Feeding Goat Meat

[TFX]

I have read through the topics and see a number of different meats mentioned for feeding raw, but none have mentioned goat meat. Is anyone out there feeding raw goat? If so, how is that working out?

[Ipk]

I haven't tried goat thought about it. Don't know if 50/50 kennels is on here but I believe he was feeding boer goats. If he is on here hopefully he will respond.

Great topic for those of us that has thought about this meat...

[Officially Retired]

I have read through the topics and see a number of different meats mentioned for feeding raw, but none have mentioned goat meat. Is anyone out there feeding raw goat? If so, how is that working out?

I have purchased goat meat in the past from Hare-Today (https://www.hare-today.com/index.php?cPath=21_33&osCsid=5ad395b8ddfdf747bca47350292c745b). I have also bought a few books on raising goats, as Tina and I were seriously considering doing so as a meat/milk source, both for ourselves as well as for the dogs.

Some goats are specifically bred to produce milk (Nubian/LaMancha), while others are specifically bred to produce meat (Boer/Kiko), while a few breeds do an acceptable level of both (Tennesse Meat/Spanish). If you're looking for literature on the subject, I recommend Storey's Guide to Raising Meat Goats (http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide-Raising-Meat-Goats/dp/1580176615). You will learn that, as with dogs, in goats performance and pedigree are everything (really, even more so in goats!). Where opinion may vary as to what a good dog is, with goats it is a matter of FACT. What do I mean by this? Well, truly good breeders actually measure the amount of milk that comes out of their does, and they measure the amount of meat that slaughtered goats generate, and the animals on the high-end in these documented production results are simply worth more money ... especially when they come from a long history of similar pedigreed, ancestral documentation.

So, again as with dogs, you can buy a $50 goat out of the paper ... but if you want the best you're going to have to hit your hip pocket and plop down some cash :mrgreen:

Jack

PS: It should be noted that certain milk goats do not produce as much milk as some of the commercial dairy breeds, but they do produce better milk (more fat/better taste), so for a small private enterprise to produce for self/dogs/family, these might be the wiser choices.

[TFX]

We have the book already. We are fencing the place now to go from cattle to goats, as my daughter is getting Spanish Meat Goats, which are currently undergoing a conservation effort through the American Livestock Breed Conservancey to preserve them in their pure form without any Boer crosses. Spanish Meat Goats are interesting enough as a breed, but check out this link to the Lowcountry strain, as I know you will find it as fascinating as I do. They just let the first of these out to the public within the last few months.


Lowcountry
On the coast of South Carolina, on a plantation that dates back to our founding families, is a small river island, home to the Lowcountry herd. The island was used as a rice paddy that was farmed until the 1911. When that enterprise was abandoned, coastal grasses, brush, and trees grew up on the island. In the 1960's a local resident living near the plantation stocked the island with Spanish goats and harvested a few for meat on occasion.
Unable to cross the channel to the mainland, the Lowcountry goats ran feral and untended on the island for over 40 years, being secluded from the mainland. The old dykes from the rice paddies acted as a network of dry 'highways' for the goats in the middle of very wet and swampy land. Some areas on the island became impassable over time due to dense brush encroachment or impassable swamp.

As time went on, the goats were harvested less frequently, but by then new predators were present: feral hogs. In recent years these became the main predators for the Lowcountry herd, and the hogs were joined by alligators and the wild cats of the region. The population of goats began to dwindle.

The Lowcountry goats originate in the Southeast. Like the Baylis line, they tend to be smaller than some of their southwestern counterparts: nannies average about 70 lbs and billies average about 90 lbs. Their coats cover a broad range—they sport a variety of colors and color patterns, and the guard hairs and amount of cashmere vary from goat to goat. One adult on the island is polled. They typically give birth to twins twice a year.

In 2008, The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) learned of the existence of these feral goats. They began efforts to coordinate with the plantation owners and local residents to capture some representatives of the herd before predators wiped out the population. The goal was to rescue some goats, breed them off-island to increase the numbers, to conserve as many genes as possible, and to bring these rare genetics back into the hands of goat ranchers once the population is large enough.

In 2010, working with local residents, the ALBC caught five nannies and buck from the Lowcountry feral herd and plans to continue the captures in 2011. The goats were tested for parasites and found to have an almost non-existent parasite load. Their hooves were in great shape and their overall health was excellent. They adapted to their new home immediately and without any signs of stress. The first off-island birth occurred shortly after they arrival to their new home in December of 2010.

The captured goats are currently on a reserve in South Carolina in a conservation breeding program that is being carefully monitored by the ALBC. They are on natural forage supplemented by hay, and given occasional handfuls of corn to keep them friendly.

[Officially Retired]

Very interesting. That is essentially a story of Natural Selection (i.e., Survival of the Fittest). The story is very similar to the Kiko Goats of New Zealand, another island species with exceptional hardiness. In fact, one of the knocks against true dairy goats is 1) they eat twice as much as "normal" goats to facilitate the lactation and 2) their udders hang so low to the ground they can't really be let loose in heavy plant/briar growth, because it will tear their huge titties to pieces.

This demonstrates the pros and cons of natural evolution versus human-selective breeding ...

Jack