Thinking of raising goats

[blk90s13]

Hey all I am thinking about raising 2-3 goats for meat I wont be breeding

was thinking 2 males or 2 females and I have a close by farm that sells young goats


My questions are as follows :

How much of a fences area will they need ?
How high should a fence be ?
How big of a run in shed ?
Can they live off hay and grain only ? or do they have to graze ?
What breed should I look for ?

thanks

 

[ksalvagno]

If you just want them for meat, then I would get Boers. You raise them till their about 8 months old and then they can go to butcher.

You probably don't have to have them on pasture but that would save you some money on hay and feed. Plus it is good for them to get out and be in the sunshine.

My fence is 4 feet high and so far no problems but other people like a higher fence. Certainly you could just run some electric fencing if this would be a temporary pen. Not just a single wire though. You would want several strands for the goats.

I would give them at least 10x10 shed but someone with more experience on Boers may say differently.

I would give them as much grazing area as possible. If you can give them half an acre to an acre at least, that would be good. Not sure about smaller areas since my areas are all at least half an acre.

Usually wethers (neutered males) are the cheapest.

 

[lupinfarm]

Boers are a good choice, but there are other breeds out there bred to act as a meat breed so look around at what is available in your area for meat. Obviously if you pick a breed and its not available, but another meat breed is... well you don't want to be looking and pay a premium for that breed you first looked at. Its just going into the freezer anyway!

10x10 might be a bit tight, they're pretty large beasts the boers and meat breeds. If you're only looking at 2, then I might start at 12x12 shed. Grass fed is not only healthier for your animal but gives them the best life possible before being slaughtered and grass fed meat comes at a premium, so imagine being able to replicate what you might pay high prics for at a local butcher.


lupinfarm...who knows absolutely nothing about meat breeds, just common sense.

 

[freemotion]

Sometimes local goat dairies breed some of their does to Boer or other meat-type bucks to increase the value of the kids. You might try a local dairy.

Good fencing is a must...do a quick search on this forum, as it has been discussed a few times and there are enough opinions that you will find something that works for you. Everyone agrees, though, that good fencing is a must with goats...to keep them in and to keep predators out.

To me, the reason to raise my own meat is to increase the quality and to raise and slaughter them humanely. So for me, giving my meat animals and birds a lot of room to range and live a healthy life makes it worth all the trouble. To copy feedlot practices doesn't make sense, as you can buy the meat cheaper from the grocery store than you can raise it yourself in this style, generally.

If you don't have the room or the money to spend on fencing a larger area, you can also cut leafy branches daily and bring the good stuff to the goats. Just learn what is growing in your area and what is safe to feed to goats. Some things, like raspberry leaves, are wonderful fresh or dried, but poisonous while wilting. So do a search on whatever you have. You likely have plenty of good stuff, just learn what it is.

 

[warthog]

I have four goats 3 does, 1 buck, which I use for bush clearing. I am also breeding to increase the herd and have the surplus for meat.

Don't ask me what breed, here goats are goats

Because I got my fencing wrong, I had to keep them penned for a while until I had the fencing sorted (about 2 acres). during this time they had grain, hay and I was cutting leaves and branches daily for them.

They are now browsing daily 8/10 hours in their 2 acres. They are a lot happier, healthier looking and now eat very little grain.

The point I think I am trying to make here, is if you can give them plenty orf space to browse, this will save you a considerable amount of money on feed bills, will I believe also give you a better meat product and you will have happier and healthier goats.

Whilst my goats and chickens are primarily tools (bush eaters and egg layers) and meat providers. I sincerely believe that we have a responsibility to all our animals to provide them with the best life possible.