[Borderlands]

Hello all

I suspect this has been asked before but do you think there's any mileage in this? Buying boy kids for meat raising? I know there are companies such as Cabrito doing this so it must be feasible but where would I start to research? (We currently produce fat lamb). Would anyone be willing so share some advice with me?

[fiestyredhead331]

most goat keepers on here fatten up their male offspring for slaughter, we've got 2 going shortly but it depends on what kind of scale you are talking about. Are you talking about buying in male kids and fattening or breeding your own? Also depends on breed as dairy goats usually take longer to get up to weight than meat breeds, ours are a cross of meat & dairy, multipurpose so to speak.
Certainly demand for goat meat/chevre is on the rise, it's becoming fashionable again 

[Borderlands]

Thanks for the reply

Yes buying in at a few days (week?) old, and then raising them for meat. We have 40 acres and a lot of sheds (it's an old dairy farm) and we'd be looking to do it on a commercial scale. If the press are accurate (yeah I know!) then hundreds of boy kids are being slaughtered every day as a waste product.... Am trying to cost it as an enterprise. I think I have the smarts to market it... *gulp* ??

[fiestyredhead331]

you could look at Bere Marsh farm in Dorset, they do organic goat meat etc? They should be able to give you an idea of costs etc and end product, good luck 

[verdifish]

There is a market but you will find yourselves making nothing but burgers and sausage if you want to do I on a commercial scale ! The meat from dairy goats does have a different taste ti that of meat goats and this sometimes gets true meat goat meat a bad name or has in the past at least. How will you feed the wether kids as this will make a big impact on any profit ?

[Borderlands]

There is a market but you will find yourselves making nothing but burgers and sausage if you want to do I on a commercial scale ! The meat from dairy goats does have a different taste ti that of meat goats and this sometimes gets true meat goat meat a bad name or has in the past at least. How will you feed the wether kids as this will make a big impact on any profit ?

Thank you for the input why sausages and burgers? Is there no market for joints?
I imagine it will be a different taste and that's something we've considered, environmentally and ethically it appeals to me to turn what is in effect a waste product into food.
From what I understand they'd be on milk for 6 weeks then turned out, would they need additional feed other than silage? These are the questions in hoping I might find out the answers to during my research I know some farmers round out way use a goat for orphan lambs, would that work here? Ie would a milking goat provide enough milk for 2 kids? Would the cost/ time involved in milking be more cost effective give than powdered milk?..

[AndynJ]

Just asking.
So if I understand you correctly
"You are going to *buy* a waste product, feed it top quality milk for 5 weeks, produce silage that could be sold off but instead feed it to your waste product then at the end you are hoping to sell your waste off as prime cuts (joints)."
Wow,
I'm lost for words
Fantastic, please do let us know how it goes.

[benkt]

I sold my first goat meat this year, a wether from milking goats. At £5/lb for diced shoulder and diced leg, it sold itself in no time. I'd need to look back over my feed bills to figure out profitability but it's certainly easy to sell!

[Borderlands]

Just asking.
So if I understand you correctly
"You are going to *buy* a waste product, feed it top quality milk for 5 weeks, produce silage that could be sold off but instead feed it to your waste product then at the end you are hoping to sell your waste off as prime cuts (joints)."
Wow,
I'm lost for words
Fantastic, please do let us know how it goes.

Well I'm pleased you're lost for words as that makes two of us.
I don't really understand the sarcasm in your message

My use of the phrase *waste* is mirroring how male goats are seen by the dairy industry. They are seen as a waste product and they are treated as such.
Silage is something we produce for our 600 head of sheep so not something I would be selling.

I haven't specifically decide on joints, indications I have had so far is that most businesses would prefer the whole product rather than sausages or burgers but it was suggested I'd be doing nothing but making them hence why I asked the question.

We raise male dairy calves on our main farm in the same way for a large company so I believe that the same business model can be applied to goats. As I've said I know it can judging by the growing number of companies doing just that. I was hoping for some advice and support on the specifics.

[Borderlands]

I sold my first goat meat this year, a wether from milking goats. At £5/lb for diced shoulder and diced leg, it sold itself in no time. I'd need to look back over my feed bills to figure out profitability but it's certainly easy to sell!

Thanks Benkt!

[smithycraft]

We've not tried selling it but we have eaten the meat from the offspring of our dairy goats.  We had a mix of  joints, mince and chunks and it was all excellent.  Once weaned, they were fed the same food as the others, coarse mix with bruised oats, alfalfa and hay.

Not tried a "meat" goat, so no idea what the difference is.

[Borderlands]

Thanks Smithycraft! I've tried both and couldn't discern a difference personally. Both of the dishes I tried were slow cooked though, maybe the difference is in how tender the meat is if it's fast cooked if that makes sense?

[clydesdaleclopper]

They certainly need milk for longer then 6 weeks. Any of mine that are bottle fed get some milk until 5-6 months old. Silage isn't generally fed to goats as they are much more susceptible to listeriosis and they do much better on hay.

[Anke]

You will also need to supplement milk with a concentrate feed, but if you are rearing calves, the goat kids will do very well on calf mix (18% protein). I don't feed ad lib, except hay.

Yes hay rather than silage - much safer for youngstock in particular.

You need to have a reliable supplier of male kids (and decide if you can rear them horned, otherwise your profit is gone) and also a reliable sale outlet.

The meat is fantastic, esp slow-cooked. We eat ours as (slow) roasts (legs), cubed (for curries and stews) and minced (for whatever you need mince for...)

[shygirl]

have you considered breeding pedigree meat goats?