A few questions.....

[Cntrygrl]

My hubby and I are researching for our move to the country, and we are thinking of getting goats. What we are thinking is a meat/dairy herd, and I have a few questions.
1. What does goat meat taste like?? (I figure if we don't like the taste, then meat goats will be a waste of money...duh!!! LOL)

2. What breeds are the best for meat/dairy herds??

3. How do I go about finding goat sellers in my area??

We are still in the city at this point but are trying to map out a plan so we know how much money we will have to squirrel away to really make a go of this. Thanks in advance for all your help!!!

[Feral Nature]

Great that you are looking into this first.

Goat meat tastes like mild beef, not like lamb. We barbeque ours or smoke it and it is wonderful. In fact, we wish we would have sold less buck kids last year and kept a few more for the freezer. This year most will go in the freezer, also at an earlier age as we like them little.

Any breed goat can be eaten so if your intent is to have few milkers and then to eat the excess male offspring, then just get some good dairy goats of the breed you like....they all taste good.

To find good sellers in your area, read read read....on here, on the adga.org website, and www.dairygoatinfo.com

Health is very important, watch for CL and CAE, educate yourself and be aware. Get off on the right foot with good gentle healthy goats. No need for wild ones or ill ones. Don't grab the first thing you see. Enjoy the journey

[hoofinitnorth]

If you want a mixed herd, look into kinders. They are trying to be the meat goat you milk.

[southerngurl]

Yes, the kinders may be a good idea for you. They are developed from nubians and nigerian dwarfs (if I remember right). They are a smaller goat and supposed to be milky and meaty. I have no experience with them.

If it were me, I would focus on the milk, and then the meat will soon follow. You always have bucks that have to go somewhere. Get a goat you like looking at. I like nubians. Nubians are pretty with their long ears and they have a lot of butterfat in their milk typically. They can be very big. I like big goats myself. I suppose the only practical thing that gives you is that they can reach up a bit higher for browse. And the bucks will be big for butcher.

Lamanchas I think are a very good breed to. They tend to be very calm and they are real good milkers with, IME, great tasting milk.

To me, it seems toggenburgs are a "sturdy" breed. They seem, to me, to be one of the most consistently nice built goats with good udders. Those traits seem to carry strong in the breed. Maybe I just haven't seen many bad toggenburgs? They are real good milk producers, and if you like a uniform herd, they are all patterned (about) the same. I think all the swiss breeds tend to be a little more aggressive? (toggenburgs are a swiss breed, my toggenburg really likes to be dominant over the other goats). Some say toggenburg milk isn't very tasty, as they were bred for milk for cheese, not so much for fresh drinking. When my toggy freshens this spring, I will know - at least in her case.

Saanens I have no experience with. They are supposed to be heavy milkers, but to me, them just being white is kinda boring. They are not attractive to my eye, but to some I'm sure they are.

I also don't know much about Alpines (also swiss), some say their milk is strong (but don't say that out loud around here).

[Steffiej]

I have a neighbor that's breeding for kinders..she's using nubians and pygmies.

[southerngurl]

Yes, you are right. It's pygmies.

[homesweethome]

I think goat meat is very mild, it takes on the flavor of whatever you put on it nad that's all you taste.
I sell a few to a couple from Africa who use garlic to marinate it, and they ask for older bigger goats for "more flavor".
I can take it or leave it, but we eat it cause it's here!
If you're just getting a few for fun but want to be able to use them too, just get what you like the looks of, shop around. No need to be a purist if it's not a sole source of income.
They are really easier to keep than we make it sound on here!

[goatkid]

There is no one best breed of goat. It's a matter of personal preference. The best thing to do is visit goat shows or farms ans see which breed or breeds appeal to you. People who want both meat and dairy goats sometimes will buy dairy does and a Boer (meat breed) buck. Personally, I like the Boer best of the meat breeds. My favorite dairy breed is the Nubian.