# Should I butcher my wether this Nov. or wait till spring



## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

I have a wether that came as a package deal with my first doe.
We have always planned to eat him. He is just a dairy wether.

I can either butcher him this November or wait until march 1st.

As far as hay goes I would be short about 10 bales. But there is a lady near by that bought 140 bales of hay to find it wasn't "quality enough" for her horses (I guess weedy) but has never been rained on.
She could sell it to me for $1 a bale as she needs to move it soon.

What would you do?
Raise him another five months?

I dont know how much more weight he would gain but the the more meat the better.

Not sure but I think right now he is around 60-75 pounds (lifting guess...weighs more than a 50# bag of feed), so he would be at least 80 pounds by Nov. I do not feed grain to him.


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

forgot to say he was born march 14th so that makes him almost 7 months old


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

I woud think that feeding thru the winter would only be worth it if he still has a lot to grow. My goats eat lots more in the Winter to keep the weight on.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

I'd go on and butcher. Past 9 months or so the meat can start to get tougher, 6 to 8 months is when I'd say they taste best. Or you can by weight and most people would say ideal weight is 65 to 90 pounds.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Unless you have no other goats except this wether and his dam, I'd butcher him in Nov. One less mouth to feed! I have a dairy cross wether that I will do in Nov/Dec and he is only 3 months old right now. I cannot see him putting on much more weight if I wait. 

As far as the hay goes...that is a good price IF your goats will eat it. Have you tried it with them yet?


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

Okay thanks for the tips.

I will be butchering him sometime november (dont want tough meat) after we butcher the 12 turkeys.

As far as the hay goes I haven't tried it or even seen what it looks like. Come to think of it if its not top quality I shouldn't feed it to the girls let alone a wether. I might get some to use as bedding for some other animals, as it is dry and not moldy.


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