does anyone sell their whethers for dog food?

[oceanmist]

don't hurt me!

I would like to know if anyone on here has ever sold their meat goat whether kids as raw dog food?

I am trying to find another niche I could fill with our kid crop as the auction truck has stopped running in our area.

We are also faced with losing sales because many of our kids are dairy/ boer crosses that look dairy. We are actually paid .25 cents less per pound if they don't have brown heads, no matter what their bodies look like!

My sister has 32 whethers that weigh between 55-75 lbs., the majority have some boer influence and are filled out nicely and we are trying to figure out what to ask for them live/ on the hoof as dog food...

Thanks Misty

[Alice In TX/MO]

Figure what they get at the auction ring. Add $25 or $50 or whatever makes you happy. Advertise. See what happens.

Unless you are in Alaska where folks are feeding sled dogs, I don't think you are going to get much response.

If it was me, and it will be next spring, I'd just take the wethers to the sale if I wasn't going to eat them myself.

[Ken in Maine]

We have expanded some of our goat meat operation into providing BARF ( bones and raw food) to a dog breeder about an hour away from us. When we have our goats processed the slaughter house grinds up all the product that would normally be thrown out.. cuts the bones into 6 inch lengths and we sell it for $1.00/lb. Not a lot of money but otherwise it would go into the compost at the processor. We are seriously thinking about expanding into a dog food product line. It would make good use of the meat etc. that is not for human consumption and provide additional income.

[Tracy in Idaho]

I sell mine for $1/lb live weight to a fellow with wolves. (He takes in wild animals that the F&G seize from people)

Tracy

[crowinghen]

I think that's a great idea! There are BARF forums around-- I'm pretty sure there are some on yahoo groups you could put the word out.

Susie

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

BARF is very popular, but you do have to understand you are competeing against meaty chicken backs that sell for 6 cents per pound in large boxes. You also aren't dealing with homesteaders, so it's a gal with fake fingernails and big hair that doesn't want her fancy little care dirty...so butchered and in little zip locks is what she is going to expect. $1 a pound is a given, we butchered at birth. It honestly won't pay unless you butcher yourself, and enjoy it. One more chore to do during kidding season I couldn't continue it.

Unless you do find someone who wants them to butcher them themselves (and kennels don't have facilites to keep goats on the hoof) and you get that $1 per pound live weight, butchering for barf is a money loosing proposition. BARF sales is about parts of livestock not used for humans. The small majority who barf with good cuts of meat, aren't going to butcher it themselves.

Cut out the middle man and find your own meat buyers, I would never loose that kind of money via and auction or broker. Private sales always or rethink your business plan. Vicki

[southerngurl]

I think it could be done, but not live sales. There aren't many people that dedicated.

You might even see if the health food stores woulds sell it for you frozen. You would make a nice label and put it in zip locks, sell it as premium doggy health food, include chunks of bones and all, intestines, liver heart brain, all that good stuff.

What would really be handy is if it was frozen in individual bags, say a cup per bag, and you could sell bags of these individual bags. This way a customer could just pull one or two out of the freezer, set it in some warm water to thaw and give it to fido. Makes it more of a pain for you, but the more handy it is or the customer, and the better they feel about feeding it, the better off you are. They have simple, cheap vaccum sealers at walmart. Buying the plastic becomes the most expensive part. The Seal a Meal is a really good one. Before that we had a black and decker and it was SOOOOOOOO slow and didn't seal nearly as well.

[Jim S.]

Originally Posted by oceanmist

We are also faced with losing sales because many of our kids are dairy/ boer crosses that look dairy. We are actually paid .25 cents less per pound if they don't have brown heads, no matter what their bodies look like!

Time to find a boer buck that'll throw brown heads and white bodies, then. I completely agree that the color drives the sale ring, just as black does for cattle...so why not give them what they want?

As far as Vicki's private sales comment, that's true if you have the time and want a lot of people you don't know traipsing around your place. Many people don't.

You can't lose by getting your kids to look like what folks want to buy, either on the farm or at the auction.

Lastly, you say "the auction truck has stopped running" ... so, the auction is still going, they just won't pick up for you? Start looking for an el cheapo cattle trailer, or 6 x 10 flat trailer (used to haul lawnmowers) so you can build your own goat trailer on it. Or get a cheap used topper for your pickup. Haul 'em yourself. We've never had pickup where I am...getting them to auction is up to me.

Going rate here for private sale for use as meat (human or whatever) is $1.25 a pound.

[southerngurl]

Originally Posted by Jim S.

Lastly, you say "the auction truck has stopped running" ... so, the auction is still going, they just won't pick up for you? Start looking for an el cheapo cattle trailer, or 6 x 10 flat trailer (used to haul lawnmowers) so you can build your own goat trailer on it. Or get a cheap used topper for your pickup. Haul 'em yourself. We've never had pickup where I am...getting them to auction is up to me.

You can also make a cage for the back of your pickup out of cattle panels.