animals and want a good life for them...this is why we join the forum after all...when processing animals humanely...the less stress the animal feels the better the meat will be...a relaxed animal provide a more tender meat..that begins with a good life...happy, carefree....whether we butcher or not...we all care deeply about what we do and our animals...I think in the end, this is what is important...


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## HappyCaliGoats (Mar 19, 2014)

I would personally rather see families raise their own meat because animals that end up in slaughter houses really get the short end of the stick..


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I'm venturing into the meat world... My plan is to process my boys born this year, unless a doeling needs a wether for a companion when selling... I have dairy goats for the most part, but I've come across so many abuse wether stories, I'd rather know that they had a short happy/healthy life here, and know they served a purpose, then to find out they were abused/neglected/taken to the auction. I also like knowing everything my animals eat, so I know what is in the freezer.


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## MoonShadow (Mar 1, 2015)

I kinda wish i could process my own meat if not only for the fact that i want to know my wethers had a good life free of abuse, but i cant physical eat meat without getting really sick(certain dairy as well) hency why im a vegetaria, my parents hate goat meat(ate it growning up and cant stand it ) and where I live isnt really a goat meat type of place if you know what I mean lol. So luckily for me I live in a place that is a relatively high in 4h groups and things like that. But I honestly hate to see things die as well. . My father wants to eventually kill our extra roosters for meat and I said "as long as I dont see them or interact with them or know the day they will die I probably won't cry" lol I dont know why im that way but im sure God has a good reason for making me so sensative!! Lol


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## llazykllamas (Dec 20, 2012)

I would so much rather have a goat be grown and processed for meat than for it to be bought as a "pet" and left tied up or without proper shelter, not fed nor cared for properly! Too many cute babies end up in neglectful situations!


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

This is a good topic, and lots of opinions on it, not one necessarily wrong. 

Where I come from ... when I started off with goats I never imagined I would process them. However, I screen homes carefully when it comes to my goats, and the long and short of it is, not everyone who wants a couple pet goats is ready for them. Thus I am faced with an issue. I cannot keep all of the extra boys, I do not want to bring them to auction for them to face an uncertain future either. As such, the boys are raised with extreme kindness and love, allowed to drink in the sun, eat good food, and hang out with their friends their whole lives. Their lives are short, but they are good. When I process them, I thank them. Not only do I not have to worry about their life quality, or them ending up at a rescue that already has its hands full, but I am raising my very own meat and starting a path towards a little bit of self-sustainability. 

I do not harvest the girls, since I have no problems finding them homes, and also if they are not sold, I could always retain them as milkers.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Seeing the conditions a lot of goats are in (especially here in ND, where many are still following the tin can feeding logic) bothers me far more than processing them. Right now I don't see any that look too bad on our classified website for the state but usually there are a few on there that look pretty ruff and in not the best conditions....and that's all spotted just from the one picture!


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

God made me that way too. It's good to be sensitive. The more sensitive you are towards animals the sensitive you are towards people. The more time and thought you put into something, the less the mistakes you make. If you are really sensitive you will feel when God is telling you to go do something or if that is wrong. It's hard to be sensitive because I find I cry a lot more than most people! Lol! Good thing Christ came down to earth to tell us the gospel, then die on the cross, raise again on third to save us from our sins. Now is is in Heaven preparing a place for all believers. I am glad to say I'm a believer of Christ! I love Christ!


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

Because Jesus is in my heart he comforts me through death.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Just be careful not to let sensitivity speak to you in the wrong way. While it can make you more empathetic toward people, it can also cause you to become jaded and judgmental or turn you inward to depression and anxiety. You must always stop and think with your mind, not your emotions. It is for God to judge and for you to only right what you can and pray for what you can't. 
Ultimately, you have to learn that control. Look at it this way, you are still very young. You have a choice right now to mature into being a light-hearted sensitive woman who is helpful to her friends and family, who shows love freely, and is the one people turn to for empathy in their own struggles. Or you can mature into a sad nagging bitter crone who never quite fits into this world.


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Well put goathiker.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Goats are one of the clean animals listed in the Bible for eating. 

In a lot of ways it's good to be sensitive, but that also has it's down falls. This is a tough world. It's great to love your goats and be sensitive to their feelings, but you also have to remember that they are animals. Us humans like to try and give human emotions to things that really don't have them. Do they get happy, get lonely, feel pain, etc. Of course, but the way we think and understand things does not correlate with animals. I don't think God would frown on the butcher and consumption of goats. In fact, you will find verses that state it's one of the animals okay to eat.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

We put one of our dairy girls in the freezer last spring. It was horrible, but it also seemed like the right thing to do. Someone in this thread commented that they "wouldn't eat their goats any more than they would eat their dogs." Well, I would much prefer to put my dog in the freezer than any of my goats! My goats are way more pets than my dogs (the dogs are only there to guard the goats, not be my friends). My goats, on the other hand, are practically house pets. Every one of them knows their name, does tricks, and accompanies us on daily walks--including the doe who is now in our freezer. 

But unfortunately we were faced with having to put her down in the prime of life. Since she had to die, it seemed a shame to waste her carcass. So we opted to have her butchered (we didn't do this ourselves--I don't think we could have), but took her to a local butcher who we believed would give her a humane end. To me, as long as the animal is dead, there is nothing undignified about harvesting the remains and putting them to useful purpose. We have eaten most of the meat ourselves and some has gone to feed our dogs (much healthier for them than dry kibble from the feed store). 

This was the first animal we've butchered, and while it was a tear-filled event, it was also a good life lesson. The hardest part is getting over the fact that this meat in the freezer is what remains of a good friend. However, there is dignity in having the body go to some better purpose than to feed scavengers and worms.


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

Thanks for all your opinions! This has been fun. My view still remains of not judging those who do butcher, but still not butchering goats. Thanks again!


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

I know it's not wrong to butcher, but it still makes me sad to think of doing it. I've been crying while reading all these! Lol! Not really, I have a cold and my eyes have been watering! Have a great Christmas!


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

agreed, it took me a while to get use to raising animals for food and im only 15


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

Oh. Yeah being a kid makes it tough!


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## Hodgson (Jan 7, 2014)

Jessica84 said:


> Big time pro butchering. But I'm also born and raised cattle rancher so it's my life. I am 100% ok with my kids being sold for butcher. I actually prefer it to be honest. I would rather them be a bit stressed out and their life end fast and painless then end up at a bad home where they just slowly die. Been there and it tore my heart out even though they were not pets. I love all my mamas and I love having the kids and calfs and watching them grow and tending to their every need, I love it all but I'm still ok knowing that I gave them a great life till their time comes.


I know what you mean! I'm still building my closed herd to the 200-300 doe range, and I am NOT looking forward to someday selling the extra doelings. I might just send them to slaughter instead. I've seen too many meat goat farms with goats not properly taken care of. I'd rather my kids' lives end when they leave here than spending the next 10 years suffering from poor health and improper care. I've started selling my meat kids directly to a slaughterhouse. Their lives are good up until the last 12 hours. No miserable weeks in a crowded feedlot or days on a truck to who knows where. I admit though, having those kids follow me out of my trailer and into the slaughterhouse, with trusting eyes and excitement for this unknown adventure, hurts my heart like hell.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Hodgson said:


> I admit though, having those kids follow me out of my trailer and into the slaughterhouse, with trusting eyes and excitement for this unknown adventure, hurts my heart like hell.


That really is the toughest part for me too.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Ours are eating a bowl of grain when they die...they never see it coming.


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

When my goats got eaten by our neighbors dog, they had just eaten a HUGR bowl of grain so they were very happy!


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

What I find fascinating about the whole butchering process is that the farther along the process I am, the more comfortable I am with it. For example, we butchered turkeys for thanksgiving this year and when I was catching the birds and cutting the jugular vein and all that, I felt a little bad. - I mean, I'm killing this animal. But, once I've got the feathers off and the guts out and it starts looking like how a turkey comes from the store, that uneasiness goes away. Logically, it shouldn't make a difference - it's always the turkey that just got killed, processed or not, store-bought or not. I think it just goes to show how far removed we are from the actual process behind all the food we eat. If there weren't grocery stores around for all of us to buy our food we wouldn't feel so bad about butchering - we'd know that's the only way we get our food! 

That said though, I wouldn't want to eat any of my goats.  They're Nigerian Dwarfs, anyway, so there's not all that much meat and they are just too darn cute and sweet for me to kill! I appreciate that turkeys are ugly, dumb, mean, and delicious.


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## wndngrvr (Dec 10, 2011)

Losing your goats to predators is awful - had that happen years ago. I would be so broken hearted if it happened again. We lost a lamb to a cougar also a few years ago and they are our biggest threat here I think. We do everything within our power to keep our animals safe and healthy. They lead a wonderful life here, are loved but we will butcher. I have sold wethers in the past that I wish I had not. Some have gotten wonderful homes and I am very happy for that -and I refuse to sell to some. I would rather give them a good life and a very quick humane end. Fortunately my husband will butcher and they have no stress at the end, nor do any of the other animals. I move the others out of sight when one is butchered also. We are meat eaters so why not supply our home with good quality meat. When you get your meat at the grocery store we don't know what kind of inhumane treatment it went thru, how much medications it has in it. Also I don't want to sell a cull and pass a problem to someone else so butchering is the best option there I think. We all have to make these decisions and some are very hard.


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

I raise dairy goats and I know where dairy wethers end up and I am 100% fine with it. Goats are livestock. Not pets. I see them no different than a cow, chicken, or hog. All livestock deserved to be well cared for from birth up to slaughter though. I am 100% against cruelty to animals whether it is a prized show stock or a wether destined for the freezer.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

You can't say goats are not pets too. They are very loving animals and I know people love them just as much as their dogs ect. I have a few real favorites who strive for attention. ;-)


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

All my goats are pets, milkers, bucks etc... They all have very different personalities, very curious, and I really don't have any mean ones in the bunch... So yeah, I get attached quickly, which makes it hard when decision time comes...


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I agree with Pam as well ... I have some girls I would sell my liver for before I gave them up. Patti and Xena ... they are my family, my friends, and my support. So my keepers are most certainly my pets and companions. I just have to compartmentalize since I cannot keep them all ... and I need to be responsible. But I /do/ love them all.


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## VVFarm (Dec 14, 2015)

I agree with most everyone else here. Meat goats (which is what I raise) are bred for meat. It is crucial that they have happy, healthy lives & humane (instant death) slaughter. 
That said, my does are very dear to me. Most are like dogs. I would no sooner eat my breeding does than my dog or cat. 
I respect & can understand where vegetarians/vegans are coming from.
I chose to eat animal products that are humanely raised. I don't buy my meat or eggs from the grocery store because I don't know how the animals were raised & killed. Or, worse (in the case of eggs) I do! But that's another thread.... ;-)


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

It took me 30+ years of goat rasing to finally ship one to freezer camp, but I did it every year now. I raise and send them in pairs. They live a good life while they are among us. They get wethered and stay with mom up until the day they leave (7 months or so). They get milk, grain and hay. They play with the other kids, just sort of lazing around.

There is just so many homes for male goats. Better to have them live a short life full of food and family than to sell them to live a horrible life. If you have a minimum amount of land and money, how can you afford to keep all your kids? After a few years, you would end up with hundreds of goats. With that many, you lose the joy of goats, since you can't possibly play with and pat that many goats every day. At what point would you become a hoarder? You have to sell excess kids or cull adults. What do you think happens to them when you sell them? Can you guarantee and loving home for life? Nope, especially for the males. You're just kidding yourself if you think that all your male kids will be kept as well cared for pets.

Goats are livestock. Goats are food. You can chose not to eat your goats, but you can't stop people from eating them. Goat meat is the #1 meat consummed world wide. Some of you who are against it are quoting the Bible, the very same Word that says it put animals on this earth for humans to use. Goats are one of the most mentioned in the Bible as sources of food or sacrifices. By saying slaughter is wrong, aren't you saying that the word of the Bible is wrong? 

What would happen if everyone suddenly stopped eating meat or animal products (eggs, milk)? Millions of animals would die horrible deaths because no one would be caring for them any more. They would starve to death or be turned loose to fend for themselves. If that is the thought process behind a persons refusal to eat meat, then it is flawed. If they do it for health reasons, then it's logical.


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## cybercat (Oct 18, 2007)

My pets live indoors. What lives outdoor is livestock. Livestock to us is food. Hubby was raised on a farm we now have our own small farm. My goats are my thing along with the chickens and ducks. What I do not sell ends up on the table sometime. Just a fact of life and now necessary as meat and store bought food is way too expensive.

I love my animals all of them. They get a real great life here free ranging all the woods and pastures. But reality is we grow our own food and that is that here. We also do our own butchering too. Nothing goes to waste. If we don't eat it the dogs do if not them it goes to the garden. Such is life and it is a good one.

Merry Christmas all.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

cybercat said:


> My pets live indoors. What lives outdoor is livestock. Livestock to us is food.


If that is the criteria, then my goats are pets and my dogs are definitely livestock. My goats come in the house pretty frequently because my stanchion is in the basement, and sick goats always come in by the woodstove until they feel better. We also bring goats in to watch movies with us on the basement couch from time to time.

My dogs on the other hand? No. Just no. They don't come in the house ever for any reason. They're hairy, they're filthy, and they're not house trained. It scares them to be confined indoors and they pee everywhere, unlike my goats who have pretty good potty manners. So yeah, in my house goats = pets, dogs = livestock. That said, I do have a good relationship with my LGD's and they seem to worship the ground I walk on even though I don't spend a great deal of time with them.

Personally, I'd have no moral problem with processing a dog (or a cat or a horse) for human or animal consumption. Other than what it tastes like, I don't discriminate between species when it comes to what can be eaten once it's dead. Not sure if it's legal to process animals legally designated as "pets" though. If I ever butchered a dog we had to put down, it would definitely be an "under the table" act.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I don't know I guess my goats are both. I adore them but at the same time they still need to be livestock and earn their keep or they need a new home. My cat does nothing so he's a pet lol my dogs are pets, although they better at least bark when someone comes breaking into my house to kill me lol but no I can't say that my goats are all pet. Even my old ladies I was kinda up in the air about what to do with them when they retired, they earned their keep for sure but now their job is to keep others company. Like I have one doe due any day, everyone else is with the bucks so those 2 old ladies are keeping her from being alone


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

The does in the picture are ones we got from Santa Rosa. They were being sold ASAP because there was a Cougar in the area. They are THE BEST GOATS EVER!!! We sure lucked out on this buy!


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## Steampunked (Mar 23, 2015)

I live in an environment where there is a lot of browse that cannot be turned into pasture or vegetable growth, so eating goat seems like a logical choice (when I cannot eat wallaby or kangaroo, which don't go feral and which are an extremely healthy meat). I'm extremely concerned about climate change and environmental degradation, and am as a result a fan of whatever recycling and low-impact living that we can make.

I also live in a country that is experiencing gradually more extreme storm events and hot weather events, which creates substantial problems with some of our water-hungry ecology. So any animal that can convert inedible browse to food is excellent. Cattle in this area are incredibly damaging to the native grasses, so an alternative for milk that is lighter is better.

That said, I have chickens I could never process - my three rescues who barely lay eggs, but who come running when I come out and remind me every day how grateful they are not to be in a filthy hole laying eggs with no light or space. I imagine that once I get goats I'll be the same...

Of course, I have chickens I can happily process! The saying around here with farm animals is: 'the nastier they are, the better they taste'.


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

I hope you will be able to get goats soon. That is what is great about them is they fit in every place that other animals can't. They are funny and lovable but have their purposes that other livestock can't do.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

If we did not eat surplus goats; we would have nearly a hundred animals on our 1 acre parcel.:shocked: We have sold a few and I feel better eating them than not knowing where they are ending up. Biggest problem is it is addictive. We can no longer eat meat from the store. I have trouble eating any animal that I have not known personally.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

> We can no longer eat meat from the store.


here too...just cant put that meat in our basket...only in desperation have we bought meat from a processing place..one near us who packages one animal in a pack..like hamburger, each pack is from one cow, not 100 different sickly beasts like walmart meat...but even then...its only out of desperation of really wanting beef..other wise we eat what we raise and process here...


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## gegegoatgirl2698 (Feb 1, 2014)

F-A-R-MdotUS said:


> We would no sooner eat one of our goats than we would one of our dogs.
> Of course, we choose to love all animals, and eat none! We love to help others interested in pursuing a life free of animal flesh consumption.
> 
> That said, meat eaters who raise their own in a humane fashion, who give their animals a nice life prior to slaughter, who are responsible in their herd management are not offensive to us at all - it's just not our thing! Some people forget that farmers who value their animals for their financial value have great incentive to develop (and ultimately share) effective husbandry methods and push veterinary pharmaceutical companies to develop new and better wormers/meds.
> ...


I often time have problems with people who are against the consumption of animal products but you are an exception. I very much respect your opinion and choices and love the fact that you are reasonable. Thank you for reminding me that there are people like you out there and happy holidays


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## cfish001 (Sep 1, 2015)

I see all of my goats as my friends. When I sell one, I try really hard to find a good home for it. I know I cannot control what other people do with their goats, but neither my husband nor I can bear to put any of our goats in the freezer to eat.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Love the respect on here from both sides of the spectrum.


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## Kennedymarne (Jun 16, 2015)

I eat meat, and I am not against slaughtering goats for meat (though I have never tried goat meat), but I am the type of person that gets attached to easily to eat my own animals or to raise an animal with the intent of killing it.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

I dont typically eat goat. Thats why I hunt deer  But there was one season we didnt get a deer and butchered a couple. If I couldnt hunt, I would most def be butchering and eating me some goats before they were a year old.


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## CaprineDream (Aug 22, 2014)

Personally, I feel I need to be responsible for what I eat. I can't eat store bought meat anymore. We buy part of a steer from my uncle next door, but we can see just how that animal is raised, treated, and what it's fed. Plus we butcher our extra roosters and drakes. We've only butchered one goat. We took two to a processor when we didn't have time to do them ourselves. In future years though, I hope to butcher any extra dairy wethers I have that I can't find an excellent home for. But I could never bring myself to butcher a retired doe. Haven't gotten to that point yet, so right now I'm not sure what we'll do with our retired does. I really love goat meat though. All wethers raised here are loved and cared for whether they'll end up as pets, packers, or meat.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

CaprineDream said:


> Personally, I feel I need to be responsible for what I eat. I can't eat store bought meat anymore. We buy part of a steer from my uncle next door, but we can see just how that animal is raised, treated, and what it's fed. Plus we butcher our extra roosters and drakes. We've only butchered one goat. We took two to a processor when we didn't have time to do them ourselves. In future years though, I hope to butcher any extra dairy wethers I have that I can't find an excellent home for. But I could never bring myself to butcher a retired doe. Haven't gotten to that point yet, so right now I'm not sure what we'll do with our retired does. I really love goat meat though. All wethers raised here are loved and cared for whether they'll end up as pets, packers, or meat.


I don't think I could butcher a retired doe either. They have given their life to produce kids and milk and whatever else and the lest I can do for them is to give them a good retirement with me.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I have one retired Saanen Doe...I could not process her...and I have a lamancha who will live her life out here no matter what...but cant help but think our farms will look like a retirement home if something isn't done with the old faithfuls..


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

I think there are some old faithfuls that earned their keep. As long as I have the space to make them a separate pen for them to live out their lives.


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

I agree. My does are good no to live out their lives with me. Good thing I only have two. Lol. But if I breed them I may have more


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

I don't know why it put *good no* I meant *going to*


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

They are only one. They have a long life ahead of them!


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## Crazy4Goats (Jul 18, 2015)

They are silly little girls!


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## GoatKid1 (Dec 28, 2015)

I hope for my two Nigerian Dwarf Goats to live for many many years

Who could ever eat such a cute goat?


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Wow, a fuzzy furry goat! How cute! Winter time is the fuzzy face time for goats!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I agree...I would love to keep them all..but imagine a herd of 50..100...200+....in reality its too romantic to think they all can retire and live out there life on the farm...and as many have stated, isn't it better you take care of their final contribution to you then some stranger?..Don't get me wrong..I have never processed a goat, yet, not sure I will...and yes I will have retired old faithfuls..but in reality...its just not practical for many...just saying, I rather know she was treated well, even in her final contribution, then shipped to market and not know how she was treated...


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Property and resources has much to do with the amount of extras a person can comfortably keep. I can allow myself 2 retirees at a given time. My home place that I own is only 1 acre. I have always been lucky enough to find close neighbors who needed this acreage or that area browsed clean, for the last couple years I had use of 5 acres of brush, this year I have use of 2.5 acres that includes an old apple orchard. There is a 10 acre area I've been offered but, it is across the highway and if they got loose there would be a lot more trouble than them eating the neighbor's prized carrot patch. Realistically, my keeper animals should never be more than the amount I can comfortably house and afford to feed in the yards and small barn on the home place.


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## Hodgson (Jan 7, 2014)

With my old girls, I absolutely refuse to send them to slaughter. That's where I draw the line. I told my husband that when the time comes, I will shoot them myself so he better build me a big burn pit. The couple hundred dollars I'd get for each one is not worth the pain and regret I'd feel about betraying them like that. They've paid their way with kids, a quick death free from fear and pain is the last act of compassion I can show them.


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## sassy (Nov 29, 2013)

I'm against eating goats... Just my opinion. But I couldn't imagine eating my goats that I raised from babies. I have a hard time with raising something then eating it ;(.


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## VVFarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Hodgson said:


> With my old girls, I absolutely refuse to send them to slaughter. That's where I draw the line. I told my husband that when the time comes, I will shoot them myself so he better build me a big burn pit. The couple hundred dollars I'd get for each one is not worth the pain and regret I'd feel about betraying them like that. They've paid their way with kids, a quick death free from fear and pain is the last act of compassion I can show them.


You're very unselfish and brave. I applaud you. 
I've not had to deal with this issue yet but I know that my old faithful friends are NOT getting shipped!


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## Steampunked (Mar 23, 2015)

Temple Grandin, an animal behaviourist researcher, has excellent points to make about how to change abattoirs and slaughterhouses to be more humane - her essays are very thought provoking.

Her website, http://www.grandin.com/, is terribly designed (Ms Grandin is also a researcher into autism, while having the condition, so she's not massively concerned with design!), but it has a lot of great essays on reducing livestock fear and stress. These are research articles conducted from peer reviewed research, right down to looking at levels of elevated hormones, rumen slowing or pregnancy losses in mishandled animals.

But yeah, there's a lot of articles on humane practices which could apply to goats as well - not shipping them to strange, terrifying places, appropriate use of flight zones, making sure ramps are designed to reduce fear in slippage under hooves, which sorts of shadows or sounds cause distress and which can cause a group to relax.

I really recommend the whole site for reading for those who consume home raised meat because they're concerned about livestock cruelty, it's got some awesome stuff.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

We give room and resources to the old ladies and let them retire in peace and comfort. They have provided us with years of babies and have more then earned the right to retire in peace. They stay here till they die or until they are in rough enough shape to warrant to be put down. Couldnt eat them even if they werent all tough and chewy lol  Thus why its easier to butcher a less then year old wild butcher kid. No attachments.


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## VVFarm (Dec 14, 2015)

I genuinely don't know WHAT I'm going to do. I haven't had goats long enough to have any pass their productive years. 
I raise Boers. I have dozens of does. All with names and personalities. I know each of my girls as a teammate in this farming venture. Each year I keep back about ten doe kids to add to the herd. 
To ship my old girls off to their deaths would be absolutely abhorrent to me. But neither can I keep everybody. I can't have dozens of retired does living out (and eating) their remaining & unproductive years. A few will certainly get that treatment, but not all. 
Do I take healthy, happy elderly does out back and shoot them?? That sounds horrible!!
I'm genuinely open to input and advice. What have other large-but-not-large-enough-to-emotionally-detach farmers done?


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Our place is relatively small. More than a dozen goats & we're busting at the seams.
Shortly after kidding time I joke that you cant even see daylight out there.
By three months most kids are sold off the farm or we take them to sale barn where there are meat buyers so I know they will be feeding people.
Most of the older does live out there lives here.
There was one old girl who stopped producing & was slated for the barn but I could never bring myself to do it.
On the other hand a friend had bought a doe who never did settle. She was four. He took her, knowing her inability to conceive. After a year & few tries with a fertile buck he decided to have her butchered. 
I went to his place to ask the processor to check the amount of any fat around reproductive organs. She had no ovaries!!
At my request he sent me home with a package of meat. It sat for a long, long time before I could bring myself to cook it but she was delicious. 
Just my two cents, but I would rather see them go for meat than have them die & rot in the ground.
We are both well over 60 with no heavy equipment & digging those huge holes by hand is not a breeze like it used to be.


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