Pygmy Goats for meat

[MiniSilkys]

LOL -maybe terrible, but also practical. I put a lot of my time, money and effort into my goats. Why shouldn't they get the chance to pay me back?!? Honestly, I'd rather eat a wether than to think he's been sold to be thrown out in a field to 'mow down the grass' until he either dies of parasite overload, neglect or starves.

My goats live a really good life. They leave this world in a fraction of a second with no stress or lingering pain, and I get wholesome, delicious meat in the freezer. That's a much better ending than a lot of goats get.

Lol! Do you do your own goats? I need a fresh flock of chickens next year, so this winter I am going to start thinning them out for the first time since 2011. I think I am going to the cones. I have never used them before.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I do all the actual butchering - but DH will oft times do "the deed." I have done the shot - but if I don't have to - I don't. And for the record - I'd rather do a goat or sheep than a chicken lol. But, I'd rather do a chicken than a pig, lol. Pigs are hard work!

A cone does make chicken butchering a bit easier and less messy. You can do it!

 

[CntryBoy777]

If ya don't have a cone...ya can use a feed bag....just cut 1 of the corners off and the head can poke out the bag, just like a cone....just think of the chore at hand and doing the job...be Safe and ya will do just fine....

 

[MiniSilkys]

@frustratedearthmother, @CntryBoy777, so y'all do the neck slit and brain stick or just cut the head off?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We've done both. Honestly, I'd rather hang them and do the neck slit after so much drama from them losing their heads. It seems to be 'gentler' if that makes sense?

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I made a cone out of double mylar, put the chicken in it, hold it under my arm while sitting , stick it's brain, cut jugular and pet it till its gone, sounds stupid but i raised them from chicks and a nice peaceful departure is good for both the bird and I . Ask @CntryBoy777, he was here, I think he heard me talking to some of them , lol....he was far enough away plucking chickens with Joyce that I probably didn't hear them laughing at me

 

[CntryBoy777]

One of my favorite songs says it all...."Different Strokes for Different Folks" by Sly and the Family Stone.....I, personally, will use a bag and a machete to off the head and let them flounce in the bag avoiding the spew.....most of the time we tend to rely on the ways we are taught and I was taught when I was in the 4th grade....tho, the bag was not used, then....it was picked up later on in life...I'm in my 60s now....it may sound cold-hearted, but it is easier for me to make one swing and move on.....I have no problem with another doing it their way, the end result is the same....but, there again I'm a man and women tend to see it differently....

 

[MiniSilkys]

I have 1 chicken that is 9 years old. I got her at 3 days old. She sits in my lap. No way could I get rid of her. The others I did not name this time. I have 3 white Chinese geese that are now 2 months old and 1 have taken wry neck. It is awful.

 

[Tehwrd]

Actually you don't. A good well-bred pygmy doesn't need fat. They are a muscular breed by nature. I eat muscle - not fat. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. (a lot of what are called "pygmy" these days - actually are not)

This is an example of a nice pygmy doe - well muscled.

Here is a really nicely muscled buck:

A good pygmy should be wide starting at the nose and going all the way through the back end. Notice the rear on this guy and the dished facial profile:

Thank you for this! I had no idea that pygmy goats were more than pets. We have limited space and funds and I would really like to have dairy goats for our family as well as raise meat goats. We are going for self sufficiency. About how many pounds of meat does a pygmy yield? About how long from birth to processing?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Gosh - it's been a minute or two since I butchered a pygmy. Unfortunately, I've never weighed the goats or the yield. But, we did a smallish/young wether about 4 or 5 months old. He weighed "about" 40ish lbs. Meat yield was approximately only about 10 - 12 lbs, but through no fault of the goat. He'd been attacked by a dog and we lost both front legs/shoulders and neck because of the dog attack. If I were still raising pygmies I'd probably butcher around 9 - 12 months.