# Putting More Meat on a Goat



## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

We butchered our wether today..he was 1/2 saanen 1/2 nubian and only going on 6 mos old. In the future I will wait until they are older, closer to a year, but he had to go now. Hubby said he weighed about 40 pounds live weight.

My question is: how do you feed to put more meat on them and less fat? Of course, hubby says I over feed them and tthis guy had been in his pen for almost two months without much exercise...I will have a better set up next year I hope! One where the kids can get out and run around more. 

Being young and penned up, just fed hay......there was alot of fat. So, how do you all feed to get the most meat, less fat? The kids next year will be a saanen/nubian cross again. The year after some will more nubian than saanen.


----------



## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

First off, 9 months is just about as old as you want it or else the meat gets tougher.

You could feed a good hay and make sure he gets all he wants (if possible).
Also being dam or bottle fed longer helps. I had a buckling that quick nursing when I bought him at 5 months and he was at least 50-60 pounds vs. the wether that quit at 2.5 months (fully weaned) and is now around 70 pounds at around 9 months old(at 5 months he was only around 40 pounds).

I heard beat pulp is good, but I never tried it. 

idk but my guy had free choice hay and browse(meaning when no grass he trims trees) and exercise and seems to be up weight. I only pen for the last week or two.

Of course from dairy breeds you can't expect to get a lot of meat (especially from a young one).


----------



## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

i usually wait until theu are older as i like bigger cuts of meat, i have left them as old as eighteen months they are still tender. they have more flavour at thay age too. exercise is key just like people he wont build muscle if he cant exercise. also if the genetics arent there all the exercise and feed wont do anything. nubians are dual purpose so try to find a nicely fleshed buck to join to.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Hopefully most of the fat is going to be on the carcass itself. Goat meat is very lean, with very little marbeling. Some fat will be on the outside of your cuts. And in the ribs.
My boys have all had their alfalfa & Boer Goat Developer by the time they're weaned. When older they just get grass hay.
Even the yrlng buck was as tasty & tender as the younger ones. More so! But then again he was all ground.


----------



## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Thanks!

He has been on mom this whole time, never weaned. He got plenty of hay, just no grain. He was penned up for so long because we got snow and cold. Plus I took my fence down and I did not want him and his sister to de-bark the plum trees. Next year I hope the goats have access to browsw more as we fenced in a larger area for the horses and the goats can browse out there. But there isn't any at the moment so they have all been penned up and getting only alf hay. I may let the girls out tomorrow if it is sunny and sit out there to keep them away from the trees!


----------



## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Feeding and management are of course very important, but they
can not completely overcome genetics. So I have to mention
a good way to put meat on goats is to use a Boer buck instead
of a Nubian.


----------



## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

I wish I could use a boer buck! No one around here has one  Maybe someday I can afford to buy one and then I will have what I really want...dairy and meat!

I have only two choices in my area...Saanen or Nubian, so I have to work with what I have available...for now! I told Hubby that he will have to help me build a second pen for the kids so I can wean them and let them grow more.


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

I agree with tenacross, all the feeding/managment/exercise isn't going to put meat on a goat that doesn't have the genetics for it. 
we raise boer/nubian cross and have full-blood boer. And we can see even a huge difference between 50%boer/nubians compared to 75%boer/25%nubians. With each generation of adding more boer to the mix there is more meat on the bone. We are really shooting for 93% boer/ 7% nubian crosses for our ideal wether for growth rate, with a mom that is 88%boer/12%nubian. 

You may have gotten all you can get out of it. Although waiting until they are older, like 10 months, will give you a little more.


----------

