why should i get goats

[sticky_burr]

they seem all the rage but i cant figure out if there is a good market. i never ever hear about people here eating goat. i have heard of people eating rabbit duck and other critters but never goat or sheep.. they seem to be all the rage but why? i know they give more efficient milk than cows but other than that i dont know

pleasse some one sing the praises of the marketability of goats

[Alice In TX/MO]

Are you talking about meat goats only? As you are in the north east, there may be a market for goat for the ethnic markets. Ask around to find out if there is a goat buyer for a major city near you.

Here in south Texas, the main buyers for meat goats are the Hispanics. In the northeast, it will be the Middle Eastern cultures.

[Slugmar]

Here in california we have an ethnic market for them but heck a 100lb weather will fetch you 150 to 200 dollars at the auction yard.

but just like any animal you need to keep the price of feed down to make a profit off of them.

[LittleRedHen]

I know quite a few folks who eat goat meat. I plan on eating goat in the future as well. they have great personalities and they dont eat ya out of house and home. you might even get some exercise fi you have to chase them if your fence isn't good. they eat brush that cows wont touch. They are going to eat the poison ivy off our hiking trails so that I dont break out like crazy :P They kid in 5 months so nto too long of a pregnancy and they often have multiples. Chicken hawks dont come and eat them like they do to poultry. I have not had any predator losses with goats but i have lost many rabbits, chickens and ducks. Goats are a lot like dogs except they can earn their keep in terms of milk, meat and fertilizer

[sticky_burr]

only thing i had thought about is goat rental lol .. got a over grown field or poison ivy(ik light sensitivity) rent a few goats to teather out or temp pen. but after all that eating what to do with them lol.

[LittleRedHen]

After you had them for awhile you would find the answer would be to name them and keep them around because you know you dont want that poison ivy to grow back LOL! I have a light sensitivity to it and it only started last year. I am also allergic to pine so we have spent all spring cutting down our pine trees (allergies even when the pollen falls is bad) I am going to let my goaties go around and eat any pine saplings so they are going to be my knights in furry armor

[freedomfrom4]

The ethnic market isn't the only ones who like to eat goat, if you leave a goat teathered you are inviting other thinks such as dogs to come and get them some good eatin.

[MrsSurplus]

I'm not very educated on this as I'm not even getting my first goats for a week or so - but we know a few people who eat goat meat...or they sell them to a buyer for $1.30/lb. I also see a good market around here for the kids- I assume as pets. Milk kids here sell for $100 for bucklings and $75 for doelings (AlpineXSanaan). I know that the gal we're getting our Nubians from usually crosses them with her Boer buck in order to get meat kids.

[TroutRiver]

Goat meat is great, AND it has the lowest fat and highest protein content of any meat (including poultry). It's similar to venison in taste and texture, but not quite as "red". It's easy to cook if you have it ground, and makes GREAT lean sausage.

You could buy some wethers to clear out your land, and eat them afterwards. I would not recommend keeping them tethered though. Fences are good for keeping animals out just as much as keeping them in. Especially if your goats don't have horns, if you live in an area where there are coyotes, wild cats or even loose dogs wandering around, a tethered goat is something that most predators wouldn't pass up.

[KOHL HAWKE]

I keep dairy goats for a number of reasons, I raise calves off the milk, I raise my children off the milk, they keep the trees "trimmed", they keep most weeds undercontrol, I could eat them if I so desired, and they are easy to manage-good livestock, I am also thinking of training for cart pulling to sell some handmade candles and soaps from. I also sell my bucks and kids in the spring for feed money! I have teathered if I am supervising, and taken for leashed and unleashed walks, bring a good book, let em eat, take em back to the pasture later. I do dehorn, but have had goats with horns (boer), I havent found a diffrence in self protection, the neighbors dogs killed horned goats just as fast as they took my fav. dehorned dariy doe, they broke into the pasture thu a 4x2x48 fence with 2 hotwire strands!

[JJFarmer]

If you're looking to make lots of money goats are probably not a good choice. While the people who truly love there company will say otherwise for those who don't have a fondness for them will not find it a worthwhile venture. Trust me. For the most part they're trouble makers and so you have to have a certain amount of affection for them or they'll just drive you crazy.

Having said that. There is a lot of room to be successful in raising goats for meat and milk. You have to research your local market or ship in bulk to make good profits. The market isn't going to find you; you have to go find it. When I first got into dairy goats I was drowning in milk and thought I'd got myself into a real mess until I started doing the searching, now I can't supply enough milk and meat kids to meet the demand. The other up side is with dairy goats they make it very profitable to raise beef calves, pigs, lambs, etc. I can raise two calves for every dairy goat and still have some left over for the family. I limit myself to two calves at a time though just because I do 90% of the work myself when I'm not taking care of my family, cleaning my house and taking care of ALL the business matters.

Another great market for dairy goats is their side products. Have you ever had goat cheese? You can't beat it. Goat yogurt, mozzarella, butter, ice cream, fetta. Oh and try an all goat lasagna, chevon and goat cheese with tomato sauce made from the garden tomatoes and herb garden. You'll think you died and went to heaven. (now I'm hungry)

But you have to like goats or none of that will be worth a thing to you.

[Melbertsch]

I have goats because I love goats. I dont expect to make enought money from selling babies to cover feed, but then I dont make money from my other pets either. Loving them is the only reason I need.

[Cheribelle]

The nice fancy meat kids are up to $2.50 lb. at our local salebarn. Beef about $1.35.

[julieq]

We only have miniature dairy goats, but I don't think I've met anyone yet who is making money off of meat or dairy goats. Feed prices are just too high. We have goats because we love them and our lives wouldn't be complete without them. Raw goat milk = priceless!

[sticky_burr]

i am focusing mostly on cash in hand farm sales and direct to some the local tourist trap restaurants
i dont want a black hole farm basically other than my use, small, if it doesnt produce income, or prevented loss(guinnea & LGD) it has no place on the farm, unless i had children and they fell in love with it lol. but basically i want to focus on the best return beyond organic/grass fed prefered unless i can raise the feed on farm mostly i will have to buy some hay but i will not be raising alot of cows