Terrie Schweitzer

Congratulations and thank you for your work in making this happen!!

I had the same sorts of questions before doing this with two small goats (about 6-7 months old) a few years ago.

I didn't have firearms and was hearing much what others have said here...that it's not a sure bet. I had seen a mobile butcher slit throats, but worried that I lacked the skill.

I was pleased with the results of this process:

- Dug a hole for blood and the offal I wasn't going to use

- Got a Stanley Fat Max Extreme snap-off knife with new heavy duty blade

- Had a second person help hold the legs of the goat; lay it down with it's neck over the hole and keep it pinned down.

- I'm holding the goat's head with my non-dominant hand and arms, laying down next to it.

- Take a deep breath and pull strongly yet quickly across. No time to be hesitant.

The problem with this method is that the goat was in more distress than I would like, but it wasn't terrible. And other than that discomfort, I felt that it was a very clean kill. (They will make a running motion afterwards for a minute or so; this also happened when the butcher slit throats on standing goats.) It seemed to me it would be worse to try somehow to have them on their feet and mess up. I think you have to sort out what is going to work for you and your own animals to some extent.

Good luck!

I've banded goats. I don't recall the exact age, but it was less than six months. I was up for learning and told that they weren't bothered by it. In fact the two that I did jumped up, seemingly happy, and bounded away.

A few hours later, though, I happened to walk by the pasture and noticed that both were laying on the ground, panting heavily. It wasn't hot. I'm pretty sure they were in agony. I wouldn't do it again.

Later I found this; similar experience but told better: https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_rowe_learning_from_dirty_jobs/transcript?language=en