Ok Rabbis--

I ahve yer another farm-related issue to bring to your good judgement (I am so happy Torah addresses this stuff, else I would be crazy trying to figure out what to do).

I have a herd of goats (Nigerians for milk/ Boers for meat). Both are very calm breeds in general. Especially the Nigerian Milk Goats. The problem is with the billy of the Boers. He never chases and rams people, but he continually comes up and hooks them with his horns as if to throw them over his back. He has never seriously damaged anyone, but I have bruises all the time from him. I keep threatening to do something about it, but we need him for breeding. I have been so angry with him I have been calling him "Shofar" because that is all he is good for personality wise. If I did away with him, I could use my other Nigerian male (very gentle) in his place. It would not be a pure bloodline but at least I would have a chance to heal! He doesn't even care when I belt him with a switch! It is like he doesn't even feel it! Technically he isn't a real danger (life-threatening), but borderline.

Also, I have a horse, a hunter-jumper. I love him but he is a bully and he ran up on me last year and his weight broke my foot before I could whack him hard enough to make him back off. Grrr. I still have a lot of pain in it. I realize he is just throwing his weight around, but unlike an unruly 175 pound goat, a 1700 pound horse can kill without trying! His bloodline is also a very good one, and I have been advised to have his seed in cold storage and to have him cut so he will behave.

I realize there are specific commands against cutting off a male animal's ability to pro-create. However, ther are also strict laws against having a dangerous animal. Which is better? To have an animal cut to save his life (and others getting hurt or worse, due to exessive hormones) or to have to put it down for bad behaviour. Obviously neither have gored anyone--yet--(and that is the Torah example). But I need to make sure my animals are safe enough for us to go and feed without taking our health/life in our hands!

I always feel for Yaakov when I read about him tending goats day and night. You have no idea how much a pain that is!!!

Help!

Animal sterilization is forbidden from the Torah. You cannot even ask a goy to do it. (Either you can't tell a Goy to do any Aveira for you or it's l'Fnai Iver, since they could be also obligated in it.)

The only Heter I can see (though I didn't look for too long, so if you want to go to another competent Orthodox Rabbi that might find a Heter you could) is to sell it to a Goy (who wouldn't do the procedure himself, but would send it to someone else to do it.) then you're not responsible for what happens afterwards. (This is a complete sale and not sell it for a day to have him return it to you after the procedure.)

Hmmm. Well that means dinnerplate (off to shoket) for the Boer, leaves me in a pickle with my horse. Thanks for letting me know!

Is there no way you can sell them?

Rav Chaim-- I could do so eventually. The horse is the real struggle. He has an outstanding bloodline and I want that preserved. I wanted to have him collected then gelded, but since that is not a possibility, I shall have to rethink the matter entirely. The goat's departure will mess up my breeding program to some extent, but it isn't that big of a deal. The Boer industry in the southern states has waned significantly regardless of what is written about it. There is another reason I keep the little stud-- he was the only offspring of my prize Belgian stud who was tragically murdered (with a PELLET GUN!! Eight pellets brought down 2000 lbs of horse. Didn't think it possible!) by someone over a year ago. He was very very dear to me. I wuold have traded the whole farm for that one animal. So even though his son hasn't the same perfect gentle disposition, the sentimental value I'm afraid has got the better of me. By the way-- they never caught who did it. My daughter found him while she was out to feed. Dreadful.

UPDATE:

I have sadly decided to sell this horse. I can find no other acceptable answer. He has now injured another animal, (a goat), maliciously trying to yank it through the gate into its own pasture, and I cannot abide the risk. Even if they choose to geld him, I will not purchase him back. It is sad it has come to this, but even though he is "just being a horse" he has become too great a liability on the farm to the animals and people.

The rule on the farm has always been "no mean animals" and I have broken the rules for him twice and both times have paid consequences. I do think having had him gelded would have prevented these incidences, but since I am bound on that front, I see no other choice. I am selling him to someone who doesn't have smaller animals and children to worry about and therefore can deal with his nature more proficiently than I.