most profitable breed?

[herdsman]

I havnt any goats yet but am planning on getting some(I only breed cattle and hogs) I was wondering what is the best breed to breed and sell the kids and make a good profit. I was thinking on these breeds that I have seen and really liked Boer, Kiko, Pygmy and Tennessee meat goats.
Thanks

 

[Catahoula]

With hay price so high in some areas...I am interested to know too. At least in my area ($17 small bale), I am beginning to think the breeders I got my goats from are doing it because they just love goats...definitely not for profits.

 

[poorboys]

yeah were in love with our goats!! for me I make my money on kids, registered ones do the best, I raise Nubians and they are pretty popular for 4-h, but so are the many other breeds, to make money on boers you need quite a bit kidding at a time to sale for market. It's a gamble every year wether it's the weather or it's a boy year can hurt your sales. most of the time you come out on bottom, It's a hobby for me and gives me satistfaction when I watch and milk my girls, every-one has their reasons. and some on here probably do make money on it, just depends on where your at and what you have.

 

[kstaven]

I havnt any goats yet but am planning on getting some(I only breed cattle and hogs) I was wondering what is the best breed to breed and sell the kids and make a good profit. I was thinking on these breeds that I have seen and really liked Boer, Kiko, Pygmy and Tennessee meat goats.
Thanks

First thing to look at is what is in short supply in your area. Always look for the markets that the crowd isn't servicing and you will have a better chance of making it.

Think of it this way. Do you want to compete with a big guy like walmart or do you want to service a market where there is demand that they don't service?

 

[Roll farms]

What everyone else said AND....if you don't have a good meat market or base market of customers in your area that will come to you for meat....you won't make a profit w/ meat goats *unless* you raise $$ show animals and that takes a lot of investment and time.

You can't practically give pygmies away in my area, a local petting zoo has flooded the market w/ them.

Some fainting goat lines are small (more pygmy sized) and other lines are geared more for meat production...not "any" fainter will make a 'good' meat goat.

You won't get anywhere breeding 'small' meat goats...it's just not very practical...you want bigger carcasses (meatier) at weigh in. And you couldn't breed a boer or kiko buck to pygmy does, they're prone to kidding issues anyway.

Unless you get really hearty boer bloodlines and a great market, you'll spend more on dewormer and feed than you'll sell meat for....(JMHO).

Kikos do ok, I like to use a Kiko buck on good boer % does *if* your sole purpose is meat animals. If you want to sell show animals, that's a whole other conversation.

 

[kstaven]

Individual markets are so different. Seems you have a lot of market research ahead of you.

Right now the goat meat markets here are hot and even an old dairy doe or buck will fetch $2.50 per pound live weight. Other areas you can't even give kids away.

 

[Fullhousefarm]

I don't know the meat goat market- so I can't comment there.

As far as small scale in the dairy goat market: In my area certain breeds are more in demand. I just paid more for a registered Nigerian Dwarf than for a registered LaMancha- and the LaMancha probably has "better" showing bloodlines and milk lines. Right now there aren't a lot of registered ND in the area and lots of people want them for backyard milkers and for showing- so more demand. They can also be cheaper to feed and keep. Shorter fences, smaller shelters, etc. Now, I predict in a few years the price will probably drop as more kids flood the market and some of these people get tired of their goats, milking, and kidding. LOL.

Now, the breeder we got the LaMancha from is, I think, making a profit between selling registered kids, leasing to 4H/FFA kids, and selling milk- but they've been in the business for at least 10 year, I think. I have no idea about the ND breeder.

 

[herdsman]

I do not wish to be in the meat market business only breeding goats and selling the kids

 

[20kidsonhill]

I am a bit confused by your above statement, considering on 12/2 you said," Hello I am thinking on getting into boer goats for meat to sell. I raise 100 head of holstein beef and alot of broilers haha. Well I was wondering when you guys butcher your boer goats at how many months? And how much do they weigh? and besides there browsing on the pasture how much grain per head per day do you feed them?"

And even if you sell the kids, you are technically still in the meat goat business, since they are meat goats even if you aren't directly taking them to slaughter or butchering them yourself.

Do you want to sell breeding stock?
4H projects?

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Sounds to me he doesn't want to breed goats just for meat and to go to slaughter. So I would say breeding stock or pets of some sort.