I have had it with this buck! (a question)

[tanyarejoyce]

Tomorrow he is going to be executed for incest, vandalizim, assault and battery and failure to recognize authority.

We borrowed him for breeding my dairy does a year and a half ago and the owner would not let me bring him back.

I kept thinking someone would take him off my hands, but that hasn't happened and he HAS to go. NOW. I have put this off for far too long.

My question: This is a 6 year old, intact, boer goat. Is his meat going to be any good at all? We like goat meat, but have only ever eaten young wethers. If it won't be any good for roasts, would it be okay for brats or sausage? Or should I just give it to the dogs?

[Chaty]

I bet he will taste goaty especially if he is in with any does or still in rut...some say they dont but some say they can taste the musky taste.

[Ken in Maine]

Boer meat is great no matter what age. As long as they have had a good diet the meat will be just fine. We only slaughter intact males who are a minimum of 14 months. Our processor charges by the goat so if we don't bring a good size animal the processing becomes very expensive.

My recommendation would be the following:

Boneless roasts... chops... steaks... ground and try some sausage. At his age, if he has some good muscling, you should expect 60 to 90 pounds of meat. ENJOY!

[tanyarejoyce]

Originally Posted by Chaty

I bet he will taste goaty especially if he is in with any does or still in rut...some say they dont but some say they can taste the musky taste.

Nope, all the does have been in the other barn for a couple months.

[tanyarejoyce]

Originally Posted by Ken in Maine

Boneless roasts... chops... steaks... ground and try some sausage. At his age, if he has some good muscling, you should expect 60 to 90 pounds of meat. ENJOY!

Cool! Thank you!

[Backfourty,MI.]

We love breakfast sausage made from Goat, sausage, roasts & the ribs are my favorites!

[Stoufferspizza]

Let us know how it turns out - we had diary buck at 16 months old and we're not keen on trying it again, maybe a meat breed will be less affected (or maybe you have to get used to it too - like venison from a mature buck)

[Ken in Maine]

I think a lot of the "taste" has to do with how the animal was fed. You really can not compare a domesticated animal (goat) to venison. They have entirely different eating patterns and living conditions that will have an effect on the taste and quality of the meat.

Farm raised goats are going to have a milder flavor simply because they are usually feed grain. That has a tendency to flavor the meat. An animal raised only on browse will not have the muscling as one raised on the farm with good quality feeds.

All goats have goat meat but not all goats are meat goats. Just the same as all goats(females) give milk but not all goats(females) are milk goats. Just as different breeds of goats give differing qualities, quantities and tastes of milk the same is true for their meat.

[hoofinitnorth]

In wild goats, game hunters are cautioned not to let the pelt touch the meat when they skin the carcass. It apparently has a greater chance of imparting a gamey or off flavor (and smell) to the meat. Probably a good idea to follow for hygiene anyway.

[Ken in Maine]

Again to re-iterate my point... A "wild animal" is going to have a gamey or off flavor.. I really don't think it from the pelt.. it's from their lifestyle and what they eat.

[hoofinitnorth]

Ken, I have eaten much game, including wild goat. I can tell you that some animals are gamier than others and sometimes it has to do with the time of year they are taken (if in rut, etc.). With wild goat, at least those up here in Alaska, that urine smell of a billy in full rut translates right to the meat and it smells like the animal is right there in the kitchen with you. The meat tastes fine, as long as the pelt doesn't touch the meat.

When butchering moose, deer, bison, elk, whatever, we try to keep the pelt off the meat as much as possible for hygiene. Taking vinegar wipes to meat coated in hair is a thankless and time consuming job!

[susanne]

i can imagine that if a buck was housed in a clean environment, that the meat will taste just fine, no matter how old he is.

[Laura Workman]

The 18-month-old wether I butchered was fed alfalfa pellets and orchard grass hay. He lived with my dairy does. He was stressed before he was killed because I hauled him to the butcher, where they unceremoniously cut his throat. My husband and stepdaughter thought the meat was wonderful, but I wouldn't let them cook it in the house because of the goaty smell. Guess maybe I just don't like goat meat, eh?

[MJFarms]

Why not just take him to the sale barn?