Earlier this week, I loaded 4 Angora goats in the truck and drove them to Vegreville for butchering. Two were males in rutt, which is when they urinate on themselves to attract the females and they are producing more male hormones. Most people would not want to eat a goat in rutt, but there are a few who prefer it. I have never tried goat, period, so it will be a new experience. In the Middle East, the preferred goat for meat is Angora, which has a finer texture and is considered sweeter than other goat meats. I am sure it all depends on what the goat has been fed and what time of year it is slaughtered. I did not buy these goats for meat. As a matter of fact, one of the females cost $450 and the other $350, the buck was $250 and the younger buck was born here. His mother is the Angora that I am keeping, the only one who still had the mother instinct. Being bred exclusively for heavy fibre has left the American goats without the basic instincts of mothering and even survival. I did see great improvement on my farm, with the goats being able to eat only hay rather than pellets or grain. They were not worm resistant as some other breeds, and need more protection from the cold, despite heavy mohair coats. These coats part down the centre of the back exposing delicate skin, so the goats need rain and wind protection much more than other breeds.
The two year old male was 66 pounds on the rail. That is a big goat, and the butcher said he was the largest he has processed. The size is one of the reasons they are a meat and fibre goat in the Middle East. The year old buck was 44 pounds. One female was 56 pounds and the other right behind her. These are large goats. I sheared them as well as I could prior to butchering so I could at least harvest the mohair, but I don't know if the smell of the buck will be easy to clean and deodorize.
Tomorrow, I will try a rack of goat roast, this one from one of the females. I am a little scared to try the buck in rutt, but will give it a go, too. The meat, if I find it tasty, will be sold to any buyers who are willing to pay $11 per pound. The cost to process the goats was $475, four hours driving, and the original cost of the goats. I will never recoup the loss, but at $11 per pound, it will help offset the expense of owning these goats. I will have the mohair as well and it does sell washed and clean for $10 per pound. That is not very much actually, being so light and fluffy. I think a whole goat does not have more than 2 or 3 pounds of fibre. The reason one of the females was $100 more initially is that she was a high fibre producer.
The female that I kept had a buckling and was a good mother and raised him. I have kept him and his fate will be meat next year, but after he breeds the Nigerian Dwarf goats for Nygoras. The plan then is to breed this year's Nygoras to those Nygoras and see what the second generation produces. I kept one Nygora doeling and one buckling this year and will keep one of each next year too, provided the doe has the right sex of kids.
So, tomorrow, the taste will tell the rest of the tale. Stay tuned.
The two year old male was 66 pounds on the rail. That is a big goat, and the butcher said he was the largest he has processed. The size is one of the reasons they are a meat and fibre goat in the Middle East. The year old buck was 44 pounds. One female was 56 pounds and the other right behind her. These are large goats. I sheared them as well as I could prior to butchering so I could at least harvest the mohair, but I don't know if the smell of the buck will be easy to clean and deodorize.
Tomorrow, I will try a rack of goat roast, this one from one of the females. I am a little scared to try the buck in rutt, but will give it a go, too. The meat, if I find it tasty, will be sold to any buyers who are willing to pay $11 per pound. The cost to process the goats was $475, four hours driving, and the original cost of the goats. I will never recoup the loss, but at $11 per pound, it will help offset the expense of owning these goats. I will have the mohair as well and it does sell washed and clean for $10 per pound. That is not very much actually, being so light and fluffy. I think a whole goat does not have more than 2 or 3 pounds of fibre. The reason one of the females was $100 more initially is that she was a high fibre producer.
The female that I kept had a buckling and was a good mother and raised him. I have kept him and his fate will be meat next year, but after he breeds the Nigerian Dwarf goats for Nygoras. The plan then is to breed this year's Nygoras to those Nygoras and see what the second generation produces. I kept one Nygora doeling and one buckling this year and will keep one of each next year too, provided the doe has the right sex of kids.
So, tomorrow, the taste will tell the rest of the tale. Stay tuned.
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