# Goat Slaughter Age ????



## HunterTed (Mar 21, 2005)

I like to butcher my Boers between 6 and 8 months old. I creep feed them and by then they are big enough IMO to butcher.


----------



## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

You can feed goats creep feed??? When I bought my Lamancha Robbin told me that she ONLY fed her goats homemade lacation feed, I've been feeding them show goats pellets since I cant get lactation pellets. What do you guys feed your goats???? (I think I might ought to ask a new thread question)


----------



## HunterTed (Mar 21, 2005)

I keep Acco Boer Goat Express out for some of my goats 24/7. They eat only what they want. Seems to work really well. I am very pleased with the results that I have been getting. Got a 9 month old buck on it right now and he is over 150 lbs.


----------



## mammawof3 (Jan 31, 2004)

we have a small dog house-revamped into a creep feeder-only the kids can fit through the door-we keep feed in there 24-7, by 4 weeks old they know where it is and will go eat whenever they want,that way they don't "over eat",too finish,we pen seperate and they get full feed,a medicated 95% dry matter boer feed, that does not require that you feed hay at all-we got our fair wethers too 98 and 102# at 5 1/2 monthes old-without hay, you don't get the "hay belly"-but you can't just suddenly put a goat on full feed that isn't used too it-just asking for entertoxemia-make sure you vaccinate for it-We won reserve and grand with those wethers-even after the judge had commented that the "prime market weight was 70-80 #'s!-said they had the best finish he had seen on wethers in awhile-solid-all muscle-they have lots of things too play on in the "feeder pen"plus walks-that helps build the muscle! I would slowly start increasing the amount of feed i gave him-buy a grower-finisher for meat goats-expect 3-4 lbs a week gain-would not butcher him at less than 60 #'s-the measuring tape method of weighing is pretty darn accurate-we did it, then stood on our bathroom scales and there was only a few lbs. difference! Of course, even a 56 lb. kid can be diffecult too stand on the scales with, for some of us!The bigger ones..now that was a laugh!!


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

midkiffsjoy said:


> You can feed goats creep feed??? When I bought my Lamancha Robbin told me that she ONLY fed her goats homemade lacation feed, I've been feeding them show goats pellets since I cant get lactation pellets. What do you guys feed your goats???? (I think I might ought to ask a new thread question)


unless you bought a wether for butchering i would stick with the feed your lamancha was raised with. this is a dairy goat not meat goat.


----------



## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

I like to butcher my wethers between 6-10 months old. But if they are bucklings, I butcher them at 3 months to get them out of my hair. I have butchered some three month old bucklings that were huge, straight off their dams. I don't fatten out my butcher wethers. They get all the brush/hay they want(depending on if its winter or not), maybe a little grain(but usually not), and mommas milk if they are under 4 months old. They are fat and sassy. And taste wonderful!

Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Boers, Nubians, Lamanchas and Alpines


----------

