# Goat Meat?



## Island Creek Farm (Jun 16, 2010)

I know this may be a touchy subject, but does anyone use their "excess" goats for meat? I was curious how common it is...if I opened a can of worms, I am very sorry!

It crossed my mind, though we are not "hard core" homesteaders, I garden, hunt deer for venison, cull and eat our non-egg laying hens and fish. I do like the thought of having meat that is not feed lot raised, steeped in meds etc...


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## MiaBella Farm (Jul 22, 2008)

Yes, lots of people do...we raised some Boer Goats for that main purpose and still have some of the meat left.

We will also raise a Nubian wether for someone for the right price...done that too! :biggrin


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes, my family eats goat meat. We raise 4-8 wethers a year for personal meat and to sell. We take them to the closest USDA plant and I sell cuts out of the freezer. We will be doing more next year, there is a good market here for the meat.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

We eat goat meat also. Nothing better than a big hank of goat jerky :biggrin. Our loud and obnoxious does get eaten and we have one now that I want to breed for spring but if she keeps it up I won't even advertise her :twisted :twisted as she is pushing my last button :mad. If you don't behave in my barnyard I will eat you with a smile on my face. And some get butchered because its their purpose. Here is such a circumstance. Penny (Boer) has a stifle joint injury and so she needs to fulfill her job. We will be butchering Penny on Sunday and I can't wait for more sausage Sorry Alexis...I know Penny is your baby 
Tam


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## Fiberaddict (Jun 4, 2009)

Yes - we will be sending the excess kids to "freezer camp" next year (this year we retained everybody. Don't have room to keep that up, though!). The kids and I have an agreement - those destined for the plate will be named "food" names - Sausage, Fajita, Cabrito - so that it's not so hard on them (the human kids).


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

Even with food names I think it makes it harder to kill them. My rule is no name at all. Any wethers destined for the table are boy goat or boy goat number 2. No names for pigs, rabbits or chickens either other than the breeders. Our new neighbor who is helping us around the farm for experience and who has not been around a farm situation before thought she could just call all the boys destined for food 'charlie'. Worked fine for the rabbits, but then I started getting little sad faces from her and her kids and even my boys when we talked about eating 'charlie' the goat. Nope. All boy goats from now on. She says she understands now. No more 'Charlies'.


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## Rose (Oct 26, 2007)

We sell excess for barbecue (cabrito.) We've tried the meat, but didn't like it much. It's going to the dogs for their breakfast, a pound at a time.


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## IXEL (May 17, 2010)

That's ok Tammy, Boer goats were ment to be used for meat. At least she will be used in a good way insted of letting her body go to waste. 

I eat my weathers if they don't sell (I usually sell my does to Tammy because my mom and I are to attched to them), mmmmmmmmm burger! I have to add in seuit because it is so lean, it won't stick together! lol


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep we raised a buckling this year for the first time in ages for Easter dinner and will do the same next year. Although I have buried two adult does (softy about them) all older does and bucks are butchered. Vicki


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## mydakota (Jul 1, 2010)

My family are all South Park fans. We name all the goats bound for the freezer "Kenny". That is a cue to the kids to not ever get too attached to "Kenny" too.


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## Ozark Lady (Mar 21, 2010)

Wethers and nuisance goats are ate by us.

I was amazed how meaty pygmy buck kids are. We had one being a nuisance, he sure made some awesome jerky.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

We have a freezer in the barn that is for the dogs. 
It is full of goat meat and rabbit carcasses.
We wether all bucks that are not reserved in advance unless they make me say WOW the minute they stand up.
We let them eat weedy spots fenced in with cattle panels while they are little and then they run with the bucks until there is room in the freezer. It's part of the cycle if you work to have each animal group contribute to the well being of the whole.
Lee


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## hammerithot (May 31, 2010)

We plan to eat any excess kids next year. We've already done in a couple of chickens. The first got trampled by a horse and it was clear she wouldn't recover. So, killed her and ate her. Did the second because all the hens had stopped laying, and we wanted to make chicken pot pie for the church social. Of course, the day after we butchered her, the same horse that trampled the first chicken stepped on and broke the leg of the last chicken! She's in the pen with a splint, healing nicely. Should really do her in, too, as she's not laying. But, for me, it's the killing part that's hard. Once they're dead, no problem. I worry about actually doing them in.


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

OH YES ! We eat all the wethers that dont sell,they make great smoked sausage that is put into casings and smoked on the grill . We have several this year and will butcher this fall . The meat is also good made into burger and other cuts. A very lean meat,disease free and heart healthy much much better tasting and safer than storebought.
I have never ate a doe of any breed as we have plenty of % Boer wethers.


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## catdance62 (Mar 2, 2009)

yup, we eat ours too. That's all we eat, and our chickens and wild hog people give us. We just got sheep, so I'll bet sheep is on the menu next year!
Sometimes extra kind people who frequent this forum bring us rabbits! Yum!


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## Ozark Lady (Mar 21, 2010)

I know there are ways and there are ways of killing animals for the table, not a pleasant thought, I know.
I never could do the killing, per book, recommendations.
I can take my .22 and get the job done. But, it isn't fun to do. It does remind you of what meat really represents.
We also butcher chickens and I still use my .22 to get the job done.


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## IXEL (May 17, 2010)

"We also butcher chickens and I still use my .22 to get the job done."
POOF! it's gone! lol Just had to make fun of that, I coulden't resist!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep it was a joke during dinner for us also... we dont' even use ammo to butcher wethers. Machette off the head when they reach down to eat some grain I put down.

Logistically where do you shoot it and how do you hold it to shoot it. I told my husband he can hold the bird and I will shoot it's head off  At 20 paces!!! LOL! Vicki


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## hammerithot (May 31, 2010)

Shooting is relatively easy. Having been obliged recently to do in a "client of a client's" horse, I can say it's not hard to get it in one shot, even on such a large animal, if you know where to fire. It's still extraordinarily unpleasant. Even when the horse's leg is dangling in complete fracture. My experience is that putting down an animal in pain is far worse that doing one that isn't. There is much more flopping and twitching when the animal is suffering than when it isn't. I know I *can* shoot the goat; that's not the issue. I worry about causing unnecessary suffering if I "miss!"


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

EEEEeewwww I dont like suffering, I feed and then 1 shot behind their head while they eat . My son is a excellent shot from being a gunner in service so he has that task for goats but for chickens and ducks,I have a new sharp tree lopper that I use after I tie their feet to rope,(after rubbing their head comb downward and they go to sleep) in tree and then (I pull the duck or chicken down so the bird will bleed out up off the dirt) and then step on their head (with just enough pressure to hold it down so I can hold the rope in the tree with one hand and .... snip of the head with the other hand while the other end of lopper is steady on the dirt ! I do this by myself. With a sharp lopper it is quick like a axe.


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## Nana (May 12, 2010)

Ok here is a real question for you. If my family ate a lot of goat meat (There are 9 living here) how many meat goats would we eat per year? I have no idea how much meat is from one goat and only have my first baby whether. I guess we will have to first see if we like it. I do have a fainting (pet) goat that I am thinking is a good size for eating. Shhhhh don't tell the kids I may tell them I am selling him.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

> I worry about causing unnecessary suffering if I "miss


So that is why you use a knife for butchering purposes. 
Straddle animal and place your hand under the chin- pull upward and slice.
It's over in a second and they bleed out far better than shooting ever allows.
Keep in mind this only works for typical young wether sized animals that can be contained between your legs.

Nana you question is based on how many times a week you require meat in your meal. 
My husband eats meat about twice a week. Me not at all. Our son in law wants it every time he eats so there is a huge difference in how much you will go thru depending on how many times you prepare it in a week. I think you may be asking how much meat can you expect to get off a carcass and that will depend on breed- feed regime- age at butchering and how willing you are to really use every thing the goat offers in the way of food. Since we feed our dogs with goat meat as well as rabbit we do not use the whole carcass for the house.

I think that sounds like a very cruel way to kill chickens and ducks. Talk about suffering. It's funny how goats rate a different death than birds or fish. Do you not relate to how terrified the bird is while you are trussing it up and stepping on it's head?
Such a funny hierarchy of death. It is very effective to hold them under your armpit with the hand of that arm splayed at the base of the neck to hold them in place and then grab the head with the other hand and jerk hard and quick. Dead. Chickens are easier than ducks and geese are chopping block material. For very large poultry it works to use the net bags that onions and potatoes come in. Place the bird in the bag with only head and neck out-tie shut. This will keep them from flapping and then you are able to decapitate with little additional restraint.

Gross- I am having zucchini for supper myself- carefully and quickly snipped with bonsai shears. :biggrin


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

We eat goat meat here. USDA reports it to be 40% less fat than chicken without the skin. I give them a shot for pain with a 22 pistol right behind the ear - aimed toward the brain. They drop immediately to the ground and my knife quickly catches the throat.


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## Nana (May 12, 2010)

So lets say you roast an alpine yearling on a spit over a fire. How many do you think could eat off of it and be satisfied. Of course there would be other side dishes to serve as well. :/


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## Pam V (Jan 3, 2009)

Fiberaddict said:


> Yes - we will be sending the excess kids to "freezer camp" next year (this year we retained everybody. Don't have room to keep that up, though!). The kids and I have an agreement - those destined for the plate will be named "food" names - Sausage, Fajita, Cabrito - so that it's not so hard on them (the human kids).


Yep- thats what we do here, too. This years was named Crock Pot. We've had grinder, sausage, meathead (that was pushing it) and will continue. It keeps things in perspective. Cabrito is a good one, thanks.


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

Yes we have. Dc and dh are fine with it, I am the one who tends to be a bit more reticent.

Tho we lost a much loved milker this spring and I did what I never thought I'd do--I kept her skin to tan as a momento. Before now the thought would have bothered me, now it is a comfort, a reminder of my joy in her.


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## cybercat (Nov 26, 2008)

OK I have a question. Does dairy goat taste different than meat goat? I know that dairy cow is much better than meat cow due to the meat being a bit sweeter. Those that have had say jersey to angus perfer the jersey. I wonder if say one of the dairy goat breeds would taste better then a meat goat breed.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

I can tell no difference in either meat, only aged compared to young, pasture fed compared to dry lot fed.
Tam


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

I butcher all babies at 8 to 10 weeks that aren't for production I also leave for the most part all of them on thier dams This is the best tasting tender milk fed only meat there is. Have some canned now For many years I grew them out and then sold them for meat but just not cost effective for sure.


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

When I have to start buying feed is when they are butchered ,otherwise they are grown on pasture & browse. We have started taking them to a processor and then pick up instead of home butchering,easier for us but still better and cost less than store bought.
We have only ate boer and boer/dairy crosses so I dont know about just dairy .however it all taste the same to me and especially mixed with spices.


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

To answer your question: I have a family of 3 and we go through 3 wethers a year and assorted chickens and 3 or so turkeys, all farm raised. I butcher at 60- 75 pounds sometimes more.


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## alliesfarm (Jun 13, 2010)

We eat or sell all of our wethers born every year. I cross most of my dairy does that I just want to keep in milk with my boar buck or my gene master buck. This way I can produce meatier kids and still keep my dairy does in milk. These crossbred kids grow fast and I find it much easier to sell them for meat than when I was selling dairy wethers. :/


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## Squires (Jul 23, 2010)

A mentor of mine told me to keep one lamb or kid per month per PERSON. Especially to build up strength for anybody in poor health. Her son was a body builder and her husband was an invalid with a disabling illness -- she worked two jobs and raised livestock on top of it. They all needed good, nourishing food to keep up their strength. So they went through 36 kids or lambs in some combination every year.

A person can eat a quarter of a small milk-fed animal a day -- the milk-fed meat is AWESOME. A larger kid or lamb lasts a bit longer. 

I have a yearling buckling that I don't really want to keep, and friends who cook Jamaican food say they LOVE that type of goat meat. Some people say you can't notice the buck flavor with all the spices and curries, but, others say that a strong buck-flavor is essential to a good goat curry. An extension agent says there is a real demand for stinky old bucks for curry-stew in NYC.

I think I will be turning the buckling into ground meat, giving some to my friends and asking for Jamaican patties or pies in trade. 

Chris


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

That is an insane amount of meat eating. People in poor health need balance not a huge amt of meat. 
You can 'keep up your strength' on a proper balanced diet with quite a bit less flesh consumption.
They just prefer to eat it. People who live near here are like that too- they don't think they have eaten unless there is meat on the plate.
My son is a fitness trainer and works with several very competitive athletes that are vegetarian and they are not in the least in any way weak but rather prime specimens of humanity. The human digestion is designed to process 2 to 3 oz of flesh at a meal combined with other foods. If you doubt this check out the lines at the pharmacy and hospital for diet related illnesses. 
We are killing ourselves and our planet with this unhealthy level of meat consumption. 
How on earth would you have room for any other intake if you ate a quarter of a milk fed animal a day? 
That is just astonishing thinking and a hopefully not a very common occurrence. 
Good nourishing food does not mean meat in huge amounts! This is a cultural problem. Look at the huge displays of digestive aids in every store.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

My plan was to eat all excess buck goats. But, my boyfriend won't eat them, and it doesn't appeal to me so they are still out in the pasture making pests out of themselves. I can't send them to market due to ethical concerns and I don't know of anyone whom I trust to come and humanely shoot and butcher them. So, I probably should get out of the business all together. I do love my goat milk though.


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## Feral Nature (Oct 26, 2007)

We eat goats. Milk fed kids are the best. The younger the better. We shoot them (either me or hubby) and cut the head off real quick and hang them in the "hanging tree". Once the head is off, it looks like meat with skin on, so it is not so sad or disturbing. It becomes like dressing out a chicken or something then. It's meat.


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## Squires (Jul 23, 2010)

Yes, it isn't much different than chicken to process, and milk-fed is really delicate and tasty. Right now I have a turkey who is many times bigger than a milk-fed kid, with less bone and waste, but won't be nearly as delectable! 

Goat meat -- especially from older kids and goats -- is very dry. Best made into stews, curries, braised or otherwise cooked slowly with lower heat. Or made into jerky. 

I just realized, my custom butcher does make jerky . . .


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## Feral Nature (Oct 26, 2007)

We smoke goat on the smoker pit outside. Best way we have found. Slow for hours at a low temp about 250. Lots of basting.


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