# Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption?



## tracyqh (Aug 9, 2010)

I've been a beef girl my whole life. My family raised angus cattle. I'm getting into dairy goats, but have a boer doe. I was wondering of the people that raise meat goats, do they put many in their own freezer. I've never had goat and I can't find any near me to try. I didn't know if it was comparable to lamb or not. Also, do you grind it, loins, etc.


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## GoldenSeal (Sep 14, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

Good question. I'd love to know this answer because any bucks that I do not find good enough will be going in my freezer. I'd rather have them eaten than sell them as castrated pets. I hear goat sausage is reaaaalllly good.









On a side note my sister is Muslim and cooks goat quite often. I don't live near her but anyone who has tried it when she cooks it says it really good.


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## tracyqh (Aug 9, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I'm just trying to be more self-suffiecent and I will have meat kids coming on in Jan. They are for sale regardless, but I thought if they are wethers I would have one for the freezer, but didn't know if I would like it.

PS: where did you find that dinner icon. That is hilarious!


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

My plan is to eat ones that i won't be keeping back for breeding or milking. I also haven't been able to find anyone close by who eats goat, so I may eat my first goat roast, hate it, and turn the rest into jerky. Only time will tell.


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## GoldenSeal (Sep 14, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*



tracyqh said:


> PS: where did you find that dinner icon. That is hilarious!


I have a ton that I could give the admin  I just copy past the link that I have for it and put the img thing there


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## Polarhug (Jul 1, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

We do. Haven't slaughtered yet.... that will be that hard part


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## Mully (Jun 23, 2009)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

Goat meat is wonderful... tender, not much fat and no different taste like lamb. You can dress it like a cow but the cuts are smaller... a lot smaller. You get chops, ribs. loins, ground if you want , stew meat. If you like curry goat makes the best. I do not slaughter my own goats as I can not kill animals so i send out to a slaughter house and they charge me a flat fee of $60ea. to cut, vac wrap, and flash freeze. All I have to do is bring the goats and pick up the meat. You will like the meat!!!!


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## kannm (Mar 18, 2009)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

Don't know how we are going to eat our goats. Husband wants to but I don't think I can. I want to be able to, but am too emotional. How can I get over it? eeehhh.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

There is virtually no marbeling & hardly any fat except around some cuts.
It is much different than lamb it is much milder. More than 70% of the worlds population eats chevon.
White America is way behind as we are accustomed to beef pork & chicken.
Anyhow it has less saturated fat, cholesterol & calories compared to the same size serving of other meat plus has more iron & protein.
We actually prefer ground goat over ground beef any day!
Since we know what went into the animal who was well taken care of & loved we have no problem at all!
In a few weeks we will take several for the freezer, one a yr & a half old buck who will be half ground & half brats & compare the ground with a younger animal.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I have my goats butchered that are not productive for anything else. I love goat meat, ground goat is terrific. I just had kid for the first time, 6 month old kid. It is different than goat, and I liked it very much. Goat is hard to cook because it is so lean. So it needs to be rare or stewed, in general. It can get very tough. Marinade helps and other tenderizing methods should too. Fat doesn't mix in with the meat, even on fat goats.

It is different than lamb, I have never had mutton that I know of. It is different than beef too. Don't know how to describe it, but it is the most eaten meat in the world. It has a rather delicate flavor. If you like liver, it has the best liver we have ever tasted.

Jan


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## wookiee (Oct 26, 2009)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I have had goat a couple of times at restaurants and I found it VERY bucky. Like munching on the beard of a buck in full rut. I couldn't finish the meal.

It it possible the restaurant got some old, grizzled buck because it was cheap? Is it possible the fat might have held the flavor and if the meat was trimmed it would have been fine? I am not sensitive to the "goat" taste since I drink the milk and eat the cheese and find it very mild.

I've heard many people say young goat is delicious and mild. Can someone please put my mind at ease? I intend to eat my 2011 males, but I will wether them and process them young, at 5-6 months to avoid the bucky flavor. Will this do the trick?

Lamb is my favorite meat, but I am hoping to save some money in 2011 by eating my culls instead of buying a lamb.


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## DPW (Mar 13, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

My two cents. Goat tastes like goat. If I was forced to compare it to another meat I'd say deer. A yearling doe deer. Not a four year old buck. 60-80 lbs is a good size for butchering. The pool buyer in our area pays top dollar for goats between 65-110 lbs.

Like any other meat what ends up on the plate depends on what you start with and the competancy with which it is processed. A well cared for, healthy animal which is dispatched quickly and humanely and then processed in a clean and timely manner will provide a quality end product.

They way goat is cooked obviously affects what ends up on the dinner table as well. Goat meat is very lean. Allowing it to dry out will make the meat tougher. Cooking slowly and with liquids goes a long way in keeping the meat moist. Marinating helps as well. If grilling baste often.

We get most of our goat processed now as ground and stew meat. So many diiferent dishes you can prepare with it that way. And it practically eliminates the problem of drying out.

Last year we gave a vet friend of ours two 3 1/2 month old bucklings for a party she was having. She does her own butchering and grilled whole quarters using a dry, hot pepper rub and basted with Italian dressing. Was melt in your mouth fantastic!

In my opinion any goat that tastes off or "bucky" is the result of bad decisions made by whoever prepared the meal.

Goat is a delicious and healthy meat that can replace beef, pork or chicken in any of your favorite recipes. Put one in your freezer. You won't be dissapointed.


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## tracyqh (Aug 9, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

Thanks for the info. I think I'll have some ground. I'm trying to be more frugal, plus know where my food comes from. Knowing that the animals were well cared for and not factory farmed makes me feel better about feeding my family.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

We have boers, but haven't butchered any of our own. My husband did buy 2 whethers from a breeder friend, and butchered one this past Friday. I honestly don't know if it was the way they seasoned the meat, but I didn't like it  It had a really strong flavor and well it....stunk LOL
However, all of my husband's family who came over for the party which is what the meat was for, said it was great, and took home a lot of it. 
We have the other whether to butcher in the next few weeks or so, and I want it to be cooked differently, see if I like it with a red mexican sauce? If I don't like it, then no goat meat for me! But, hubby and the kids/hubby's family would want meat.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

Love Love LOVE goat meat!! Very lean, very little grease (which I am in heaven to not deal with) and the taste is amazing. I prefer a meat / dairy cross (makes it slightly sweeter) but I would not say that it is like lamb at all. We used to raise Black Belly also, and we got rid of them because we prefer goat so much more. IF I had to compare, I would say a cross between elk and deer.

We usually have some made into ground, some stripped for jerky, then stew and medallions.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I raise our extra Boer and Boer/Nubian cross wethers for meat, we take them to the processor when they are around 6-8 months old, never any "goaty" tasting meat so far, we like to keep the roasts and grind most everything else.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I can't wait to give goat meat another try, cooked differently. This meat wasn't sweet at all, definitely tasted 'goaty.'


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## Desert Viking Ranch (Jan 17, 2011)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

If your goat meat had an odor type taste to it (aka buck smell) then most likely the wethers were kept with or near a buck for a good amount of time. If a goat is to be butchered it should be separated from bucks for a long period of time. I would say at least 30 days, 60 is better, but I can't say for sure...any goat destined for the butcher block isn't kept with my bucks at all. The same holds true for milkers (we have a few for personal use)...don't keep them near bucks or the milk will be terrible!


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

DVR, I don't know about you, but I've had both meat and milk from goats kept around bucks (in particular, a great hairy yak that goes from snow white to deep yellow every year-big stinker), and there was never any bucky taste. In fact, many people I speak to and many sites/books say that if you're going to butcher young, don't bother wethering, as they'll grow faster and heavier without the stress of being wethered.

I haven't tried that method, but may do it this year. I don't raise any meat goats, but you'd be surprised how much meat a dairy goat can hide.


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## jodief100 (Jan 15, 2011)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I grew up in the Southwest, 3rd generation ranching family. My extended family raised cattle, sheep and goats. Whenever there was a big family event, we roasted a few goats. Cooked whole in a pig roaster, slowly over the coals all day.

Best pulled meat you ever had! Nice and tender, mild red meat that held the smokey flaver and not greasy like pork of beef.

Wonderful stuff! The other half had some for the first time at a goat educational meeting they had at KY State a few months ago. He LOVED it!

With slaughter prices as high as they are, I can't afford to eat my own goats. $2/lb on the hoof buys a lot of "other" meat. If I get a downer, we will eat that since the slaughter house can't buy it.


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## Desert Viking Ranch (Jan 17, 2011)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

TheMixedBag, that is wierd I have had the opposite experience, but the goat in question wasn't from our ranch so maybe I was given bad information. Since I keep all my goats separated I can't say for sure that is why I don't get the bucky taste - it just seemed to be the easy answer. There always seems to be so many different experiences.

Agreed, I have also heard that if you plan on butchering not to castrate the males as they will grow faster. I would imagine dairy goats butcher up just the same as meat goats  If I get any nubian males this year I might do the same for them unless I find an interested buyer.

Is goat really selling for $2/lb on the hoof right now??!! (haven't watched prices for a few months)


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## jodief100 (Jan 15, 2011)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I cannot vouch for other parts of the country but here are the results from the Bluegrass Stockyard Graded sale on Januaray 11, 2011. Richmond, KY

Prices tend to be higher in Winter and early Spring than summer.

Receipts: 506

Slaughter Classes: sold per hundred weight (cwt)

Kids: 
Selection 1 50-65 lbs 227.50. 
Selection 2 30-45 lbs 181.00; 
45-60lbs 225.00; 
60-80 lbs 206.00; 
85-110 lbs 165.00-175.00.
Selection 3 30-45 lbs 130.00; 
45-60 lbs 215.00; 
60-80 lbs 172.50.

Does/Nannies: 80-120 lbs 124.00; 125-160 lbs 108.00; 160-190 lbs 80.00.

Bucks/Billies: 90-120 lbs 97.50; 140-170 lbs. 87.50; 170-200 lbs 90.00.


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I've had a buck running with my does nonstop, even in milk, and it's only when it starts to turn that it gets any kind of off flavor. The people I bought my Saanen from do the same, and according to them, it's if you handle the buck prior to milking or handling the doe's udder that you can get a flavor from it.

Of course, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Some bucks probably do have a very pungent odor that'll soak into everything within a quarter mile.


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## Perfect7 (Apr 19, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

We processed our first wether about 2 months ago, but we had the butcher do it "all ground" because I have no idea how to prepare other goat cuts (plus we have a family of 7 and it was only 1 wether). He has been delicious in tacos, chili, and spaghetti (especially chili!). He was not so good in enchilladas.
Soon, we will be processing our own instead of paying to have it processed. That should be interesting....but we have to wether all of ours so they can remain in the pasture with the does. Excellent meat! (boer/kiko cross)


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

Thanks for getting this thread going again I totally forgot about it!

In Oct we had 4 done. Two 8 mo olds complete with steaks chops shoulder roasts etc.
The one yr old buck was put into half bratz & half Italian sausage....delicious!!
They had to add a little pork sausage to make the meat stick together.
The jury is in on the 2yr old buckinrut. We had him all ground, figuring if he wasnt any good he could be dog food.
Well I tell ya the dogs aint gettin any no way no how!!! Absolutely NO buckiness. It's out of this world & I will never buy ground beef mush from the store ever again!


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

I think part of the thing with bucky flavors is that everyone's taste buds are different, just like everyone's sense of smell is different. Buck flavor may actually be in the meat/milk, but some people may like it or not be able to taste it, while to others it is rank, foul-tasting and abundant.

If I had a year+ buck who needed to go, you can bet he's going in the freezer. Bucky taste doesn't bother me, and a good Cincinnati chili can cover almost anything.

One thing I'd recommend, regardless of what cuts you make or get, buy a meat grinder. Goat can be cooked like almost any other red meat, and if it turns out you don't like it so much, you may like it ground, and it's easier to grind cuts than to turn ground meat into cuts.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

Nancy,

That is the same thing I did with my bucks. For the same reason and I had the same reaction. Although this year I have so much meat in the freezer the dog is getting a big share of it. I won't buy ground meat in the store. If I haven't got any I just won't have it. I never liked hamburger much, but I love ground goat.

Jan

(I probably already said this last year on this thread.)


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## bleatinghearts (Feb 26, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

We have processed three goats. The first two were wonderful. The third, we just did a month ago and it was our 3 yr old Kill buck. We were really careful when processing so I hope the meat doesn't taist bucky. My wonderful husband does all the cooking so I can't really comment on anything there.


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## Perfect7 (Apr 19, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

How hard is it to process your own, for those of you who have done it? Our butcher charges $35 plus 35 cents a pound of hanging weight (isn't the actual meat only half of that?) Our wether was small and I think it cost us around $2/ lbs. not including what it cost to feed him....so looking to cut corners.
I've not processed a larger animal before but we butcher and then skin (yes skin because it's faster than plucking!) our extra roosters. I plan to get a grinder and grind it all, and I have a pretty good grasp of anatomy. Dh will have to kill it because I can't, but once it's done I can sure skin and clean! What minimal supplies are necessary? Do you shoot or slit the throat? Approximate process time? Thanks!


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

i've been sorta thinking about meat goats. the only goat meat i ever had was our old buck. dad slaughtered him when he sold the dairy herd. he had been the herd sire and he had to be at least 5 years old when we got him. and we had him for two or three years. so he was pretty old when dad slaughtered him. he was a huge stinky buck. and the meat stunk just like he did. it was HORRIBLE!!! dad loved it and so did friends that tried it. he said it is sweet.
now i know if i raised a wether to 6 months with the does that the meat has very little chance of being smelly. i think i could kill it and butcher it myself. and i would love to try to tan a goat hide!


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## bleatinghearts (Feb 26, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

What my husband and I do is try to keep life totally normal untill the very end. We dont withhold food or seperate them for a night and we dont let the others see or smell what we're doing when the time comes. If we can kill the animal in one split second without it knowing anything is even going on, than it was successful. All of our animals have died while eating something wonderfull (grain for goat/sheep/cow or ice cream for pigs). We use a hand gun and for the pigs, I go in and put a mark with a sharpie on the spot to aim for. I really think it helps with shop placement. No need to do that with a goat because they are usually very still. If I had to hang and animal and cut its throat to kill it, I wouldn't even have animals.


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## kikocross (Apr 3, 2011)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

wanting to try it myself,did some research about different meats and goat meat has only .79 % fat and has 23 % protein.just have a hard time eating a $200 kiko.lol


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## Steve (Mar 12, 2011)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

depends how hungry you are kikocross 

I havent ate any of mine yet but i bet they would be tasty on the grill.When i reach my goal of 10 does i will have enough kids to sell then maybe i will eat a couple.


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## kikocross (Apr 3, 2011)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

very true steve,trust me if it came down to me or the goats or sheep or even my hunting lab there on the grill.lol..just joking ,not the dog,,she works to hard for me during duck season.ive got some just born i would barb but no one around here would try it,,wimps :dazed:


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## bleatinghearts (Feb 26, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*



kikocross said:


> wanting to try it myself,did some research about different meats and goat meat has only .79 % fat and has 23 % protein.just have a hard time eating a $200 kiko.lol


That's funny! The kiko we did in January was our buck who we paid $200 for. He was a beautiful animal but very aggressive. Even in Jan he stunk as bad as he acted. I'm happy to say that the meat is wonderful. No bucky taste at all. Oh...life is better here with no Tommy.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

*Re: Who all raises meat goats for their own home consumption*

My doe had one buckling last year. Hubby banded it but the banding went wrong! Anyway, we butchered hin at 5 mos as he was acting"bucky". We hung the carcass for 5 days and then cut him up. The first time I cooked it, it wasn't bad. About three months later I took some out of the freezer and cooked a golash. I couldn't eat it, gave it to the dogs along with the rest I had in the freezer! I don't know if it was because he was sort of a buck or they way I cooked it.

If I get any bucklings this year, I will wether them and try again. One goat guy up here has a recipe for doing a goat over an open pit. I may try that.


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