Boarding Woes...New Twist Not For the Faint of Heart

[trubandloki]

@Old_Mac_Donald

I don’t CARE that they ate the goat!
I do, however, think bringing livestock onto someone’s property is a fireable offence.

Repeat: I do not care about what was planned for said goat. I have eaten goat. We do goat curry.

Yes, but it is an offence to be handled by the barn owner.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

True, yes. BO sounds a bit lackadaisical by all accounts. I would certainly be looking a bit closer at their biosecurity measures.

[Bluey]

@TheJenners

Yeah I think this sums up my view pretty nicely.

The BO wasn’t even aware of it (and sounded shocked) so it isn’t like he/she is secretly running an animal slaughter. Probably the workers will be talked to about this and it won’t happen again anyway. Feel free to move if you want, it’s your money.

@endlessclimb

I’m still confused why a boarder is traipsing around the property in places they have no business being.

That, we are guests in other’s premises and polite boundaries indicate we stay where we are supposed to, not wander around to check things out?

Hear a goat, ASK, don’t go into private areas to look, they are private for a reason, to have privacy.
Think, if your neighbor hears a goat, is it ok to practically break in your house to see if there is one there, could have been someone teasing, a movie with goats bleating?

50 years ago we had a small goat dairy and sold milk in town.
Male kid goats were most grown for slaughter, is the nature of animal husbandry, of goat raising.
We didn’t handle but the goat milk dairy side, another local bigger goat dairy bought our male goats, so can’t say who those sold to.
Goats have always been livestock, not just cute pets.

Now, when it comes to want to board in a barn that doesn’t has live-in help that lives their own lives, some yes, slaughtering a goat (or pig around here) occasionally, that too is everyone’s prerogative.
Find a barn that fits your lifestyle better than that one does.

[trubandloki]

@Old_Mac_Donald

True, yes. BO sounds a bit lackadaisical by all accounts. I would certainly be looking a bit closer at their biosecurity measures.

Because they did not know someone brought a goat onto their property?

[endlessclimb]

Brought a goat they planned to eat, that was by all accounts being properly quarantined, no less.

The horror!

[Bluey]

@skydy

You fed a goat that belonged to the barn staff without their permission. According to your posts, you kicked up a fuss. Now it’s the barn manager’s doing?

I hope your post reflects that you now understand why you should not take it upon yourself to interfere with other people’s animals. Honestly, I thought people learned that lesson in childhood, don’t touch it if it is not yours.

If you are concerned, by all means ask about it, but don’t barge in thinking that you know what is best, when you don’t, and when you have not even tried to ask the animal’s owner about the situation.

This goes back to the strange attitude some have about raising animals for our use is ok, like our horses for sport, but not if we slaughter them?

Animal rights extremists are for complete hands off animals by humans.
Humans should never use any animals so there is no chance of animal abuse.
Illogical if we think about it, a fallacy, not all use is abuse.

Humans as caretakers take the responsibility of proper care, no abuse permitted.
The flip side to that is, what to one is use may to another be abuse, depending on each individual’s culture and beliefs.
Those of us in the horse world should be hyperaware of that, so many don’t approve of so much we do with our horses.

Then few take into consideration human nature as we have evolved to be that is, being at the top of our use of resources AND omnivorous, making that ultimate use of some animals thru slaughter.
In this context, vegans are not, as they claim “living a more natural way”, but an unnaturally restrictive way, according to human omnivorous real nature.

On the other hand, human nature also determines that individuals come in all flavors, each one differs in their preferences as individual and so do their cultures.
Restrictive lives as in vegan just one of those.

OP, hope this discussion you started may help you see the many angles you brought out and some ideas to move forth now.
It sure is helping everyone else, it seems, understanding the complications in our lives when it comes to how we try to manage when confronted with other’s lives.

Thank you for starting such an interesting discussion.

[fordtraktor]

Sure, maybe. But would you really fire a long term employee over a misunderstanding like this? I am a BO and good, reliable farm help is HARD to find. I’d err on the side of having a discussion for a first-time issue of basically any type that didn’t involve violence or harassment.

It isn’t so easy just to go around firing people every time they do something you don’t like, especially for fairly niche situations that are unlikely to happen often and are also cultural in part, IMO. Treating employees with respect and grace is ABSOLUTELY something I would require of any barn I boarded at. If a BO doesn’t treat humans with respect, they are unlikely to treat animals with proper care.

[trubandloki]

@fordtraktor, it only let me like your post once so I just wanted to tell you just how perfect it is.

[Bluey]

@trubandloki

@fordtraktor, it only let me like your post once so I just wanted to tell you just how perfect it is.

Me too, a few words and the right sentiment covering this situation, thank you.

[FjordBCRF]

@Bluey

Those of us in the horse world should be hyperaware of that, so many don’t approve of so much we do with our horses.

Don’t approve and/or just have no clue. This and everything else in your post. I follow a couple horse subreddits, and the amount of “is this horse neglected…I gave him xyz because he looked hungry” or called animal control/the police etc are astounding. Or a horse has a blindfold on I took it off (fly mask). Or in real life, a very good friend of mine has had the police called on more than one occasion because her horses were out in the cold…happy with full winter coats mind you.

OP with the goat falls into the same buckets as these do for me and makes me question both OPs age (seems very young but maybe not), sense of entitlement, boundaries (clearly they are lacking), and ability to be open minded. I am floored OP thought they would find support in posting this “atrocity”. I too hope that OP takes a few things away from this conversation and can self reflect as they are seeming to find or make issues everywhere they go.

[hoopoe]

@Texarkana

Plus, it’s not like you can run to the local grocery store and pick up pre-packaged goat meat anyway

It really does depend on where you live. I can drive one mile in either direction and buy Halal goat and find or order goat at the multiple Carniceria in a 5 mile range . I am not sure about the Indian supermarkets, I am usually focused on Vegan and Vegetarian shopping when there.

I live in the expanded western washington metro area, The idea of eating goat is not strange. Our community , here in my neighborhood, is very global and the many Asian, African, Middle Eastern and Latinx community drive demand for familiar products to use in making their favorite dishes.

A cabrito might be featured at a Quinceanera.

A properly isolated goat would not worry me in the least. At the first I was taking issue with isolation from food and water until it was mentioned that would be typical immediate pre-slaughter, I learned something there.

[Pokerface]

@jvanrens

Dairy farmers are not breeding for bull calves, they’d definitely prefer heifers, for future milking cows. Bull calves become veal most of the time, since most dairy farms don’t keep their own bulls and if they do, I imagine it wouldn’t be more than one. Dairy breeds don’t tend to bulk up as much as beef breeds, so what else are they going to do with them? By-product would be a good way to describe it.

I just had a “d’oh!” moment ! I am actually quite familiar with dairy cows and dairy farms, and the “bull calfs” part just completely blew past me. Thanks for the reminder .

[Angela_Freda]

@SpicyPRE

Given that they are living on someone else’s property, they should have received prior approval

Which certainly makes one question what else they might do without approval that could effect boarders.

The OP alerted the BO who was involved in the feeding/watering, of an animal on their property.
That fact has been repeated, repeatedly.
Then ignored. And the OP roasted again.

I’m not sure why people are being so hard on OP, Y’all are like a hound with a bone, … but Happy Holidays!

[sascha]

@pluvinel

If I recall Bio-101 the Male-to-Female birth ratio in mammals his higher for males. So yup, dairy farmers needed to figure out what to do with the male baby calves that were not pre-destined to be milkers.

yup, but it goes even further than that. Sexed semen goes to heifers/cows that have high dairy indeces - those that are pretty much sure to have calves that grow into cows that produce well, have longevity, good feet and limbs, udders that hold up well, etc. Even temperament is judged when cows are classified.

Cows/heifers that are not rated that highly but are still an important part of putting milk in the tank (read food on the table) are often bred to beef breeds. The resulting crossbreds are sold to beef farms to be raised as beef cattle, not veal. The money is better for the dairy producer.

Additionally, more and more, veal calves are kept in group/loose housing where they run around with their buddies and are not kept in crates.

[CanteringCarrot]

What a bizarre thread.

If I heard a goat at the barn, I’d just think to myself, “hm, there are goats here” and maybe chat with the BO sometime about the goats. I wouldn’t go looking for them.

It really irks me when meat eaters get bothered about where their food comes from and killing animals. You eat dead animals that likely weren’t treated very well and then slaughtered (maybe humanely, maybe not). Unless you make very conscious efforts and choices re where you buy your meat/who you buy your meat from. I really wish that more Americans could be more conscious about their food choices and where their food comes from. I really prefer the system that we have in Germany for marking/labeling food, but that still requires that people pay attention or care.

It’s just too rich when a meat water can’t handle animal processing.

Oddly, if/when I did eat meat, I preferred to eat animals that I knew because I knew how they were fed, raised, and slaughtered.

I think it’s a bit overkill to be concerned about meat processing as though you’ll see animals slaughtered and cut up everyday in the property. It sounds like a one off, and the OP didn’t even see any animal processing. For all we know they might’ve taken it somewhere for processing or would do it themselves later when no one would be around, and no one would be none the wiser.

I mean, I’d you’re looking for things to gripe about, you’ll certainly find them.

I’ve boarded at some lovely facilities that raised and ate various stock, mostly cows and chickens. Their choice, their property, it I don’t like it, then I leave. In this situation the BO didn’t know, but they know now, and they’ll deal with it how they see fit. I would just accept that and move on. That doesn’t mean I agree with the goat being there, how it was kept, or what was to be don’t with it. It means that the BO will handle matters on their property. I’m not going to clutch my pearls over it (especially if I were a meat eater), and I’ll just see how things play out. This could be a one off. If there continues to be stuff that you don’t agree with and feel very strongly about, then leave. This is sort of part of the tradeoff with keeping your horse on someone else’s property.

[CanteringCarrot]

@Angela_Freda

@SpicyPRE

Given that they are living on someone else’s property, they should have received prior approval

Which certainly makes one question what else they might do without approval that could effect boarders.
.

This is a point worth nothing. One shouldn’t be too paranoid, but keep a conscious eye out nonetheless.

[Bluey]

@CanteringCarrot

It’s just too rich when a meat water can’t handle animal processing.

Not really, I eat chicken and we had layers and sold the eggs and young friers but, once Grandma was not there to do the deed, she was swift with her catch wire and neck wringing, chicken never knew anything happened, no one else wanted to do it, including myself.
We had a neighbor that came and gladly took all chickens.

Not everyone can stomach the gruesomer parts, either the coup of grace, the processing and cleaning afterwards.
When it comes to bodies and body processes, each one of us has different sensitivities.

[CanteringCarrot]

@Bluey

@CanteringCarrot

It’s just too rich when a meat water can’t handle animal processing.

Not really, I eat chicken and we had layers and sold the eggs and frier ones but, once Grandma was not there to do the deed, she was swift with her catch wire and neck wringing, chicken never knew anything happened, no one else wanted to do it, including myself.
We had a neighbor that came and gladly took all chickens.

Not everyone can stomach the gruesomer parts, either the coup of grace, the processing and cleaning afterwards.

Not exactly my point, but close enough.

I’m not saying that everyone needs to process their own meat and he 100% comfortable with all aspects of it, but people are so (sometimes purposely) oblivious and detached re where their food comes from. You can’t be against animal processing and eat meat, IMO. Do you need to do it all yourself? No.

I think it’s just a pet peeve of mine, how detached we can be from our food, where it comes from, how it was raised/handled, and how it was killed.

If someone just picks up packaged meat from the grocery store without a care, their thoughts and opinions just don’t hold much weight, to me, personally.

[endlessclimb]

@CanteringCarrot

If someone just picks up packaged meat from the grocery store without a care

It’s this coupled with a visceral reaction (that when corrected, she isn’t even regretful for) that somehow slaughtering a goat is barbaric (and with that, the implication that the people doing the slaughtering are as well) - that’s where I have a problem.

If you want to pick up your packaged carcass from the grocery and pretend it wasn’t a living breathing animal at some point, so be it. Just don’t be a hypocrite when reality came to find you.

[Bluey]

@CanteringCarrot

Not exactly my point, but close enough.

I’m not saying that everyone needs to process their own meat and he 100% comfortable with all aspects of it, but people are so (sometimes purposely) oblivious and detached re where their food comes from. You can’t be against animal processing and eat meat, IMO. Do you need to do it all yourself? No.

I think it’s just a pet peeve of mine, how detached we can be from our food, where it comes from, how it was raised/handled, and how it was killed.

If someone just picks up packaged meat from the grocery store without a care, their thoughts and opinions just don’t hold much weight, to me, personally.

True, I am with you on that stand, people don’t realize what all we are using from animal products, from food to what we wear to shoes we walk in to what we sit on like saddles, cosmetics, you name it, some of it may have come from some animal,
Is just part of using what we have, why waste all those natural, renewable products?