Whatever Floats the Haiti Goats!

Being in Haiti was an experience for all of us, no one really prepares you for what you will see or hear, but it’s a great experience to get the opportunity to have. While we were there each one of us took the time to talk to the agriculture students at the university, about the practices of agriculture at home, since it’s A LOT different than it is in Haiti. It worked out perfect, because each one of us Ag students come from different backgrounds, our professor that went on the trip Meghan, and Mitch have great crop farming back ground, Dalton and Kyle come from Hog raising backgrounds. And I was kind of the odd one out, I come from a dairy cow and goat operation.

One day while we were there we went to look at the universities goat herd, which was one thing that I was interested and excited to see how it compares to some in the United States. In all reality what they have or did, doesn’t compare to operations in the U.S, it was basically an open pasture, that didn’t have much grass, with 25 goats. The animal science professor from the university came out to talk to us about the goats, and he grabbed one and then started to show us what he was talking about. On this particular goat he had, she has an infection in her ear, he was then explaining that he was going to treat the infection with some antibiotic. But like any person with a farm animal background, you have to be care what you give an animal, because if that animal is pregnant that medicine you give it could abort the baby she is carrying.  With this goat, the professor started to explain how they preg check, which is not the most ethical thing, and something that no one in the United States would ever think about doing to their animals. They preg check by, cutting off the goats airways, and waiting for its 2 back legs to shake, once they begin to shake, they let go so the goat doesn’t pass out. When they let go, if the goats pee’s its pregnant and if it doesn’t she open. Me being from a dairy goat operation, I didn’t believe in the science of it and told him I wouldn’t try that on the goats at home. But whatever was Floating his Goat!