Pygmy Goats for meat

[kaywould]

Was going to purchase 2 male pygmy goats locally that were born early July, so they are about 4 months old now. I was going to castrate them because my ultimate plan is to eat them and want do everything to preserve the taste of the meat. Plus I don't want smelly bucks around.

I have about 1.5 acres of fenced in property in the back (the fencing is critterfence.com it has a 2.5 foot chew barrier and 0.5 ft that comes out to prevent digging and the rest of the fence is 6 ft high - I'm not affiliated with them but if anyone is familiar with this fencing and can comment of successes/disasters with goats and this kind of fencing). A lot of the fenced in area has a lot of brush. I have water catchment from the barn roof. Plus I live in coastal South Carolina so the winters are mild. My plan is to have free food and water, I hope to not have to supplement a ton with food, and when they are adults to butcher and eat them.

-What age to butcher pygmy goats?
-With this plan does castration seem like something necessary to preserve meat taste?
-Is 1.5 acres of land with a lot of brush a pretty realistic area for 2 pygmy goats to be able to free range for their predominant food source till butcher age?

 

[Latestarter]

Lots of variables there for sure. If you have experience doing castrations, you should proceed very soon as they are approaching the age where it would be better to have a vet involved. It's also right now the peak of the rut so I'm kinda surprised that they aren't already smelly bucks. Mine has been peeing in his beard for almost a month. If they have horns, that may cause some concern for them getting stuck/tangled in the fencing... I don't know as I've never used that type fencing. Pygmys are generally smaller goats than a full/standard sized goats... Depending on what exact plant species you have, the quantity & quality, that sized area should be more than adequate for 2 pygmy goats. You will find out and be amazed at just how much a couple of goats can consume in a very short period of time. I personally want more meat off my carcasses so would let them grow till full sized. That could be a year to 18 months.

I have no idea what the "typical age" of a pygmy for butcher might be... @frustratedearthmother might be better able to interject. Some pictures of the "brush" you intend for them to survive on might be helpful as well.

 

[MiniSilkys]

I have pygmy goats but I do not eat them. I have been told that it is best to castrate buck that will be butcher because it will take the buck taste out of the meat. You also have to keep your mature bucks away from milking doe's because the buck's smell will be in the milk. !.5 acre of land is a large area for only two pygmy goats but you may till need to supplement with a good quality hay to keep them in good condition. Especially if you live in an area where tere is a lot of rain. They will pretty much stay inside when it is raining because their fur does not block the moisture. Make sure your fence is stout and sturdy because goats love to rub and scratch against fences.

 

[MiniSilkys]

My pygmy goat did not start peeing on himself until he was nearly a year old maybe even older. His first offspring was born before he started to smell. He was 14 months old at that time.

 

[MiniSilkys]

Be sure there is not any pokeweed plants in your pasture. It will kill them overnight. Have you researched the plants in your area and cross checks with ones poisonous to goats. That is very important because if not you can find dead goats and never know when or what they might have eaten. Most of the time when they are in a pasture setting they will not eat enough of something to kill they but when everything else is gone they will eat it and it is best to find and remove anything poisonous. My first pygmy doe died from eating one early pokeweed plant.

 

[kaywould]

Now I know what that plant is in my backyard. I’ve got a few of them so I’ll go pull them all out. They are pokeweed apparently. Never knew what they were till you said to make sure you don’t have any.
Thanks

 

[MiniSilkys]

You are very welcome. I had to learn the hard way. There is nothing like having something you are reponsible for die and then finding out you could have prevented it.

 

[MiniGoatsRule]

I would not butcher pygmys. They are a pet breed. Go with boers

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I would not butcher pygmys. They are a pet breed. Go with boers

We sell our extra buck/wether Nigerian, Mini Mancha, and Lamanchas for meat.
I’d personally never raise the boers. They just don’t thrive in our region. The kikos do wonderful here though, we had a Kiko herd but leased it so we could focus on the dairy goats.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Pygmy goats ARE definitely a meat breed. Only because they are little and cute did they become pets. I have raised them for nearly 30 years. It took a long time before I butchered one - but a good pygmy goat will have a good meat/bone ratio and are quite tasty.