The two kids born this year, our first successful goat births, were originally bred for meat. However, we decided to keep Spot, the nanny kid, to replace Geraldine, our goat that died in labour in May. We have now decided to keep the billy Spotless. We have 3 freezers packed full of food, including lots of meat, so were he to be slaughtered, we'd have nowhere to store him. Secondly, we had always planned to keep a billy, though not one related to any of the others we have. Thirdly, the real reason. He is a lovely animal, very friendly and we have simply grown very attached to him. Okay, so this is sentimental, illogical decision-making by us. It would certainly have been the case that had Geraldine survived and given birth, some kids would have been sent for slaughter, even if it would have meant buying a new freezer. But we weren't in that position. We will have to change some of the arrangements on the plot where we keep the animals. We will need to build him a separate paddock where he can be kept when the other goats are in heat. We are also looking to buy a young Saanen nanny as a mate for him. His father is a Saanen and he has the appearance of a Saanen (he looks nothing like his mother). Saanens are a milking breed so if we build up a small milking herd, he will be part of it.
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