Goat of the Week: Tyson the wether

I'm sure by now you've seen our "profile goat", Tyson.

This week he is our Goat of the Week....well, sort of? Let me explain.

We had horses, sheep and goats before Tyson. However, he was our introduction into raising meat goats. My sister decided to join Banta 4-H and raise a wether. I have to admit, I was skeptical. Could she really raise an animal for slaughter? Who even eats goats? There is probably going to be a lot of work...and it was!

So here is Tyson. He gained his name because when we unloaded him from the trailer to the pen, he "affectionately" bit my ear, a la Mike Tyson. He loved to eat grass and always wanted attention. He was much friendlier than Bella was as a kid. And he definitely wasn't camera shy!

Look at that goat model, looking off into the distance....

Tyson was shown by my sister at the 2011 San Joaquin County Fair. He was purchased by my neighbor.

Tyson at the Fair (left) and in the show ring (right)

When you raise an animal for fair and sell it, the animal must be killed (for market class only). This is to prevent buying winning animals for use at other (later) fairs.


So Tyson is no longer with us, but he was our introduction into the goat world. I think that makes him worthy of Goat of the Week, even if it is posthumously My sister's decision to raise him ended up getting me into blogging and our family into the goat business. If you told me I'd be here two years ago, I would have died laughing. The world works in mysterious ways!