# Goats vs. Sheep



## Kye022984 (Apr 23, 2010)

I was thinking about starting some meat goats but, have recently had some local criticism about the taste of goat's meat vs. lamb. I haven't researched much on lamb and know a lot about goats from our own dairy goats but what do you all think? Which meat tastes better? Which meat is better for you? Between goats and sheep which ones are the most easy to keep? Are sheep loud? If anyone has some advice that will help greatly thanks.


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## HappyFarmer (Jun 17, 2006)

Hah!

The proper response for this question on the GOATS forum is goat meat tastes better, of course!

Good luck in whatever you decide. Not much help, am I?

HF


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Since you already have goats I would stick with the goats. Then you don't have to mess with getting different minerals and such...It just sounds easier to me. Also, it depends on who you talk to about the meat. Goat meat is more popular in the Hispanic community from what I heard.


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## Eunice (Feb 9, 2005)

I have both. My lambs are WAY LOUDER than my kids, every day of the week. I like both meats. The lamb meat usually has more fat than the goat meat. I have never had Boer or Kiko meat, just Alpines from my milking does. I get bummer lambs for free in the spring and raise them on goat milk. It fits my program.


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

We have both. I prefer my sheep to the goats any day. How much the lamb fat has depends on the breed. Some purebred meat is not fatty at all. Ours are pasture raised only.


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## Kye022984 (Apr 23, 2010)

Well I posted this same thread in both goat and sheep forums. I needed opinions !  Anyway, We live in a part of San Diego with a lot of Arabic and Hispanic people. They ALL love the goats. In fact, my neighbor took some of my goat milk home to his mom who made some AWESOME yogurt! So, as far as the goat meat goes, I know we would have the consumers to sell the meat but, I would also like meat for my family as well. So, I guess it's time to sit down in front of a goat meat/lamb meat dinners.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Kye022984 said:


> Well I posted this same thread in both goat and sheep forums. I needed opinions !  Anyway, We live in a part of San Diego with a lot of Arabic and Hispanic people. They ALL love the goats. In fact, my neighbor took some of my goat milk home to his mom who made some AWESOME yogurt! So, as far as the goat meat goes, I know we would have the consumers to sell the meat but, I would also like meat for my family as well. So, I guess it's time to sit down in front of a goat meat/lamb meat dinners.


Yes...if it's for you, the only way to know is to compare the 2.


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

The goats don't randomly drop dead for no reason, which sheep are notorious for. A good piece of conventional wisdom: never invest in $10,000 of sheep. You end up with $3,000 worth left. I don't know about meat goats, everyone says they drop dead, too. Unless you keep them in a lot and feed them hay all year, but that can be done to anything.


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## Creamers (Aug 3, 2010)

As my vet says in school they teach, "Sick Sheep Seldom Survive" - but he says you can easily sub goat for sheep - the same seems to still apply. lol


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## copperpennykids (Sep 6, 2004)

Goats don't drop dead! LOL Basic care and they thrive. 

Goat vs Lamb: Well, my very good friend makes a mean leg of lamb. Her Swiss grandmother taught her to make it and it is excellent (and I really don't care for lamb). However, 3 years ago, she purchased a Boer wether from us to raise with her sheep (she usually raises 2 sheep over the summer). Fed them the same - some hay and grain, and butchered when the goat was about 110 lbs and the sheep was 125.

Fast Forward to dinner shortly thereafter: She made leg of goat for dinner. Her children (14-19 years of age, and admittedly a bit spoiled) all declared that it was the best leg of lamb she had ever made! When she told them it was goat, they all declared that she should "dump the stupid sheep and only raise goats!" Her only complaint is that she likes the goats, so feels badly when it is butcher time. She never feels bad when it is time for the sheep to go... LOL


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## Creamers (Aug 3, 2010)

I don't know - lol. I do everything for my goats:
I started with quality stock
CAE and CL free
Copper bolus
Quality loose mineral
Free range with unlimited browse
wormed with Cydectin when needed
BO-SE twice a year
Alfalfa pellets for does
AC on bucks feed
and reg hoof trims

and mine try their best to die all of the time. My vet
says mine are proof goats have no will to live - lol!
Now mind, I haven't lost a single goat to illness or such.
Not one, not a kid or adult; however, I have spent a fortune keeping them alive.
lol. Prevention is highly $$$ with goats. ha ha. Good thing I love them.


The vet I use when I can't get my regular out says he couldn't keep
Boers alive enough to make a profit and sold the herd out and runs 150 Kikos
now, and he says they are the only goat he can make a profit from.

I've never had sheep, but if they are worse than goats - MERCY! LOL!

Better just taste each and decide which you prefer to eat.


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## Slev (Nov 29, 2003)

...being a sheep person, who just comes on here to squeeze my teats every now and then, (Since we just have the 1 Alpine doe and a few kids now) but I am finding that old time farmers had the right idea. Every farm animal has a purpose) on the farm. We are really enjoying our dairy doe, making cheese, drinking milk i know where it comes from, ...it's all good... (I personally like lamb over goat, but to be fair, we only had goat once) If you're really worried, try it out on Farmville first...


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Kye022984 said:


> Well I posted this same thread in both goat and sheep forums. I needed opinions !  Anyway, We live in a part of San Diego with a lot of Arabic and Hispanic people. They ALL love the goats. In fact, my neighbor took some of my goat milk home to his mom who made some AWESOME yogurt! So, as far as the goat meat goes, I know we would have the consumers to sell the meat but, I would also like meat for my family as well. So, I guess it's time to sit down in front of a goat meat/lamb meat dinners.


I've had both goats and sheep and I think the sheep are ultimately easier to maintain. Goats constantly test your fences and your patience. Sheep are just dumb and occasionally find themselves in trouble.

With both you're going to need very good fencing. I think lamb meat ultimately can be served in a wider variety of ways and has a lot of fat which is extremely healthy for you. Goats can give milk where (most) sheep can't. 

Why not try some of both your first few years? They graze exceptionally well beside each other and having mixed livestock grazing on a pasture is very healthy for the pasture.


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## Lada (Jun 7, 2008)

They do great together actually, you would just have to copper bolus your goats. But as far as for your pasture, you can't do any better than to have them both together as the sheep eat what the goats won't, and vice versa. 

We have goats for milk and get a couple of lambs to raise on the goat's milk for meat. We also eat the extra goat kids that we can't sell. We just really like lamb.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Arabs and Hispanics will buy lambs also.

Get some "hair" sheep if you don't want the wool and the troubles of shearing


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## Key (Apr 2, 2005)

Our lambs and goats are fine in the pasture together. My husband & children prefer our Suff. lambs as they seem to put more weight on for us on the same amount of feed. I prefer our Boer cross goats as I think they have more personality, but personality does not pay the bills. Could be genetics though, but we can hardly believe how quickly the lambs grow when you put feed in front of them!!


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

If you are just talking about taste, I MUCH prefer goat meat over lamb. I'd like to try lamb from a couple of breeds I've never tried, though -- I've heard/read that Icelandic meat is better than most. The other issues are management and feed efficiency issues primarily. It's easier to get cut and dried answers to those questions, but taste is pretty subjective (I suspect that the reason I prefer goat is that we never ever had lamb when I was growing up -- we were raised on wild game; moose, caribou, bison, and so on, and goat is more like venison).

Kathleen


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Let's see if I can find the nutrional value on chevon...
mmm yes;

"Goat meat is 50-65% lower in fat than similarly prepared beef, but has similar protein content.The USDA has also reported that saturated fat in cooked goat meat is 40% lower than chicken, even with the skin removed.
3oz roasted;
calories 122
Fat 2.58 gram
Sat'd Fat .79 gram
Protein 23 mg
Iron 3.3

source; USDA handbook#8, 1989. Nutritive value of foods, Home & Garden Bulletin #72 USDA WA DC 1981"

It surpasses beef pork lamb & chicken in those levels


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

We've never had a sheep drop dead either. 

As for shearing. We have a shearer come, he charges $10 per sheep, does their feet, shots and shears and has a drink with us. Great person. 

I prefer sheep in that they stay out of trouble. We have purebred heritage sheep that are very self sufficient. Wonderful wool, and lamb easily. What more can you ask for?


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I don't like the taste of lamb/mutton. It has a funny whang to it.

Much prefer goat.

If you already have goats, I'd continue that way. Goat minerals are bad for sheep, and you'd have to figure out how to provide separate minerals to keep the sheep safe.


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## SilverFlame819 (Aug 24, 2010)

$10 per sheep?!?!?! The most I've ever paid here in Utah is $5 each, and that was because he had to drive almost 100 miles!


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## LoneStrChic23 (Jul 30, 2010)

Every year for my birthday my mom makes Souvlaki for my birthday (I was born in Athens, Greece). She makes some with pork and some with mutton, and the ones with mutton are my FAVORITE  I've tried mutton cooked several different ways & so far the only way I like it is when it's souvlaki. 

Now goat, I love, love goat. My favorite is smoked or grilled leg of goat. 

As far as raising them...I had lambs for 4H one year and really didn't like them, mainly because they were brain dead & always soo loud, if my mom would have let me quit, I would have...instead I traded for a pig. Didn't try showing them again after that and concentrated on Hampshire hogs after my bad go around with lambs.... 

I say if you do decide on sheep, just get a few, try out a variety of recipes then decide if you want to expand or not.

One thing I am curious about is how you house sheep & goats together is their mineral needs are so different? 

Best Wishes,
Crystal
http://noodlevilleadventures.blogspot.com


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