1. Meat Goats Mrs. Gilbreath

2. Definitions n Buck – A male goat. n Doe – Female goat. n Weather – Castrated male goat. n Kidding – Process of giving birth. n Kid – A young goat.

3. Meat Goats n Goat is the choice of meat in some countries. n In Greece it is like eating turkey in US at Thanksgiving. n Goat meat (cabrito) is a traditional BBQ meal in Mexico. n In France (chevon) is a delicacy.

4. Meat Goats n Less in fat than many other meats. n Goats were brought over to the US by European explorers in the 1500’s. n Were liked because of size and their ability to eat weeds.

5. Goats n Used for brush and weed control. n Business is profitable because of the demand for goat meat. n Low feed cost. n Thrive in areas where cattle cannot be supported. n Reproduction rate is very high.

6. Goat Industry n Twice as profitable as the cattle industry. n The reason for the slow development of the goat industry is the lack of uniform goat breeds with high carcass quality and yield. n With the intro. Of the South African Boer goat, now producers can get a uniform genetic material to build the meat goat industry.

7. 2 Major Meat Goat Types Spanish n Breed Assoc. started in 2007 n Known as the “brush goat”, “scrub goat” or “woods goat” n Small & agile n Dual-purpose n Got away from large udders? Boer n Ranchers developed in South Africa. n Meat breed in 1900 n Dutch word meaning “farm.” n 1 st full blood imported in 1993. n Boer Association is largest in the world

10. Boer Goats n Dark red head n Lop ears n Horns that curve backwards n Strong n Vigorous n Well-balanced

11. Boer Goats n Bucks mature to 300lbs. n Does should be feminine yet strong. n Does breed easily and have fast growing kids. n Does have high productive kidding rate of about 200%. (twins most of the time) n Extended breeding season, which allows her to produce three sets of offspring every 2 years.

12. Conformation n Subdivided into head, neck, forequarters, body, hindquarters. n Heads of the goats are very standard. n Determine age by toothing! n Two-teeth (1-1.5 years) with no over or under bite. n Four-teeth (1.5-2 years) can have an overbite.

13. Conformation n Strong horns n Broad ears, smooth, medium in length. n Short ears, concave foreheads, straight horns, overshot jaws, and blue eyes are not acceptable.

14. Skin & Covering n Loose supple skin n Folds in neck and chest region especially in bucks. n This type of skin helps to adapt in hot climates. n Eyelids and other hairless areas are pigmented to prevent sunburn. n Short glossy hair and limited amount of winter growth.

15. Ideal Boer Goat n Red hair on head and ears and white on the remainder of the body. n Face hair may vary from dark to light red and even brown. n The face has a white blaze. n Ears should be 80% color pigmented. n Head should be 50% colored.

16. Cashmere Goats

17. n Is not a breed, it is a type. Most breeds (except Angora) can produce Cashmere. n Not strictly a meat goat n Dual-purpose goat (meat & fiber) n Famous for soft, elastic, downy fiber. n Very expensive n From Kashmir – northern border of India and Pakistan

18. Selection of Meat Goats n Conformation – (structural correctness) n General Appearance – (size, scale, capacity, depth and width of body) n Muscling – (growth and weight per day of age) n Condition – (amount of finish or fat the animal is carrying)

19. Selection and Evaluation n Goats deposit fat internally before they do externally. n Ideal condition is a thin, but uniform covering over the loin, rib and shoulder. n The external fat thickness over the loin at the 13 th rib should be.08 in. to.12 in or an average of.10 in.

20. A Good Meat Goat has: n Fairly level rump n Level overall body shape n Straight level top n Length of rump n Length of body n Length of leg for market desirability n Straight legs placed square under body n Muscle in leg n Muscle in hindquarters, loin, shoulders, and neck.