Meat Goat Blog

Spanish Goat Buyers Beware

We regularly receive telephone calls and e-mail from folks wanting to buy Spanish goats. No surprise there, Spanish goats have many of the attributes people want. The disturbing factor is how many people believe they can purchase " registered " Spanish goats. It causes us to wonder if there are breeders trying to sell Spanish goats with papers.

If someone tries to sell you a Spanish goat that is registered or can be registered, you need to think twice about it. The Spanish Goat Association states:

"We've only just begun the Association, and so far it seems that all we have is a group of really nice breeders who know who's who with Spanish goats, and who are very dedicated to preserving the breed. So far, it doesn't seem as if any herd or goat registration is necessary, needed, or particularly wanted. This may change in the next decade, so although we'd like to be prepared, there's no rush on developing a registration process."

There are no registration certificates that come with a Spanish goat. As you can see from another quote taken from the web page:

" Spanish goats, brush goats, woods goats, briar goats, scrub goats—none had registration papers, none had national sires to boast about, and the names became synonymous with “no particular breed.”

Sooooo buyers of Spanish goats take note - they don't come with papers! Caveat Emptor applies; let the buyer beware.

AKGA Convention Coming Up

The American Kiko Goat Association, " AKGA " is conducting its annual convention in Batesville, Mississippi ( I typed Mississippi without spell checker, wow! ) June 25th & 26th. It will be held in the civic center and filled with seminars on raising goats.

Dr. Dave Sparks, a nationally recognized veterinarian and authority on goats, will discuss what to look for in breeding goats. Dr. Sparks raises goats in Oklahoma and understands the challenges goat ranchers face. He is filled with knowledge and ready to give out " lots of good tips " to those who attend. Numerous other speakers will present topics including one of our favorites Dr. Frank Pinkerton.

There are plenty of motels available and additional information can be obtained from the web site. http://www.hcrhorses.com/AKGAConvention.html

Is Scrounger Right; Are Horned Goats Better?

We saw the comments of Scrounger about horned goats. See All Things Goats, http://allthingsgoat.com/2010/03/spring-means-fencing/. Since we think rather highly of the authors of All Things Goats, it seemed worthwhile to re-read the post on fencing they referenced http://allthingsgoat.com/2010/03/spring-means-fencing/. The post is written by Tara at This Agrarian Life and is well written. She likes polled does. Horned versus polled largely depends on the operation you run. If you have 10 or 12 goats and can spend the time, you end up with gentle animals you can handle easily. 

Some of us respectfully disagree about the advantages to the horns. Scrounger said it well, " I’ve also been in the pen with an unruly buck (of 180 pounds).  He came at me to show me who the bigger goat. "

We had similar situations where  goats weighing 250 lbs. decided  to prove who runs our ranch. The horns allowed the situation to be managed without people getting hurt.

Keep in mind with bucks ( and does to a certain extent ) can be almost pet like till rut. Over night your pet can become an aggressive, head strong, demanding danger. Any animal who weighs more than you and stands on four legs instead of two can make life unpleasant if his personality suddenly turns unfriendly or even hostile.

Hornless goats seem to be the preference of breeders who handle their goats daily. Goat ranchers that work the goats only a few times per year usually like something other than ears and legs to hang onto. It is a matter of preference based upon experiences each breeder has encountered.

If you are new to the goat business, give some thought to how you are going to work your goats and how much time you have to remove goats stuck in the fence before you decide one way or the other.

Goat Meat; It's Good For You!

 

Goat Meat - is good for you according to the British Boer Goat Society. The group reports goat meat compared to beef, pork, lamb, and chicken has less fat. It is also high in protein. The chart was taken from their web page gives credit and references: "use of goat milk and goat meat as therapeutic aids in cardiovascular diseases" by Dr. John R. Addizzo, M.D., Staten Island Medical Centre, New York.

3oz Cooked(Roasted)	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated fat (g)	Protein (g)	Iron(mg)
GOAT1	122	2.58	.79	23	3.2
BEEF2	245	16	6.8	23	2.9
PORK2	310	24	8.7	21	2.7
LAMB2	235	16	7.3	22	1.4
CHICKEN2	120	3.5	1.1	21	1.5
Sources
USDA Handbook #8, 1989 Nutritive value of foods, home and garden bulletin number 72, USDA, Washington, D.C., US Government Printing Office, 1981

This table contains both oz. and g. It has been taken in its entirety from the named reference

So eat up! It's good for you and tastes GREAT! For more information, see their web page. http://www.britishboergoatsociety.co.uk/bbgs%20meat.html

Buck Forage Application

The Oklahoma Buck Forage test application can be printed from the web page. http://www.kerrcenter.com/event_links/goat_buck_test.htm It can be competed in just a few minutes. Questions about the test can be sent to Test Manager, Mary Penick,mpenick@kerrcenter.com or you can call her at (918)647-9123.

Mary is helpful, friendly, and resourceful. The Oklahoma test really runs smoothly under her care and attention.  

Parasites Will Kill You

Parasites will kill you in the goat business. Financially, worms or parasites will destroy your goat business faster than almost anything. You can't hardly see them without a microscope. They sneak up on you before you know it. The goats look great one day and a few weeks later are dead or to weak to walk.

Our top breeding criteria is parasite resistance and resilience. Sure we want good mothers who actually wean twins that grow pretty fast, but most importantly, does that are still doing it several years later.

We also don't have the time or the fencing to rotate pastures every few weeks the way some goat producers do. It's fine if you can do it, we can't. Our goats sleep pretty much in the same spot every night of the year. They eat all around the place including the areas near where they bed down. It would be impossible to clear the parasites without dropping alcohol or bleach from a helicopter. So we settled on the idea of goats that have the genetics to overcome the environment.

We tried Boers and crosses with miserable results. Spanish and Kikos have proved considerably better. Still we have found lines of Kikos and Spanish that aren't really able to withstand the parasites. There are parasite resistant and resilient goats out there, but you have to find them.

If a breeder tells you his goats don't have problems with parasites, ask a few more questions. How often does he worm? Does he rotate pastures? If so, how often? Does his pasture or browse get close to the ground in the late Summer? How many head of does he run and what kind of forage? Does the environment in which his goat thrive match yours? If not, it may be the goats handle the parasites or it may mean the breeder manages them better. The distinction is critical if you plan to manage your operation differently than the ranch selling you the goats.

Buck Forage Test Prove Your Promises

We support the Oklahoma Buck Forage test because it measures the performance of the animals. Every goat breeder has " good goats ". No one breeds substandard livestock.  It is easy to say the goats are top quality, but harder to prove. There have been a lot of " good goats " we have bought with hard earned money through the years that just didn't make it.

Some of the prettiest, fattest, well-built does were dead 60 days later - parasites took them. We thought these does would give us years of kids with little or no trouble. Well, it is easy to tell folks you have tough, durable goats. We like to support it with more than just our assurances. We like to know some of our goats were compared to bucklings from all over the country.

There are several tests around the country. We appreciate all the sponsors and people working to facilitate the tests.

Entry Requirements For Oklahoma Buck Forage Test

The entry requirements for the 2010 Oklahoma Buck Forage test have been announced by the Kerr Center as follows:

1. A producer group will consist of 1 or more bucks (maximum of 6) that were born between January 1, 2010 and March 31, 2010. All breeds and crossbreeds are accepted.
2. To be considered for the Herdsman Award you must have a group of 3 or more bucks.
3. Producers must provide Birth Date and Weaning Date to verify.
4. Bucks must weigh a minimum of 35 lbs at check-in.
5. Bucks must be weaned 30 days prior to entry, had a minimum of 1 de-worming and 1 CDT vaccination 4 weeks prior to entry, and have their feet trimmed. No exceptions.
6. Bucks must be tagged with a scrapie tag from their state of origin. No exceptions.
7. All out of state bucks must be accompanied by an official inter-state health certificate and in compliance with all Oklahoma shipment requirements.  For information: Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, and (405) 522-6142.
8. Entry fee of $120 per buck will be required to secure a position within the test. The entry fee will cover feed supplementation, medication, wormer, routine veterinarian services and other test costs.
9. Producers will be responsible for all vet fees incurred in the case of treatment for serious injury, disease or necropsy (in the case of death).

We encourage all goat ranchers to enter bucklings. It provides a fun way to compare your goats to other farms and gives you an objective assessment of your livestock by an impartial measurement of the goat's performance. It is money and time well spent.