CHOOSING A Meat Goat

Once you've mastered the basics, keeping goats for meat is pretty easy.

- SUE WEAVER

Have you ever tried goat meat? If not you should. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that meat from goats is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef, chicken and pork, and it also has about the same amount of protein.

Goat meat falls into two categories.
Cabrito, also known as capretto, is the meat from milk-fed kids. Chevon is the flesh of older kids and mature goats.

A typical kid, 12 to 20 weeks old, yields 12 to 25 pounds of tasty meat, while a 100-pound goat, 12 to 18 months old, yields 40 to 50 pounds. Chevon from older goats can be gamy, so unless you prefer stronger-tasting meat for Caribbean dishes and curries, it's best to slaughter goats while they're young Do some research before buying goats to raise for meat. Goats are a social species; you should keep more than one. A solitary goat is unhappy and won't eat or gain well, so it's best to have at least two goats.

Goats also require adequate shelter, good fences, quality food, regular deworming, hoof trimming and certain vaccinations depending on where you live. There's a lot to learn with goats, but once you've mastered it, they're relatively easy to keep.

RAISE GOATS RIGHT

If you prefer cabrito and also like goat milk, or if you want nourishing milk to fatten pigs or chickens, consider adding a few dairy goats to your farm. Doelings (female kids) from milking lines generally fetch a decent price, while bucklings (male kids) can go in the freezer.

Note that most dairy kids aren't as fleshy as meat-breed kids, but they still produce tasty meat. Some breeds such as Kinders are good milkers as well as meat producers.