# Should I take the plunge and butcher a buckling?



## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

I've been contemplating this for about 3 years now and haven't gotten up the nerve yet to do it. 

Meat kids at the local market generally sell well. I normally sell my extra bucklings there.

But, I've been wanting to try and see how selling young goat meat would go. Generally there isn't a lot of goat meat on Kijiji in my area, so not really sure what the price is that way.

Anyway, I have this one buckling, Daisy's buckling, that I would butcher. He's growing fast, so by late summer/fall he should be a nice size.

Should I take the plunge and just do it? See how it sells? Of just send him to market? (where he'll probably sell lower cause he's white)

And, since I've never, ever gotten a goat butchered before, what cuts, etc should I get?
Prices? Per cut, per lb, per whole animal?

Fine print:
Am I procrastinating WAY to much about this? 
http://www.thegoatspot.net//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

So you will sell the meat instead of eating it? Usually the place who butchers will walk you through on the cuts.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

You need to see what your state laws are regarding selling meat. I had to have mine done at a USDA facility


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

We have a lot of other animals we butcher and eat  A buckling won't go far here.

Yes, I would have to get it done at a inspected facility.


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## jaimn (May 16, 2015)

I called my local butcher and asked about goat sausage. They laughed at me, said there's not enough meat after the cuts are made. Oh well! I said how about making the whole thing hamburger? She said, "I guess so!". I'm waiting on the chemical wormers to cycle out, then I will have two campers.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Basically you can get all the same cuts as a cow. Will just be on a smaller scale.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I had an older doe done and wished we'd just gotten all ground. The cuts were tough. With a young kid, I'd definitely get the nicer cuts done


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

I got whole rear leg cuts, chops, loin, shoulder steaks, Hamburg. I got 60lbs off my two Nubian/alpine bucklings at six months. I'd never done it before so I just asked for whatever cuts most people did. You could do sausage I'm sure. They'll also do stew chunks. Some butchers maybe aren't used to doing goats?

As far as price maybe check lamb meat prices in the grocery store and goat/lamb meat prices at farmers markets.

Calculate out your cost per pound and then I'd at least double that to sell depending on prices you saw to compare to.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

We get bone in and bone-less leg and shoulder roasts and then have the rest ground. We then purchase and mix the seasoning to make a portion of the ground into breakfast sausage and also hot Italian sausage but we don't put it in casing, just patties. 

We have tried loin chops, neck meat, ribs, and all sorts of other cuts but this is what works best for us. We do sell 1 lb packages of ground meat to friends and family for $5.00. However, the facility we have our animals processed at is not a USDA packaging facility so I cannot sell the meat. 

The alternative is to sell whole or half animals by the hanging weight per pound and you provide delivery to the butcher, but then the buyer pays the rest of the cut & wrap fees and tell the butcher how they want it.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

jaimn said:


> I called my local butcher and asked about goat sausage. They laughed at me, said there's not enough meat after the cuts are made. Oh well! I said how about making the whole thing hamburger? She said, "I guess so!". I'm waiting on the chemical wormers to cycle out, then I will have two campers.


If you are having him all ground they can make any amount of sausage you want.


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Thanks you all!

Hmmm, I like that idea, Katey!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree with everyone.

Yes, if you go all ground, they can make sausage as well.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Have you tried goat yourself? If you have or are willing to try it then of course I would go for it. If it doesn't sell you save money going to the store. I would also go with ground. I know a guy who buys kids, has them butchered and ground up and has one of those like taco stands on wheels and he just sells burgers and does very well with it! The idea behind that and will also go well with your idea as well is there are many people, myself included who would love to try goat meat. If I could find a pound of goat hamburger I would totally buy it in a heartbeat. No need to have any fancy cooking skills (which I don't) I could throw it on the grill and make burgers, or even if I wasn't totally fond of it smother in taco seasoning and make tacos. But if goat is very popular in your area then maybe you could get away with different cuts but for me hamburger is the way to go


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh forgot lol if they place you are going to makes beef sticks you could turn them into goat sticks too lol that has been the only goat I have ever had. I bought a small pack at a sell a few years ago. I alway try to find odd things for the kids to try and it was very good. I'm also not a deer fan, I like my meat with fat on it and every year when my husband gets a buck he gets a few pounds of the sticks for me and I love them


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Not, I haven't  I'm tentative to as well because we butchered a young deer buck. And it tasted and smelled like I had just killed a 5 year old buck!

So. NOT. A. Fan.

But, other folks in the family liked it.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

jaimn:
Not enough meat on a goat for sausage!?!
We butcher our own goats. A wether around a year old will give us two nice roasts from the hind legs, a couple of nice loins and about 20 lbs of ground meat. I usually turn half of that into sausage and leave the rest plain ground. And these are surplus dairy, not meat goats. I also get at least 10 lbs of scraps for dog food.


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## jaimn (May 16, 2015)

luvmyherd said:


> jaimn:
> Not enough meat on a goat for sausage!?!


I agree, I thought the same thing. I think that the butcher must have been thinking "leftovers" for the sausage, and there just isn't much left over.

I hear that a pressure cooker can tenderize any meat, no matter what age. I would imagine that a crock pot could too.

We have ducks, and I've heard that they make nice pepperoni sticks.  I wanted to throw a few ducks in with the goat to make pepperoni sticks and have sufficient fat for the goat.

We make a LOT of English meat pie dishes - steak and ale, pork pie, etc. and I would want to find some cuts that would go well for pie.


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## jaimn (May 16, 2015)

Cedar Point Kikos said:


> Not, I haven't  I'm tentative to as well because we butchered a young deer buck. And it tasted and smelled like I had just killed a 5 year old buck!
> 
> So. NOT. A. Fan.
> 
> But, other folks in the family liked it.


I had a friend that canned her deer meat, said it was the best ever and she'll never go back to any other way of prep.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I usually get between 50 and 55 pounds of meat from a dairy wether at 6 or 7 months of age. I get chops, roasts, ribs, stew meat, ground and steaks. I could get sausage if I wanted because they asked me if I wanted it. I didn't because I am not a huge sausage fan, it makes me sick.

Wow, I've never had a deer buck taste bucky or bad, especially a young one. I wonder what happened with yours?


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Not sure :shrug: Maybe it's more to do with taste buds....other folks say it tastes fine, no bucky taste...


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Canning and crockpot are both great. I stuck a rump roast from a 3yo buck in my crockpot with some carrots and potatoes and it just fell apart and did not taste bucky at all. Canned goat chunks are great to toss in a soup or chili or tacos.


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## teejae (Jan 21, 2013)

we always keep our unwanted wethers for the freezer. My husband does the deed and cuts the meat like you would a lamb. Chops and leg roasts and keep the neck for crock pot (we call them slow cookers )mmmmm making me hungry.
Here its illegal to sell meat straight off the farm,have to go through an Abitiors and all the testing isnt worth the money.Goat meat is a welcome change to beef and chicken,teejae


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Soak meat in milk. Takes the gamey taste out of it.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How long do you soak it?


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I soak venison in buttermilk for an hour. Probably could do the same with goat


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I soaked for a few hours.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Well good job starting this cedar point! Lol I'm pretty sure I broke one of my kids leg when the dumb quad and trailer rolled over him full of hay so you timed this just right


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Woohoo for me :lol:


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## Dustilin (Apr 10, 2016)

Question for the veteran goat eaters out there: which way is the best way to go wether vs. Buck?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I do wethers.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

They taste the same as long as they are butchered cleanly.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Yep, sometimes I feel the wethers taste a little better but then, sometimes it is just the goat. Does taste really good too.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

I've only done it once but we left our boys intact and had them butchered at 6 months and I thought the meat tasted very good.

I think as goat hiker said having them butchered properly makes all the difference.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

But what do you guys mean properly? Like normal butchering like you would a cow? I think my guy is going to get done this weekend since he is not getting any better. I don't feel a break in the leg but he's already lost a lot of weight and you can tell he's not 100%. He's intact still and will be 3 months on the 17. Not gonna lie pretty nervous about how the meat will taste but I pulled the grinder out and have it all washed up


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The normal things. Cut the testicles off immediately, don't let the bladder leak, keep the hair off the meat, etc.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Lol I've been debating sounding dumb and asking and I'm happy I did because it just hit me with the testicle advise I've never butcher a intact boy before


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