Breezy Acres Tips and Tales

The most fascinating Floyd

By CHELSEA GRASSE
Posted 11/10/22

Floyd the goat has been mentioned a time or two in our past stories, and now you can learn what and who he was to us.

Floyd, an Alpine goat, somehow managed to escape death at least three times …

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Breezy Acres Tips and Tales

The most fascinating Floyd

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Floyd the goat has been mentioned a time or two in our past stories, and now you can learn what and who he was to us.

Floyd, an Alpine goat, somehow managed to escape death at least three times during his lifetime. He was once neglected and abused as a kid, on a farm where they did not care for him.

Then he was saved and brought to a new farm that gave him a chance at a better life and healed him of his illnesses. He seemed happy and loved all of his new friends, but the farm couldn’t keep him. No one was looking to buy him, and eventually, he was scheduled to go to slaughter.

My younger brother decided he would use some of his earnings from working at this farm to buy his very own goat—Floyd.

Floyd was then brought to our farm, where he was able to recognize Brownie and Blackie, who came from the same two farms. He quickly got along with the boys.

He would run and frolic through the field, on his long and lanky legs, when we spent time in the field with the animals. He thoroughly enjoyed the pine needles given at the end of walks. Floyd always managed to be lurking around a corner when we were doing chores, and always managed to make us smile with his stare and his perky ears.

You may not have known it, considering how scrawny he looked, but Floyd could pack away some food. He liked many different things, but his favorite had to be bananas. It didn’t matter whether the peel was on the banana; he would gobble it up in just a few seconds. If Floyd wanted to eat all the treats, he would bite and nibble on the other goats’ ears to make them move out of the way so he could get to all the food.

He also had an underbite—what is called a parrot mouth—so he ate food a little differently than the other boys, but he never seemed to have a problem.

One winter, Floyd was found out in the field, lying on his side in the snow. He was rushed to the veterinarian, and was found to have hypothermia. He was given supplements and stayed inside the house for two nights. He was loaded up next to the fireplace with blankets, a scarf and hat, and was snuggled until he was on his feet again.

After this, he was fine again for a while, but did finally pass away from his terribly arthritic joints. He lived on the farm for eight amazing years, full of spunk, love and appetite.

Floyd, Alpine goat, farm

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