How to Choose Meat Goat Breeds

If you are raising goats for meat, you may wonder what breed is best for the small farmer. While you can, of course, raise any breed of goat for meat, specific breeds are focused on putting on weight versus producing milk, as well as other characteristics that make the breed more desirable for meat production.

If you are raising goats for meat, you don't need to buy a show goat - in fact, you shouldn't. Show goats and meat goats are raised in completely different ways. You don't need to buy registered stock. Most meat producers will find a good, full breed buck and breed him with mixed-breed does. Finding the right market for your goat meat will determine what qualities you want in the kids.

Boer

Boer goats were raised in South Africa for meat and were selected for superior body shape, high growth rate and fertility. They have large frames. They are white and reddish-brown, or all red, short-haired, and with black, brown or red markings on the head and neck. They have short horns that are curved close to the head.

Spanish

Before Boer goats became available in the US in the late 1980s, Spanish goats were the standard meat-goat breed, especially in the South. These goats are descendants of goats brought by Spanish explorers. They're medium-sized and lanky, mostly short-haired, and come in all colors. They have long, often twisty horns.

Brush

These are a mixture of breeds that are adaptable and hardy. They're also called hill, briar, wood, or native goats. Both Spanish and Brush goats are more of a type of goat than an actual, defined breed.

Tennessee fainting goat

Tennessee Fainting goats are, in fact, from Tennessee and are also called myotonic goats, Nervous goats, Wooden goats or Stiff Leg goats. When startled, these goats go rigid and "faint" or fall down. Myotonic goats are hardy, fertile, and have a long breeding season.

Kiko

Large-framed, white, hardy and able to thrive under poor conditions, the Kiko was developed in New Zealand and brought to the US in the 1990s. Kikos are strictly meat producing goats.

If you have a lot of range available, Kikos may be a more economical breed than Boers for you to raise.

Pygmy

Pygmy goats are mostly pets, but they do have some potential for meat because they have a compact and meaty body and are fertile out of season.

Dairy Goat Crosses

Often, dairy goat breeds such as Nubian, Alpine, Toggenburg, and Saanen are crossed with Boers for meat production.

Other Crosses

There are also some new crossbreeds available as meat goats are growing in popularity. Some of the more common new meat goat breeds include:

Moneymaker. Moneymakers are a cross of Sannen and Nubian breeds, then bred with Boers.
Texmaster. This is a medium breed in size, a cross between Boers and Tennessee Fainting Goats developed in Texas by Onion Creek Ranch.
Savanna. This breed resists heat and drought. They are muscular and have a short white coat with a cashmere undercoat to help them stay warm in colder winters. Highly adaptable to various weather conditions, they're a good choice for places with weather challenges. They make excellent mothers.

Tips for Cleaning Your Chicken Coop

When it comes to cleaning your chicken coop, it's a chore you just have to do, even if you use the deep litter method, which minimizes how often you clean. But whether you use the deep litter method or not, these tips will help you get the chore done in the minimum amount of time with the minimum amount of fuss.

Use hay, not straw or pine shavings. Hay has less dust than pine shavings and is easier to manage -- and cheaper! -- than straw, and chickens love to eat the seeds. Cover your coop floor with hay and use it in the nest boxes, too.

Use roosting boards, removable poop trays, or tarps.  Most of your chickens' poop is going to be collected underneath the roosts, so if you can figure out a way to capture and easily remove the poop under the roosts, your job will be a lot easier. Some folks make trays that slide out easily and can be emptied on the compost pile. Others use a tarp slung on poles underneath the roosts. Whatever particular method you use, the point is to be able to easily clean under the roosts.

Make your roosts removable. When building your chicken coop, design it so that roosts either flip up easily out of the way or can be removed from the coop entirely. This makes it easier to rake or shovel out the entire coop when you clean it.

Slant the tops of nesting boxes. There's a chicken law: anywhere horizontal, a chicken will perch if she can. So make sure the tops of your nesting boxes have a slant to them to minimize or eliminate chickens, er, eliminating into the nest boxes.

Use a tarp. Some folks use a tarp underneath the entire coop (if it's small enough to allow for this). When cleaning time comes, you just pull out the tarp with all the bedding and poop on it, dump it in the compost, clean it off and reinstall it with fresh bedding on top.

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Small-breed Milk Cows

Miniature cows cost $1,800 to $3,500 depending on the size, markings and color. (A good standard Jersey sold as a family milk cow will cost $1,400 to $1,800.) Although small-breed cattle may cost more initially, they have some interesting advantages. 

How small are small-breed Jerseys? What about miniature Holsteins?

Miniature cattle are classified in three categories as measured by height at the hip. These three categories are (1) midsize miniature, 42 to 48 inches; (2) standard miniature, 36 to 42 inches; and (3) micro-miniature, 36 inches and under. Small-breed cattle range in weight from 500 to 800 pounds. In general, a miniature milk cow is a third to half the size of the standard milk cow. I find that the 42- to 44-inch height is the most ideal for a family small-breed milk cow. Smaller cows may present logistical problems — you might have to sit on the floor to milk them.

How much milk do they give? Is it the same quality as from a standard cow?

A standard-size milk cow in peak production can give 6 to 10 gallons of milk per day. What do you do with that much milk? That’s the great thing about small-breed Jerseys. My cows give 1 to 1 1/2 gallons per milking. This level of production provides enough milk for drinking as well as for making some cheese and butter on a weekly basis, plus a little left over to give to a neighbor or friend. The quality of the milk is excellent, with butterfat content of about 4.9 percent. I store milk in gallon Mason jars. Each jar of milk will have about 3 inches of cream at the top.

How much feed do the small-breed cattle require?

That all depends on your philosophy concerning cattle. I believe that cattle are designed to be grass-fed. The rumen (one of a cow’s four stomachs) has bacteria that make the cow an efficient converter of cellulosic material into beef and milk. If grain is introduced into a cow’s diet, different bacteria are required for digestion.

Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About Alpacas

The rare and exotic alpaca is a creature of antiquity that is rapidly gaining popularity around the world. Highly prized for their luxurious coats, the alpaca has been considered a treasure of the Andes Mountains for over 6,000 years.
Alpacas are New World camelids and look like small llamas or long-necked camels with no humps, especially when recently sheared. They have shaggy necks and camel-like faces with thick lips, pronounced noses, and long ears. Their large, expressive eyes seem to exhibit both wisdom and childlike curiousity. Easily domesticated, alpacas are friendly, gentle and curious.
Alpacas are sheared annually, usually in the spring. The fiber may be sold and processed into rovings, spun into yarn, knitted or woven into fine fabrics. Each step adds more value to the product.

FAQs

Q: Is alpaca fiber really useful?
A: Alpaca fleece is a premium fiber and in high demand in the fashion industry. It is light-weight, warm, durable, soft and not itchy. Handspinners appreciate its quality, and handcrafters find it easy to work with. The natural hues are highly desirable, yet light colors readily accept dye. Many ranches have small stores selling yarn from their own animals or clothing and accessory products crafted from the fleece.

Q: What's the difference between alpacas and llamas?
A: Size and fiber quality. Llamas were primarily bred to be beasts of burden, and alpacas were bred primarily as fiber producers. An average alpaca stands 34"-36" at the withers (shoulders), whereas a llama stands 42"-48" at the withers. Alpacas weigh 125-175 pounds on average. An adult alpaca will generally produce 5-8 pounds of high-quality fiber each year.

Q: How long do alpacas live?
A: Alpacas have a life expectancy of 20-25 years.

Q: When do they reach breeding maturity?
A: Females reach breeding capability by 16-24 months. Males usually don't reach sexual potency until 24 months or more, with the rare one becoming potent as early as 12 months.

Q: What is the gestation period?
A: The gestation period is 11-1/2 months (~350 days).

Q: When do females stop breeding?
A: Females will breed throughout their life.

Q: How much do the babies weigh when born?
A: Alpaca crias average 18 lbs. Delivery usually occurs during the daytime and rarely requires the assistance of humans. Twins are extremely rare. Cria are weaned at about 6 months of age.

Q: What do alpacas eat?
A: The alpaca is an herbivore, grazing on grass and munching weeds, shrubs and trees. They process their food through 3 stomachs where special secretions enable the animal to absorb 50% more nutrients than sheep. Low-protien feed is recommended, with additional mineral supplements for females since they are generally pregnant and/or nursing.

Q: Do alpacas spit?
A: Not very often and only at each other, to signal displeasure at a herd member. A pregnant female 'spits off' an inquisitive male to let him know she is disinterested in his advances.

Q: What predators threaten alpacas?
A: The alpaca is prey to mountain lions, coyotes, bears, and other carnivores. In its native Andes, the alpaca's long neck helps spot predators among the rocks of the mountain slopes. On US ranchs, llamas, donkeys, and guard dogs such as Anatolian shepherd dogs are often used as herd guardians.

Q: What sounds do alpacas make?
A: Humming is the most common sound an alpaca makes, a sort of musical purring. The mom calls to her cria by humming, or they hum to communicate with each other within the herd.
   When alarmed, a staccato tooting is made by one animal, then joined in by the rest of the herd as they focus attention in the direction of potential danger.
   During breeding, which lasts from 20 to 30 minutes, a male trumpets or 'orgles' a lovesong to his mate.

Q: Is their manure good fertilizer?
A: Their manure is excellent fertilizer and may be applied directly to the garden without danger of 'burn.' Because alpacas are not nomadic, they mark their territory with their dung piles and usually wait to get to the designated area to defecate or urinate.

Q: Are alpacas environmentally friendly?
A: The alpaca's two-toed feet are soft pads protected on the top and sides by toe nails. Unlike hard hooves, they leave the terrain undamaged. And as they graze, they only nibble the top of the pasture grass rather than uprooting it. By rotating between two or three pastures, there is always a fresh supply of orchard grass.

Types of Lettuce

Lettuce leaf color and texture vary with variety, but all types of lettuce grow best when the soil is kept constantly moist.

Types of Lettuce

Loose-leaf varieties grow tender leaves in dense rosettes, but seldom form crisp inner heads. Some loose-leaf lettuce varieties have superior heat tolerance.

Butterheads and bibb types quickly form small heads of leaves with stout, crunchy ribs. Some varieties have superior cold tolerance.

Romaine lettuce has elongated leaves with stiff ribs. Romaines often tolerate stressful weather better than other types of lettuce.

Crisphead lettuce includes familiar iceberg types, as well as lush and leafy Batavian, or French Crisp, varieties which have great flavor and color, and are easy to grow.

When to Plant

In spring, sow lettuce in cold frames or tunnels six weeks before your last frost date. Start more seeds indoors under lights at about the same time, and set them out when they are three weeks old. Direct seed more lettuce two weeks before your average last spring frost date. Lettuce seeds typically sprout in two to eight days when soil temperatures range between 55 and 75 degrees.

In fall, sow all types of lettuce at two-week intervals starting eight weeks before your first fall frost. One month before your first frost, sow only cold-tolerant butterheads and romaines.

How to Plant

Prepare your planting bed by loosening the soil to at least 10 inches deep. Mix in an inch or so of good compost or well-rotted manure. Sow lettuce seeds a quarter of an inch deep and 1 inch apart in rows or squares, or simply broadcast them over the bed.

Indoors, sow lettuce seeds in flats or small containers kept under fluorescent lights. Harden off three-week-old seedlings for at least two or three days before transplanting. Use shade covers, such as pails or flowerpots, to protect transplants from sun and wind during their first few days in the garden.

Harvesting and Storage

Harvest lettuce in the morning, after the plants have had all night to plump up with water. Wilted lettuce picked on a hot day seldom revives, even when rushed to the refrigerator. Pull (and eat) young plants until you get the spacing you want. Gather individual leaves or use scissors to harvest handfuls of baby lettuce. Rinse lettuce thoroughly with cool water, shake or spin off excess moisture, and store it in plastic bags in the refrigerator. Lettuce often needs a second cleaning as it is prepared for the table.