One of the most disagreeable tasks presented to any goat herder is castration of bucklings before they become sexually mature. Meatball, Emily's buckling, has reached 7 weeks, and the deed had to be done. There are three methods of castration, but the easiest for the human, and possibly the hardest for the buckling, is by using the Elastrator. Poor Meatball! It isn't enough to remind myself that wethering him (castrating him) will give him a chance to live, rather than just got straight to the auction for meat. Watching his discomfort, his pain, is hard and guilt-filled. It generally takes 2-3 days for a buckling to be back to normal. Tonight I've given him homeopathic Arnica. Hopefully it will make him more comfortable, poor little guy.
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