# Raising Dairy kids for the Freezer



## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

I have more does kidding than I ever have this year, and though I've purchased 2 very nice bucks out of great bloodlines, I don't want to sell bucks from them till I see their daughters freshen. That leaves me in a pickle though because I don't think I could possibly find nice homes for all the little guys, and I refuse to take them to auction to be passed around. My family and I have tossed around the idea of putting a few in the freezer for us. I would prefer to know they are healthy, happy and loved for a few months than see them passed around for year or killed inhumanely by someone else. I'm a dairy girl through and through though, lol, and don't know the first thing about actually going about this. We have a processor that will do it, just drop of the goats and then pick up the meat the next day or so. Is there any special way I should raise these kids though? Do you fatten 'em up? They will be Nubian kids and Alpine kids. At what age would be best? Do they HAVE to be castrated if we take them pretty young (if we separate them from the doe kids of course)? He said to let him know our preference of cuts... errr.. help? What kind of cuts do you prefer off of your market kids? Especially for first time goat cookers/eaters. :laugh: Then there is the question of what makes it easier for you (emotionally) ? I don't think I will name them. But they will be on bottle/lamb bar. Which make me nervous that I just couldn't stomach eating my kids. My dad said it would be easier than I thought if I didn't know which kid. The kids are just gone... and we magically have goat meat  

Thanks for any input!!


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

I have two Saanens and one sanubian. Only one doe so far has had kids.

First year she was bred to a Saanen buck and had one buckling. He was banded, but it sort of wentr wrong. He started acting bucky around 5 months of age, we butchered hoim at 6 mos of age. The meat, to me, tasted bucky and I didn't like it. The dogs did tho! Last year we bred her to a Nubian and butchered the buckling, who was a wether at the time, at 5 mos. I did not taste the meat as we butchered him for dog food.

On dairy you won't get alot of meat. I would wether the boys at an early age and let them grow for about 10 mos. You will get a bit more meat then. Some people like buck meat, but to me it tastes nasty, so all my boys that go in my freezer are wethered at 7 weeks. 

As far as emotionally? I did not like the first guy so shooting him was easy. I did like the second guy so it was a bit harder. I just brought him out petted him and then walk away while he was shot. Hubby does all the skinning and cutting up. The friendlier ones are harder for sure. Having to take them to a processor seems a bit easier, we do our own here. I don't feed anything special. They get browse and some grain in the summer and hay in the winter. 

Hope that helps!


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## primal woman (Sep 17, 2011)

Keep them dewormed to allow them to grow as meaty as they can. I would not feed grains as I want my own meat because I don't want grain fed animals. Natural feed for them is best and the most nutritious. Emotionally, you just have to stand tall and do it. It can be tough for some, but it would be tough to starve too! Tougher yet to eat store bought commercially processed foods! :sigh:


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

We dont castrate & take them in 4-6 mos. We have an excellent proscessor. Once he did a buck who was well over a year old. We had him all ground; the meat was out of this world!! No hint of his buckiness at all.
I dont feed mine any different than the does. And unless we have kept one for breeding they dont get wormed or vaced.


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## QualityCaprine (Nov 24, 2007)

We butcher our own alpine or nubian bucklings. We band them. My husband does it at about 6 months. he shots them in the head and butchers them like deer. We then quickly grind up the meat. I can honestly say that I can not tell the difference between our ground goat and ground beef. I love it, but we only get about 10 t0 15 pounds of meat per kid.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We LIKE goat meat. Do NOT name the ones you are going to butcher. We are eating "Shortcake" right now and my daughter has a tough time with that. I was raised knowing that the cattle we raised were for food....even watched some of my 4H steers get butchered. Do wether them...they will grow better and the meat will taste better. Get the leg as a roast and google recipes. There are a lot of really good recipes out there or even just make it like a regular pot roast (just let it roast til it's falling off the bone done). Have the rest made into ground meat. Or....get someone to roast the whole goat for you. The first goat I ate was roasted kid put into a pit dug into the ground and left over night. OMG! Soooo good! If you know someone who does the "pit bbq", consider having one done that way too.


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## gibson94 (Sep 24, 2011)

we just had processed 3 10 month old weathers we had casturated at about 8 wks of age.out of the three we ended up with 107 lbs of meat,which i thought was preety good.we fed them hay,very little grain as the weather got colder,and even gave them 1 16ounce bottle till they were around 7 mths old.boy was that an experience to talk about another day :ROFL: we had sausage ground & mixed half with hog meat,everyone raves over that,some ground into burger that is the best,some chops &round steak.the ribs are indiscribably delicous,and even the liver was the mildest and tenderest i have eaten.we went into this for the milk & the meat,but yea it does get rather emotional.i give them the best life i can right up to processing time,and feel the better for it.sorry for the long post.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

I don't think I could eat my own goats, even if I didn't name them.  If I ever have to, I'll try to find someone else who doesn't want to eat their goats and then we'll trade.


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## Guest (Jan 30, 2012)

I like finding a big wither at the auction, 140lb or better.
It makes it easier although I don't have any problem butchering them myself. If you take them to our local locker it is a flat 50 bucks per goat. A couple of years ago I had a big doe butchered, at the same time I had hogs done, and ground with 10% pork trim mixed in, that was the best burger ever! And the spaghetti man I'm hungry. 
When I do it myself I just bone the entire animal and package it in zip locks and freeze it. Then it goes in the crock pot or on the grill.
It is hard to beat goat meat.


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## spot (Jan 7, 2012)

i butchered my 1st weather in november. killing him was a bad moment. the butchering itself was easy. we hanged the meat for 4 days. he got banded 6 weeks old. he got the 'coming home' grains with his sisters. he had quite some fat in his belly.the meat is good, but the pieces are little. when i researched the butchering i learned that goats are a main meat source every were else in the world.


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