# Question about what to feed my boys for butchering



## Judy7 (Mar 23, 2012)

I have 2 young castrated boys....born May 1st. What should I be feeding them to get them ready to butcher later this winter. They love the alfalfa but I am not sure whether to put them on my grass hay...is that good enough? 

Anything else I need to do? This is our first time keeping boys to eat. 

Thanks, Judy in Indiana


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

We will be doing this for the first time this year too so also interested.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

It really depends on if you are looking to have grass-fed meat, non-GMO fed meat, etc. If you are not particular- I would put them on free choice grass hay, free choice goat grower pellet, and a lb of alfalfa pellet per day. (Plus water and minerals). But, check if the goat grower contains a coccidiastat that has a meat withdrawal time.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Our boys just get alfalfa and pasture hay and weeds. The meat is excellent.
We used to give them grain the last month because that is what everyone said to do. I have not noticed a difference.


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

Our freezer destined kids are creep fed with grain and alfalfa through weaning (I start weaning around 3 months and consider them "done" around 4 months), then they are pasture fed until butcher time. We like to plan butcher time before we have to start feeding hay! They also get a little bit of grain once a day so that we can do a head/health check. It also keeps them somewhat friendly. 

We prefer not to push their growth or let them get fat (they aren't skinny, they just don't get that layer of finish). We feel this helps the overall flavor of the meat because you don't get the odd flavor from too much fat.

So far their meat has turned out great.


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## irishgoat (Jan 25, 2014)

I was always told to feed a beef crunch a ration for feeding beef cattle trying it myself for first time this year.
I also taught I read alfalfa is not suitable for male goat not sure about this, alfalfa not common in Ireland


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Along with having mom's milk all day and being separated at night...I give 2 parts alfalfa pellets,1 part sweet feed, 1/2 part beet pulp, and 1/2 part whole oats along with free choice grass hay. My butcher said he loves the color and texture of our meat and that whatever we are doing, keep doing it.
Of course, we have no pasture so this is the expensive way 
My meaties stay on mom for the duration. I like to butcher at 6 months to 8 months


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

If keeping on mom until freezer time, what age do you wether them? Or really just in general what age do you wether them?


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I wether at 12 weeks...unless I see extending going on...then I do it when I see that.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

NyGoatMom said:


> I wether at 12 weeks...unless I see extending going on...then I do it when I see that.


We don't wether and wean the meat bucklings at 14 weeks into the buck pen but boy oh boy this year do I wish I wethered. I have one late buckling that I weaned 9 days ago and he is STILL screaming! It is awful! The bucks are treating him fine but his dam keeps answering which just eggs him on.


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## Baphomet (Jun 15, 2013)

I guess I'll add my 0.02. I got into this for grain free meat, so from the beginning I planned on no grain. 

That means much smaller kids and much slower growing than people get when they give grain. But I think the meat is healthier this way. 

I do give them alfalfa pellets but mainly just to move them into pens at night. 

Then it's all grass and hay from there. This year i have too many animals, so there has not been enough pasture to sustain them. I've had to buy a lot of hay. And sell a few goats. 

I'm in Florida and prefer local hay, so that means we feed peanut hay and Bermuda grass. That's sort of like feeding alfalfa and orchard grass up north. 

Last year was my first year and I only had 2 kids, so I finished them on plenty of native grass and got a good amount of tender meat from them. The chops were delicious and the rest I made ground. My kids had no idea they were eating goat spaghetti marinara. 


The thing about alfalfa: it's a very high Calcium legume and so it has been implicated in causing calcium oxalate urolithiasis. A very serious problem. It's recommended to spray the hay with either a sodium chloride solution or ammonium chloride solution. Those things are easy to find and cheap. I've not had a problem with this, nor have any goat farms I know of around me, but I'm sure I'll be doing it when it happens to me.


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