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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Marie McHarry wrote:
> In my experience, I've observed that goats don't fight like cattle do
>  by trying to hook the opponent with their horns. They go head to
> head, which can lead to copious amounts of gore if you have bucks
> with scurs but not to tearing wounds. Horns actually are handy to
> grab a reluctant goat.

Only head to head??  Well, yeah, I have seen that, but in my barn, they
would butt each other in the back or side as well if for example, Xena
was laying in Isis' spot.  They butt in the udder area if the receiving
goat is laying down and the offending goat is standing.  They would very
often ram each other in the sides to move their fellow goat out of the
way if they were competing for my attention.  In my experience, they
butt each other all over.

I do agree with the 'caprophile' sentiment about certain dogma.  I know
that there are some who see no middle ground.

I thought of one other thing on the 'horn' issue..  I think I said
before that disbudded does sell for more/are more in demand than horned
does.  When it comes to selling a buckling for meat, I think the
opposite is true, especially if you sell to Hispanics.   They want them
intact and with horns, natural.  So I suppose it evens out.
I honestly don't think there is a wrong way, just a personal preference.

> > Like that, most goats I see around here, and there are lots now of
> > days, most have their horns (because they are brush goats or meat
> > goats) and I know lots of people who milk horned goats.  I've never
> > even heard of anyone being injured by a goat's horns.

I know two people who have horned milkers.  Like you, I've heard of
close calls, but no actual injuries to people.  I'm not familiar with
the natural orientation of horns on all breeds, but with the horned
goats I have had, their horns are in a position closer to their body
which seemed to prevent goring accidents.  However, that same 'safe'
position makes it a pain in the butt to remove their heads from the fence.
  Lot's of incidences of the
> > fool things getting their heads caught in fences, but that only
> > means you have the wrong type of fence not the wrong type of goat.

Why is a cattle panel wrong?  Other types get stood on and pulled down.
     They did get hung up in the field fencing sometimes, but usually,
they just broke the wire and were able to release themselves.  I can
walk my fence and see where that happened<G>.  In the barn area I had
cattle panels around their 'yard' and the horned ones seemed to always
get their heads stuck.  If I had not been out and about and heard the
cries, I'm pretty sure they would have strangled themselves in a panic.

B
--
"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public
debt  should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered
and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed
lest Rome become bankrupt.  People must again learn to work, instead of
living on public assistance."

--Cicero, 55 BC
http://erthnsky.blogspot.com/