Meat Goats
Mrs. Gilbreath
Definitions
Buck – A male goat.
 Doe – Female goat.
 Weather – Castrated male goat.
 Kidding – Process of giving birth.
 Kid – A young goat.

Meat Goats
Goat is the choice of meat in some
countries.
 In Greece it is like eating turkey in US at
Thanksgiving.
 Goat meat (cabrito) is a traditional BBQ
meal in Mexico.
 In France (chevon) is a delicacy.

Meat Goats



Less in fat than
many other meats.
Goats were brought
over to the US by
European explorers
in the 1500’s.
Were liked because
of size and their
ability to eat weeds.
Goats
Used for brush and weed control.
 Business is profitable because of the
demand for goat meat.
 Low feed cost.
 Thrive in areas where cattle cannot be
supported.
 Reproduction rate is very high.

Goat Industry
Twice as profitable as the cattle
industry.
 The reason for the slow development of
the goat industry is the lack of uniform
goat breeds with high carcass quality
and yield.
 With the intro. Of the South African Boer
goat, now producers can get a uniform
genetic material to build the meat goat
industry.

2 Major Meat Goat Types
Spanish





Breed Assoc.
started in 2007
Known as the “brush
goat”, “scrub goat”
or “woods goat”
Small & agile
Dual-purpose
Got away from large
udders?
Boer





Ranchers developed
in South Africa.
Meat breed in 1900
Dutch word meaning
“farm.”
1st full blood
imported in 1993.
Boer Association is
largest in the world
Boer Goats
Dark red head
 Lop ears
 Horns that curve backwards
 Strong
 Vigorous
 Well-balanced

Boer Goats





Bucks mature to 300lbs.
Does should be feminine yet strong.
Does breed easily and have fast growing
kids.
Does have high productive kidding rate of
about 200%. (twins most of the time)
Extended breeding season, which allows her
to produce three sets of offspring every 2
years.
Conformation
Subdivided into head, neck,
forequarters, body, hindquarters.
 Heads of the goats are very standard.
 Determine age by toothing!
 Two-teeth (1-1.5 years) with no over or
under bite.
 Four-teeth (1.5-2 years) can have an
overbite.

Conformation
Strong horns
 Broad ears, smooth, medium in length.
 Short ears, concave foreheads, straight
horns, overshot jaws, and blue eyes are
not acceptable.

Skin & Covering
Loose supple skin
 Folds in neck and chest region
especially in bucks.
 This type of skin helps to adapt in hot
climates.
 Eyelids and other hairless areas are
pigmented to prevent sunburn.
 Short glossy hair and limited amount of
winter growth.

Ideal Boer Goat
Red hair on head and ears and white on
the remainder of the body.
 Face hair may vary from dark to light
red and even brown.
 The face has a white blaze.
 Ears should be 80% color pigmented.
 Head should be 50% colored.

Selection of Meat Goats




Conformation – (structural correctness)
General Appearance – (size, scale,
capacity, depth and width of body)
Muscling – (growth and weight per day of
age)
Condition – (amount of finish or fat the
animal is carrying)
Selection and Evaluation
Goats deposit fat internally before they
do externally.
 Ideal condition is a thin, but uniform
covering over the loin, rib and shoulder.
 The external fat thickness over the loin
at the 13th rib should be .08 in. to .12 in
or an average of .10 in.

A Good Meat Goat has:






Fairly level rump
Level overall body
shape
Straight level top
Length of rump
Length of body
Length of leg for
market desirability



Straight legs placed
square under body
Muscle in leg
Muscle in
hindquarters, loin,
shoulders, and
neck.