On eating goat meat

[MommaBugg]

Wow. Poor Larry! And you and the other kids! I'd guess that was sort of rough.

I dont participate in the killing either, lol. Hubby says that I am a "fixer of sick critters not a killer of healthy ones", lol.

We prefer to shoot ours, and then go to a quick throat slit. Freezerburn died quickly. He did moan once, which concerned both of us, and we have decided that we need to do a better job. it is probable that his moan was postmortem, and only left over air leaving. But, still, it bothered us, so we will work on that.

Even if you dont end up doing the meat aspect, goat are just FUN, lol.

Yeah, my hubby prefers todo quick kills too.. We were pretty poor when we were a kid, and for lack of a gun or a sharp knife/ axe my dad used a hammer(him being a carpenter by trade.. go figure)

We definately will be doing humane slaughter. I had a slow culled roo,(why I wont be culling anymore) I am fine if its already gone(preferably with no head, its the lifeless eyes that I have a problem with)

I love my animals, even the ones that are destined to feed us, I feel they deserve the respect as any other animal and desrve a quick painless death. Afterall, just because some animals were put here for food, does not mean they are to suffer.

 

[Cabinchick]

This is a great thread - and timely too...My local community food Co-Op was offering goat meat (chevron??) and lamb burgers this week. I was really tempted to buy some but chickened out. Now that I've read this thread I feel more prepared on what to expect in taste and texture. Just the fact that it's available to the public through the Co-Op tells me that goat meat is getting requested by the public.
Would love to see more of your cooking methods and recipes. Maybe a new thread?
If I like the taste, it's another source of meat that I could raise here at home and know exactly what it was fed and how it was cared for To me, that's an important consideration.

 

[navasfarm]

elevan: Nubian Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf? Ya' mean the two breeds that I kept dragging DH back and forth between at the Fair this year? It's meant to be! Thanks!

Nubian Pygmy?...do you mean a mini nubian?

I meant an African Pygmy Goat and a Nigerian Dwarf Goat.

For clarification Pygmy is a breed and not a description. Although there are plenty out there who tend to label any small statured goat as a pygmy and that is incorrect.

More info on Pygmies: http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-pymgy-goat

Thanks! So - is the difference between pygmy and dwarf the same as in miget and dwarf for people?

 

[redtailgal]

This is a great thread - and timely too...My local community food Co-Op was offering goat meat (chevron??) and lamb burgers this week. I was really tempted to buy some but chickened out. Now that I've read this thread I feel more prepared on what to expect in taste and texture. Just the fact that it's available to the public through the Co-Op tells me that goat meat is getting requested by the public.
Would love to see more of your cooking methods and recipes. Maybe a new thread?
If I like the taste, it's another source of meat that I could raise here at home and know exactly what it was fed and how it was cared for To me, that's an important consideration.

sounds wonderful! I hope you'll start that thread or I'd be glad to modify the topic of this one. I wont have much to contribute though, as I have only cook out of this recently killed goat.

 

[elevan]

elevan: Nubian Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf? Ya' mean the two breeds that I kept dragging DH back and forth between at the Fair this year? It's meant to be! Thanks!

Nubian Pygmy?...do you mean a mini nubian?

I meant an African Pygmy Goat and a Nigerian Dwarf Goat.

For clarification Pygmy is a breed and not a description. Although there are plenty out there who tend to label any small statured goat as a pygmy and that is incorrect.

More info on Pygmies: http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-pymgy-goat

Thanks! So - is the difference between pygmy and dwarf the same as in miget and dwarf for people?

They both started out as the Cameroon Dwarf Goat and were selectively bred into the 2 separate breeds. In humans midget and dwarf are a description and a genetic mutation respectively. In goats pygmy and dwarf are more of a descriptive difference between the 2 breeds. Other small statured breeds or those that are crossed with either of these to make them smaller should be referred to as mini --- or their new breed name (such as the Kinder or Pygora or Nigora). Hope that helped.

In regards to the thread, all goats are edible and all goats can provide you with meat it just depends on the quantity of the meat. And just like there are variations in the taste of milk of different breeds there are variations in the taste of the meat of different breeds. The boer is what you're going to find most often when you go to the store (if they sell it) or order online. But do your research and you'll be able to find other breeds to try a taste before you decide on what breed you want to grow yourself.

 

[elevan]

This is a great thread - and timely too...My local community food Co-Op was offering goat meat (chevron??) and lamb burgers this week. I was really tempted to buy some but chickened out. Now that I've read this thread I feel more prepared on what to expect in taste and texture. Just the fact that it's available to the public through the Co-Op tells me that goat meat is getting requested by the public.
Would love to see more of your cooking methods and recipes. Maybe a new thread?
If I like the taste, it's another source of meat that I could raise here at home and know exactly what it was fed and how it was cared for To me, that's an important consideration.

sounds wonderful! I hope you'll start that thread or I'd be glad to modify the topic of this one. I wont have much to contribute though, as I have only cook out of this recently killed goat.

Absolutely, someone should start a Goat cooking methods thread in the recipe section of the forum

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

They both started out as the Cameroon Dwarf Goat and were selectively bred into the 2 separate breeds. In humans midget and dwarf are a description and a genetic mutation respectively. In goats pygmy and dwarf are more of a descriptive difference between the 2 breeds. Other small statured breeds or those that are crossed with either of these to make them smaller should be referred to as mini --- or their new breed name (such as the Kinder or Pygora or Nigora). Hope that helped.

So what would a nigerian dwarf crossed with a pygmy be called?

We have a small herd of 4, to be increased quite a bit this week (hopefully ... one doe due to kid 4 and the other should have 2). Our 2 girls are nigerian dwarf, plus we have 1 nd wether and 1 buck who is 1/2 la mancha and 1/2 nigerian dwarf. Out of this kidding, we plan to keep one girl (milk/breeding) and all the boys (band for eating). Thinking that we'll harvest the buck and wether as soon as the buck gets un-stinky! Then this summer find a pygmy buck.

Would having a pygmy buck on nd does affect the milk production of their kids?

We've never had goat meat but from what we read, it should be a good (and cost-efficient) sub for beef. If we feed the boys exclusively pasture and hay (plus treats of apples etc from time to time), will that affect the taste of the goat?

Go through about 5 pounds of beef a week, plus our other sources of protein. If nd's are about 60 pounds, that means we'll probably get about 20 pounds of usable meat? I don't mind the older guys because I do almost everything in the crockpot (even taco meat!). Assuming less red meat around christmas and other holidays, we would probably need 12 goats to provide a year's worth of meat.

Are the ribs on a nd worth bbq'ing?

 

[Zanzabeez]

Very interesting thread, thank you!

I have not yet had the chance to try goat meat and am really looking forward to tasting it. From everything I have read about it, it sounds like it will be delicious. I LOVE lamb, venison is great, and beef is good too so goat sounds right up my alley.

Hopefully I will get the chance to sample it soon. I have a wether that will be going to freezer camp when the weather cools down some and I get up the guts to actually do the deed. I have zero problem with the processing process, it is the actual dispatching part I have to work myself up to. Even my hunter uncles don't want to do it so it looksl like it will be up to me. :/

 

[elevan]

They both started out as the Cameroon Dwarf Goat and were selectively bred into the 2 separate breeds. In humans midget and dwarf are a description and a genetic mutation respectively. In goats pygmy and dwarf are more of a descriptive difference between the 2 breeds. Other small statured breeds or those that are crossed with either of these to make them smaller should be referred to as mini --- or their new breed name (such as the Kinder or Pygora or Nigora). Hope that helped.

So what would a nigerian dwarf crossed with a pygmy be called?

We have a small herd of 4, to be increased quite a bit this week (hopefully ... one doe due to kid 4 and the other should have 2). Our 2 girls are nigerian dwarf, plus we have 1 nd wether and 1 buck who is 1/2 la mancha and 1/2 nigerian dwarf. Out of this kidding, we plan to keep one girl (milk/breeding) and all the boys (band for eating). Thinking that we'll harvest the buck and wether as soon as the buck gets un-stinky! Then this summer find a pygmy buck.

Would having a pygmy buck on nd does affect the milk production of their kids?

We've never had goat meat but from what we read, it should be a good (and cost-efficient) sub for beef. If we feed the boys exclusively pasture and hay (plus treats of apples etc from time to time), will that affect the taste of the goat?

Go through about 5 pounds of beef a week, plus our other sources of protein. If nd's are about 60 pounds, that means we'll probably get about 20 pounds of usable meat? I don't mind the older guys because I do almost everything in the crockpot (even taco meat!). Assuming less red meat around christmas and other holidays, we would probably need 12 goats to provide a year's worth of meat.

Are the ribs on a nd worth bbq'ing?

Technically speaking breeding the ND and Pygmy back to each other would take them back to the Cameroon Dwarf. Though many Americans tend to refer to the cross as a Pygerian or simply a cross of the 2. In Africa the 2 breeds are both still referred to as the Cameroon Dwarf because there is no separation of the 2. Americans are the ones who selectively bred them to be separate.

You can cover a ND doe with a pygmy buck and not affect milk production too much if you choose a pygmy buck from good milk lines. This can be hard to do because most people don't care or look at milk lines in pygmies.

If you'd like me to start a topic on the Cameroon Dwarf and it's separation into the African Pygmy and the Nigerian Dwarf, just let me know.

As to the worth of a meat on a ND or Pygmy...that is entirely subject to individual taste. I have taken the time with something that provides little meat because of the flavor.

 

[Cabinchick]

This is a great thread - and timely too...My local community food Co-Op was offering goat meat (chevron??) and lamb burgers this week. I was really tempted to buy some but chickened out. Now that I've read this thread I feel more prepared on what to expect in taste and texture. Just the fact that it's available to the public through the Co-Op tells me that goat meat is getting requested by the public.
Would love to see more of your cooking methods and recipes. Maybe a new thread?
If I like the taste, it's another source of meat that I could raise here at home and know exactly what it was fed and how it was cared for To me, that's an important consideration.

sounds wonderful! I hope you'll start that thread or I'd be glad to modify the topic of this one. I wont have much to contribute though, as I have only cook out of this recently killed goat.

Absolutely, someone should start a Goat cooking methods thread in the recipe section of the forum

I'll be picking up some goat meat to try next week through the Co-Op. I'm going to contact the seller to see if they can give me some good recipes. I will post the results. This is going to be fun!