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be careful with yer... GOATS!
04/01/04 12:13 AM
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I'm the injured one this time. Our Boer-cross Billy had to have some foot work done (trimming, cleaning, ect) He's one tough brute- easily 200 lbs of solid muscle.
We trimmed 3 weeks ago- with the help of a good strong assistant, I caught him and got it done. We let it go too long- I was watching the nannies feet, and figured he'd progress like they did. Lesson learned... nannies feet are fine- his were pretty bad.
I had to finish the trimming a week ago. I caught him on my own then with a Lariat, and cornered him in the barn. Fancy rope work held him while I carried out the task.
Doc suggested yesterday I give him a shot to help with the healing (he's favoring his left forefoot). I got the shot, came home, and went about catching him with that lariat. He wasn't real cooperative...
After three misses, I cornered him in a stall. He's too strong to manhandle alone, so I threw the lariat while standing in the doorway of that stall. As I threw the rope, he decided to come right through me. I was knocked over when he hit my legs and bounced my head off the doorway. His horn caught my right elbow also, though that is just bruised.
I got a nice little cut over my left eye, and a real nasty shiner to go with it. It could have been MUCH worse- the cut is 1/4 inch outside my eye socket.
I wasn't hurt seriously, thanks to some help from above. My friend who is an ER nurse saw a man last year who lost his eye doing the same thing, and said if I had fallen just a little differently, I could have been the second.
I always have a cell phone on me when alone on the farm. 'Course, lot of good that would have done me had I been knocked cold. Wife wasn't due home for 2 hours...
I caught him on the next throw, administered the shot, and went to the house for the first aid kit and a mirror.
Next time, I'll wait until the wife is there to monitor my progress. That way, IF it happens again, the chances of serious problems are reduced- at least she can grab the phone to call for help if needed. Plus, I'll never let him get in a stall again when catching him... he just did what he's supposed to do, I reckon.
I blame all these incidents on the cicadas which are due in a month. Indians locally viewed them as an omen of dire straits before the white man got here... I'm thinking they may have been right somehow.
Be careful, and don't repeat my mistake!
C1
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egon
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Veteran Member
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Reged: 09/12/02
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Posts: 3031
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Loc: Nova Scotia,Canada
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Time for a Goat trade in.
Egon
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Stoneheartfarm
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Veteran Member
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Reged: 10/10/02
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Posts: 792
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Loc: West Central Michigan
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Some things require more than one person.
It took three of us to milk our grade doe the first few times. Two to hold onto her and one to do the milking, and that was AFTER we had haltered and tied her. She had never been milked before and didn't like it. She's a big gal and can shift into 4 wheel drive to climb right up your back. After about a week, she settled in and now will at least stand for it.
You might need to work out some kind of a pinch board that you can use to hold Bill around the middle. Basically, it's a piece of plywood hinged on one side and set up so that you lure or chase the goat between it and the wall and then clamp down on them with the board. It helps if it's in a corner so it reduces one possible exit for the goat.
Otherwise, all you can do is keep working with him. He may or may not calm down. Just make sure you have back up.
Steve
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