My wife and I have 10 acres and are thinking of getting a few goats next spring for raise for meat.My question is how practical is this; how much weight would they get in a seson of eating timothy and brush. any good guides or books to be had.
We do dairy goats, so I don't know much about meat animals. But I can say that our little critters grow pretty fast. The older baby was up to 40+ pounds at around 10 to 12 weeks. I expect you would have to supplement with grain and hay.
I have a good number of links on my web site as well as a reference for a great book. Your questions would depend on the bread of goat you get. Boer goats are usually sold for meat ranging from 40-80 lbs so it would depend on if you are going to consume the meat yourself or sell it. I guess I'm just answering your question with more questions. Depending on your area and type of feeding around seven goats to the acre.
If you fill in your profile or post the area that you live in it might help others answer your question better.
To try and answer your question about how much weight a six month old kid would be a good size. With Boer goats (and probably others) you will need to also feed some grain.
WE are looking to try goat farming here in Massachusetts for an experiment. we wouldnt probebly be selling meat for money just our own use and family. we have an acre yard full of hay and we have a 1000 foot drive way with alot of brush, hay and clover. Might want to go into dairy goats or keep goats year round but would like to start slow. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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