How would you add...

Kathleen in WI · #1 06/03/14, 05:48 PM

...meat goats to a dairy herd? My husband had told me to get rid of the dairy goats because he thought I couldn't handle milking, and then said we could get meat goats instead because he can butcher them and it won't be extra work for me.

I told him when he gets rid of his dogs, I will get rid of my goats.

But, I would like to have some for meat, and since mine are mostly Nigerian Dwarfs, I am not sure the bucks are worth butchering. My thought was if I had a buck from a meat breed (boer maybe), he could breed with the ND does and give me meatier babies. But I don't want to get rid of my ND bucks and adding a third buck seems silly. If I added a couple of boer does, would I get similar results?

I am trying to figure out the best way to go about this, and I would appreciate some input to help me figure it out.

Thanks!

Alice In TX/MO · #2 06/03/14, 06:58 PM

You cannot use a big meat breed buck on Nigerian Dwarf does. The kids will be too big for the does to give birth.

If you eat rabbit, etc., then a Nigerian Dwarf buckling at weaning age is plenty big for butchering.

Kathleen in WI · #3 06/03/14, 07:18 PM

Well, there are smaller meat breeds - pygmy, fainters...

**mygoat** · #4 06/03/14, 08:01 PM

Pygmies have not been selected for meat traits though, being MOSTLY a 'pet' breed. This is mainly evidenced in the fact that they are notorious for kidding problems - a trait completely intolerable in a meat herd. They are also not known for their fast growth really, but they do have decent dress out - eventually.

Fainters are much, much larger than nigies. My friend has a whole herd and many are as big as my boers that I had, if not as leggy as some. They are WAY bigger than my minis, which are of pygmy/nigie origin and are true miniature goats.

I ran boers in with my dairy herd. I also kept a boer buck. I managed them like a meat herd - gather them all up a few times per year for pre-breeding, pre-kidding health and a few extra times per year for hoof trims. Otherwise, they are hands off and low maintenance. Poor health or need for more intense management is a serious 'ding' against that individual. If they don't stay healthy with reasonable management, cull.

Ford Zoo · #5 06/03/14, 08:05 PM

We have a few ND's, and in our journey to build a meat herd we have tried several crosses, mainly due to availability of different breeds in our area. In my experience, crossing a ND with a pygmy or Myotonic does not yield any larger kids than straight ND's. Of course my ND's get fat on air but perhaps if you could find a better built buck of either breed it may make a difference.

Definitely agree not to breed anything larger to a Nigerian. Boer bucks tend to put larger heads on their kids causing delivery problems too.

Now if you were to get a few larger meat does and breed them to your ND bucks you may find the carcass yield to be better than straight Nigerian, but I would suspect the over size of any given age of that cross to stay small (short) overall anyway. I have three bucks and they are no more work than 2. You may want to get a few meat does and a good thick buck to breed them to eventually.

Kathleen in WI · #6 06/04/14, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford Zoo

Now if you were to get a few larger meat does and breed them to your ND bucks you may find the carcass yield to be better than straight Nigerian, but I would suspect the over size of any given age of that cross to stay small (short) overall anyway. I have three bucks and they are no more work than 2. You may want to get a few meat does and a good thick buck to breed them to eventually.

The trick is keeping them separate. I have a lot of area for them to browse and eat, but only one corral and two large stalls in the barn. So far keeping the bucks away from the does has been about impossible. Someone keeps escaping to be with the others. So keeping a boer buck away from the ND does would be a trick.

I can try it though. I will do some planning and figuring and see what I can come up with.

Alice In TX/MO · #7 06/04/14, 06:38 AM

Personally, the higher feed requirement of a large breed wouldn't be worth it.

Just butcher the excess little animals. Less feed requirement, less work. Still have meat.

Kathleen in WI · #8 06/04/14, 06:41 AM

That was my thought, but my husband figures he can get more out of them by selling them as pets because they will have so little meat. So I am trying to come up with a compromise that will get us meat and make him happy at the same time.

myheaven · #9 06/04/14, 08:55 PM

I have a meat dairy cross I need to sell. Just for the fact I need to down size my heard. She didnt get bred this year as my stud was a dud. She is hand milked.But is currently dry. Or you can leave the kids on her. Her boys have alway brought the higher price at the market. Weaned high weight at 8 weeks. She is mellow.
You could breed her to any buck and she be ok to deliver.
Just throwing it out there.

Kathleen in WI · #10 06/05/14, 06:12 AM

But what is she usually bred to? My bucks are all NDs. How old is she?

It will probably be a few months before I can get anything, actually. I just like doing my research before I make any moves. This month we are working on getting a car that saves on fuel since my husband has a 45 minute drive to work and the truck is not that economical. Next month we are having our second annual farm party. We usually provide the meats and a few sides and others bring stuff as well. So that will be another expense. It is also why I can't sell my bucklings yet. Everyone is so fascinated with our homestead and they love seeing the goats. So my husband wants to keep the babies until after the party. :/ (Not that this has anything to do with our discussion; just rambling.)