# Reposting Home Butchering Article + new Photos



## ozark_jewels

(I wrote this article for a goat magazine. The same methods of hanging, skinning, gutting, and cutting up the carcase can be used on just about any smaller livestock. The photo illustrating the angle to shoot is *just* an illustration, I do not pull the trigger with my other hand in that position. It was just to hold the buckling still for the picture. The angle is the correct one for a quick kill. Please do not shoot goats or sheep through the forehead. The skull plate is too thick and it may take many shots to put them down. Through the back of the skull is the correct place and only uses one shot.)

Hi, 

First let me introduce myself. I am Emily Dixon from southern Missouri. My dad and I are running about 150 head of goats at this time, though the numbers are constantly increasing. We have Boer and Boer-cross meat goats, and Nubian, Lamancha and Alpine dairy goats. I am 23, and one of 12 children. With such a large family, you can imagine we go through a lot of meat in a year's time. 



We have raised our own beef for as long as I can remember, but up until a couple of years ago had never eaten our own goat meat. In 2003 I started thinking about how silly it was not to eat some of my own homegrown product. After all, it tastes good, is healthy for you, and since it's homegrown, I know what went into it. I looked into having a few wethers processed for me at a local butcher's. The cost of getting a 60-100 lb. wether processed was rather prohibitive with as many as my family could consume in a year's time, so I decided to look into the best way of slaughtering and butchering my wethers here at home. 



When I decided to give butchering a try, I used a most humane method that I found on the web for slaughtering, and since I also had butchered chickens and the occasional deer, I just adapted what I already knew to fit butchering a goat. I have since butchered about 30 wethers, bucklings and cull does, and have been very satisfied with the results. My method is very simple, you need no "butchering equipment", and one person can do it alone if need be, although two people are handy to hang the carcass, and load up the offal.



Now, I am not just writing this for those of us that raise "meat goats", because those extra little dairy wethers pack a truly surprising amount of meat too. About half or more of the wethers I butcher are dairy goat breeds. The meat is good no matter the breed. I have observed that the Nubians tend to carry a little more weight than the Lamanchas or Alpines, but all are satisfactory once in the pan. I get too attached to bottle kids and cannot butcher them, so if I plan on eating any dairy wethers, I leave them on their dams and touch them as little as possible. It is much harder to get attached to something that is wild. I butcher anywhere between the ages of 3 months to 1 year as a general rule, although I have butchered older goats too. The buckling pictured in the butchering photos was a 3-month-old Nubian.



The equipment I use is a t-post, a rope, a handy tree limb, a .22 pistol if the goat is a young kid(if it is an older goat, a larger shot might be in order) a sharp knife (preferably bigger than a paring knife), and a wheelbarrow. Here is my method:



Slaughtering and hanging: Shoot the goat through the back of the head, right behind the poll(or right behind the horns), angling the shot toward the lower jaw. (See Photo 1.) 


Photo One:










Immediately slit the throat as close to the head as you can (not wanting to waste any of the neck meat) so the blood can drain. There will be a lot of blood, but that is good. (Note: To those of you who are not used to killing anything, there will usually be reflex movement of the head and legs at about this point. Don't let it un-nerve you, it is JUST reflex action. I usually rest my foot on one of the hind legs at this point to hold it still. The goat is NOT still alive, but it is a bit disconcerting the first few times.) Use your knife to make a slit in the skin between the tendon and the bone at the hock of both back legs. Don't cut through the tendon or you will have no way to hang the carcass. (See Photo 2.)


Photo Two.


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Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
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Slide the t-Post through the slits in the back legs. Now run a rope over a tree branch about 2 feet out from the tree and tie one end to the middle of the t-post between the goat's legs. One person can pull on the other end of the rope while the other person lifts the goat up by the t-post till it is hanging at the desired level for skinning and gutting. Then tie the rope off to the tree. (See Photo 3.)


Photo Three.










Skinning and gutting: With the knife, finish cutting off the head until you get to the spine. When the only thing holding the head on the body is the spine, then twist the head until you hear a pop and the head will come off. Next, the knee joints: just cut and twist them like you did the head and the lower leg will come off. Now take your *sharp* knife, and gently slit the hide down the belly; I say gently because if you don't you might puncture the guts, which will get on the meat and taint the meat. Gently pulling on the hide with one hand and using the knife to separate hide from meat with the other, skin the entire goat. When you come to the tail and anal cavity, keep pulling the hide outward, and cut right through the anal canal that is pulled outwards with the hide, cutting through the tail, and continuing skinning down the back. When the hide is off (See Photo 4),


Photo Four.










I always position a wheelbarrow or tub beneath the goat so that the guts fall directly into it (that way there is no picking them up after I'm finished), and then I start the gutting process. First, use the tip of your knife to cut all around the outside of the anal canal until it comes loose and drops back into the body cavity. Then gently slit the stomach open (again, the key word is *gently*) and gut the goat. I like to use two fingers of my free hand to keep the stomach wall away from the guts as I slit down the stomach, to be sure not to puncture any of the organs. (See Photo 5.)


Photo Five.










I'm very careful not to cut open any of the stomach or digestive organs as that gets very messy. It's important to carefully cut out the bladder first, because you don't want any urine to contaminate the meat. Right at the top of the stomach cut (between the hind legs) you'll find the bulbous bladder, and you must take hold of it carefully at the top, while you cut it loose, and drop it in the wheelbarrow/tub carefully. I barely even use a knife for the rest of the gutting, because most of the guts will just fall out with a little persuasion and the rest can usually be pulled out by hand. You'll usually have to strongly tug on the windpipe to pull it out.



Cutting up the meat: After the gutting is done, I get some help to carry the carcass into the house where we lay it on the table (any large, flat surface; a chest freezer in our basement is my favorite place) on top of a clean sheet and start cutting it up for the freezer. I separate the legs from the body, and then cut each leg again at the middle joint so the pieces will fit into large freezer bags. Some people wrap the meat in freezer paper; I just use large freezer bags. I then cut out the backstrap and the neck meat and any other pieces that there are and bag them up. You can grind and make sausage out of any of it. My family likes the leg roasts the best. 



Now all that's left to do is clean up the mess. I'm sure there are more sophisticated methods of butchering, but this is the way I do it and it works for me. I hope it may come in handy for you. I do not fatten or "feed out" my butcher wethers/bucklings. They have protein blocks, fresh water, and lots of browse or hay if it is winter. They might get a small amount of grain if they are in with my does. The meat is tender and flavorful. Feeding out a goat on grain is not needed, in my opinion, if the goat is in good health and has plenty of good hay or browse, but whether to fatten your goat before butchering is simply your choice. It's your goat, it's your choice. If I butcher them younger than five months, I just pull them straight off of their dams.



Two tips to make this job easier: 1) If your going to haul the hide and guts off very far (I dump them on the back side of our 100 acre property), instead of using a wheelbarrow to hold the guts, I use a 30-gallon round tin tub with handles on either side. When I am finished butchering for the day, one or two people can lift that tub into the back of the pick-up and I can haul it off and dump it myself. If you have just a short way to go, a wheelbarrow may work better. 2) When you slide the t-post through the slits in the hind legs, prior to hanging the carcass, position the post so that the knobs on the post are toward the goat's back. That way you can pull the goat's legs farther apart and the t-post knobs will hold the carcass in the desired position. The farther apart the legs are held, the easier it is to skin and gut.>>>


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## ozark_jewels

When I posted this the first time, I had someone(either here, or in the goat section, I can't remember which so I'll post it both places) ask for photos specifically of the cutting around the anus area. I butchered three wethers yesterday and my sister Sarah took those pictures for me. Here they are:

Skin to this point:










Then this. You can see the anal canal:










Cut through like this:










It should look like this after cutting through the anal canal:










After cutting through the tail and everything.










You pull the anal canal out through the stomach slit when you gut the animal.
Hope this helps.


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## susanne

thank you emily.
the pictures you added from currend butchering, are we looking at the back from the animal? 
if you cut through the anal canal how does it all keep clean and not be contaminated with feces?
why don't you live in michigan?


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## ozark_jewels

susanne said:


> thank you emily.
> the pictures you added from currend butchering, are we looking at the back from the animal?
> if you cut through the anal canal how does it all keep clean and not be contaminated with feces?
> why don't you live in michigan?


Yes, they are from the back of the goat.

When the goat is hanging upside down, the contents of the anal canal fall back down toward the stomach cavity so that its normally not right at the opening. And the membrane holds the canal from falling all the way back in and spilling its contents, so it doesn't go anywere till you are ready to pull it out through the stomach slit. And after all, if a couple neat little berries *somehow* do manage to escape, they will only fall into the gut cavity and never touch the meat. If it was messy cow plops, it would be a different story.....  Its really hard to explain here....but really very simple to do.

I don't live in Michigan because its COLD there!!


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## susanne

ozark_jewels said:


> I don't live in Michigan because its COLD there!!


comon emily, we have nice summers and even nicer falls. if you visit me i put the heater on :bow: 
thanks for explanation.


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## Lancelotacres

I was just reading and scrolling down thru the pictures thinking to myself (yesterday), it sure looks warm and sunny down there, wasn't like that up here (snow this morning). I am so ready for spring. Butchering article looks good as well as the milking barn photo's, maybe show some smiling doe pictures entering the milking parlor along with all the behind photo's LOL.


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## Jcran

It was me, it was me! Thank you so much for remembering my question! Your pictures are absolutely marvelous and well-taken; I am bookmarking the pages so I can use them this summer. When you butcher out the 3 month old kids, do you find the amount of meat worth the effort? A 3-month old seems like it would have a smaller meat/bone ratio?


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## TexCountryWoman

Howdy, I will jump in here and say that when we butchered a 3 month old Boer cross we were thrilled with the amount of meat from a younger kid. We had been butchering older goats, around 9 months. But we have decided to butcher younger to be more cost effective. Younger goats require less feed and do there major weight gain quickly on moms milk and then off they go into the freezer. We think the meat is better too on a younger kid still nursing. We don't wean them prior to butcher but rather allow then to nurse right until butchering no matter what the age or when we get to it. Right now we have a hefty 4 month old almost 70 pound Boer still nursing that we will butcher ASAP. I cleaned out my freezer yesterday just so i could fit the meat in there....found gallons and gallons of last years goat milk I forgot I had!


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## Jcran

Holy buckets! That is a good gainer! I am going to use that advice this summer and see how it goes! Thanks!


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## ozark_jewels

susanne said:


> comon emily, we have nice summers and even nicer falls. if you visit me i put the heater on :bow:
> thanks for explanation.


LOL!! Thanks for the offer, I'll remember if I'm ever in your neck of the woods.


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## ozark_jewels

Lancelotacres said:


> I was just reading and scrolling down thru the pictures thinking to myself (yesterday), it sure looks warm and sunny down there, wasn't like that up here (snow this morning). I am so ready for spring. Butchering article looks good as well as the milking barn photo's, maybe show some smiling doe pictures entering the milking parlor along with all the behind photo's LOL.


Yeah, its hitting 60* today!!! :rock: :happy: The grass is starting to grow now that we finally got some rain. I can't wait for the goats to start browsing again.
I'll try to get some head shots of the does for the site.


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## ozark_jewels

TexCountryWoman said:


> Howdy, I will jump in here and say that when we butchered a 3 month old Boer cross we were thrilled with the amount of meat from a younger kid. We had been butchering older goats, around 9 months. But we have decided to butcher younger to be more cost effective. Younger goats require less feed and do there major weight gain quickly on moms milk and then off they go into the freezer. We think the meat is better too on a younger kid still nursing. We don't wean them prior to butcher but rather allow then to nurse right until butchering no matter what the age or when we get to it.



Yep, same here! I leave them on their dams till the day I butcher. The meat is excellent, you never get that post-weaning stall in growth, and I don't have the bother of a weaning pen! They are very hefty on all that milk and browse. My butcher kids rarely see grain if ever. If they do get grain, its whatever they can steal from mom. That is another expense you don't have if they are butchered at weaning age, you don't have to feed the kids much of anything besides whatever they get beside their dams.....


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## harplade

I'm so impressed, I am going to save these pages for my husband and daughter who will be butchering soon. The last wether my husband butchered-he said the skin was very difficult to get off of the carcass. Any ideas why that may be? He was thinking about killing and slitting the skin, then taking an air compressor and blowing up the carcass, hopefully separating the skin from the flesh. Ever heard of that and/or do you have any other thoughts on what to do if the hide doesn't want to come away from the flesh. 
I'm just curious, when did you start raising and killing animals? How old were you? Our daughter is 10 and is our "farm manager". She cares for all the animals and assists in the killing and skinning of the rabbits and the few goats we have done. Are all of your siblings as adept at farming as you seem to be?

Thanks, Harplade


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## cmharris6002

Emily,

I love this article and your web site. I am so impressed with your whole opperation!

My husband wants to know if you use .22 shorts or longs. He doesn't want to use too much gun and blow his foot off or anything.  

Thanks,
Christy


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## midkiffsjoy

You wrote that article????

Man I have that article and wish I had read it three month earlier. I would have a BEAUTIFUL couch cushion instead of having sent him through the ring!!! I grew up on a cattle ranch and never thought I had a weak stomach, but the last thing I ever saw butchered was this huge pig, and it was a MESS, and it took THIS article to get me to the point where I could handle it. Gave me something to see in my mind's eye other than that HUGE STINKY PIG!!!! Thank you for writing it!!!


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## ozark_jewels

harplade said:


> The last wether my husband butchered-he said the skin was very difficult to get off of the carcass. Any ideas why that may be? He was thinking about killing and slitting the skin, then taking an air compressor and blowing up the carcass, hopefully separating the skin from the flesh. Ever heard of that and/or do you have any other thoughts on what to do if the hide doesn't want to come away from the flesh.
> I'm just curious, when did you start raising and killing animals? How old were you? Our daughter is 10 and is our "farm manager". She cares for all the animals and assists in the killing and skinning of the rabbits and the few goats we have done. Are all of your siblings as adept at farming as you seem to be?
> 
> Thanks, Harplade


Hi Harplade, I have never had trouble with the hide not separating from the skin. I just take a sharp knife and pulling the hide away from the meat with one hand, use the other hand and the knife to help the hide separate. It usually comes off very easily. I have never used anything else so can't comment on that.  
I started raising animals when I was about 7. I was helping butcher chickens and the beefs that we did by that age. I used the hatchet on chickens when I was 9, but I didn't start doing the killing of larger animals myself until last year when I started butchering goats. It wasn't easy and still isn't, but I figure its just a job that needs done. I am impressed that your daughter is so into the "life to death" thing. I think its a good thing for a child to grow up with....helps with the proper perspective and all that. Congrats on raising a "down to earth" girl. :happy: 
Most of my siblings could do most anything around the farm if they had to. They have all helped with births, milking, mucking out, butchering, etc. The killing part still gets to some of them, but they like the meat.....


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## ozark_jewels

cmharris6002 said:


> My husband wants to know if you use .22 shorts or longs. He doesn't want to use too much gun and blow his foot off or anything.
> 
> Thanks,
> Christy


Thanks Christy. You can tell your husband that I use .22 shorts. Never had a goat that didn't go down immediately. I shoot them at very close range. Most of the time, the bullet has an exit hole right between the where the jawbones meet, so don't shoot with your foot, or anything else you want to keep intact, below the goats head.......  The exit hole is not as common when shooting adult goats, but usually I am butchering 4 month old kids.


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## ozark_jewels

midkiffsjoy said:


> You wrote that article????
> 
> Man I have that article and wish I had read it three month earlier. I would have a BEAUTIFUL couch cushion instead of having sent him through the ring!!! I grew up on a cattle ranch and never thought I had a weak stomach, but the last thing I ever saw butchered was this huge pig, and it was a MESS, and it took THIS article to get me to the point where I could handle it. Gave me something to see in my mind's eye other than that HUGE STINKY PIG!!!! Thank you for writing it!!!


Glad it helped!!


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## ozark_jewels

Lancelotacres said:


> IButchering article looks good as well as the milking barn photo's, maybe show some smiling doe pictures entering the milking parlor along with all the behind photo's LOL.


Hi Lance, I put some smiling goat faces coming in the barn on the milking room page.......check it out.  
http://www.freewebs.com/ozarkjewels/


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## joken

Great information,thanks. I have always allowed the carcas to hang and cool for a few days before cut and wrap. I understand this is not always possible if the weather is hot. Any comments about this would certainly be welcome. Thanks, Ken


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## ozark_jewels

joken said:


> Great information,thanks. I have always allowed the carcas to hang and cool for a few days before cut and wrap. I understand this is not always possible if the weather is hot. Any comments about this would certainly be welcome. Thanks, Ken


Hi Ken, I talked to lots of experienced goat folks before deciding how I would do my butchering and the concensus was that goat doesn't need hung like a beef does. Something to do with the meat being so lean or something....Anyway, they had tried it both ways and there was no discernable difference. So since I usually do my butchering in the Spring/Summer/Fall, its never cool enough to let it hang and I just put it straight into the freezer. Its tender and delicious and its out of the way in just an hour or so this way.


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## Lancelotacres

Hey Emily, pictures look good. I PMed you a question a few days ago check and see if it came through. I butchered our first goat about a month ago, two year old cull doe. Meat seems awful tough, have not tried the burger yet. I'll try the wether crop later this year. I'm thinking the older animals need to go into the sausage mixer. Just got my new (old) book in the mail today Veterinary Clincal Parasitology, and the new (old) microscope should be on its way to Michigan. Fecal testing here we come! Do you know of anyone down by you selling maremma LGD's? Anybody else know of maremma's in a 3-4 state area around Michigan?

Lance


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## ozark_jewels

Hi Lance, I will check my Pm's. I am really bad about forgetting to do that. I have to run do morning milking at the moment, but will try to answer your pm today.
Gotta remember with goat meat, that slow and easy is the way to go and don't forget to keep it moist! With anything older than a year, I never do anything but roasts and sausage. Roasts from an older goat get cooked either in a pressure cooker, or on 225* in the oven in a roasting pan with a lid all night long with plenty of water. Makes that meat so good.....
I can't say I know of anybody that even owns a maremma around herte let alone breeds them.....


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## aussie dave

TexCountryWoman said:


> Howdy, I will jump in here and say that when we butchered a 3 month old Boer cross we were thrilled with the amount of meat from a younger kid. We had been butchering older goats, around 9 months. But we have decided to butcher younger to be more cost effective. Younger goats require less feed and do there major weight gain quickly on moms milk and then off they go into the freezer. We think the meat is better too on a younger kid still nursing. We don't wean them prior to butcher but rather allow then to nurse right until butchering no matter what the age or when we get to it. Right now we have a hefty 4 month old almost 70 pound Boer still nursing that we will butcher ASAP. I cleaned out my freezer yesterday just so i could fit the meat in there....found gallons and gallons of last years goat milk I forgot I had!



i was wondering from a live 70 pound goat, how much usable ( on the table ) meat do you get?


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## ozark_jewels

Bumped up for you, oceanmist!


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## ozark_jewels

aussie dave said:


> i was wondering from a live 70 pound goat, how much usable ( on the table ) meat do you get?


Hi aussie dave.....I somehow totally missed this question. Sorry about that. My answer is...I really don't know. I would guess maybe 35-40 lbs of meat?? I never weigh it......


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## cmharris6002

It would be great to have this thread made into a "sticky"


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## trappmountain

Yes, I agree with the sticky.


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## ArmyDoc

I don't suppose there's any way to update the links to the photos. It looks like an excellent article, but without photos it's not very clear in parts.


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## flannelberry

Your browser should be showing you step by step photos - they've not been deleted.


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## Oxankle

Ozark, you are in fact a Jewel!

Butchered one this afternoon and decided that rather than use the crude kill-a-deer-and-gut-him-on-the-ground method I'd try yours. 

I had already made myself a gambrel so did not need the t-post. Had a block and tackle so hoisting the goat was no problem (about a 90 pound yearling). The process worked like a charm.

I deviated from your method in a couple of particulars. First, since the kill was for the Muslim holy days the goat was killed with a knife--cut the artery in the neck. I was surprised how quickly the animal died and how well it bled out. No fuss, virtually no reflex kicking. Were I to do it for myself I might do it your way, but son in law killed the animal. 

Then, before I cut thru the anal canal and cut off the tail I worked my knife under the hide between tail and anus, pulling the anal canal up out of the body about an inch. Ran a cotton string through there and then tied off the gut upstream from the anus. From that point on we did as you do. The fellow had never butchered an animal before, but he had been watching every year and was pretty competent. I think, with your instructions for reference, he could do one alone now.

The meat is going home with my son in law tomorrow (except for my share--Muslims must share with family and friends and the poor) and is out in the trunk of his car now cooling--going to be 35 degrees tonight.

Going to do another one in the morning. Bet it goes faster.

As an aside, the reason we are killing goats here is that son in law says that at the place where they have been having their animals slaughtered and processed the help treats the animals cruelly, beating, kicking, shocking them etc. Says that negates the religious aspect of the sacrifice, so he and I are killing one for his family and one for a friend. 
Ox


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## CGFarm

Emily,
About how long does it take to butcher a wether out? 
D


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## ozark_jewels

Ox, thanks for the ideas.  

CGFarm, It usually takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to butcher out the average sized wether(60-100 lbs.).


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## Olivia67

Thank you for your post and the pictures. I hope someday to be able to butcher our own but I have to work my way up to it. It seems very straight forward and thank you for your tip about the reflex kicking after the shooting. We did have to euthanize a buck goat and he did that and for weeks I couldn't get it out of my head. It was a relief to read that you can't butcher your bottle babies, you found a compromise and I need to do the same thing.


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## cJ Goat Mom

I haven't tried this but I read about this. Once the carcase is hung up, the butcher makes a small slit near the anus. Then he puts a garden hose into the slit and turns on the water. The water gently pushes the skin away from the body and cools the meat (if that is a concern).


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## Becky

Everyone is talking about using guns to kill your goat with. We live in an area where there are just enough people around that using a gun would not be wise. We only have one acre. So, is there some other way the goat could be killed? Would just slitting the neck work or would that be unwise as well?


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## Becky

OOPS! Sorry everyone! I just finally saw Oxankle's post, and it already answered my question. That should teach me to be sure I read *all* posts before I ask anything.


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## FoxFire_Ga79

Ok I see people mentioning slaughtering wethers--Are wethers the only goats that get used for their meat, or can you slaughter and use bucks and does as well? 
When I get goats, I actually want dairy. I've been told getting Boers or Boer crosses would serve my purposes, but if I do happen to find a goat that is mainly dairy, are dairy goats good for their meat too? 
Thanks!


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## Naturaldane

Bucks and bucklings have a stonger tange to them judging by the 7 month old buckling we did, and calvin was the one that cooked it so you know it had a fair chance of being good, the doe and wether we butchered had a better taste to it.
Im still for the boer milkers, hopefully you can come down and I can show you why.


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## ozark_jewels

FoxFire_Ga79 said:


> Ok I see people mentioning slaughtering wethers--Are wethers the only goats that get used for their meat, or can you slaughter and use bucks and does as well?
> When I get goats, I actually want dairy. I've been told getting Boers or Boer crosses would serve my purposes, but if I do happen to find a goat that is mainly dairy, are dairy goats good for their meat too?
> Thanks!


Wethers are usually mentioned as slaughter goats simply because most people butcher more wethers than bucks or does. Their are more excess bucklings on farms than are needed for breeding so they are usually butchered at a young age still intact or kept longer and wethered.
Bucks and does make very good eating too. Cull does, cull bucks, seriously injured(not sick) bucks and does are often butchered. The flavour is very good. If the kill is quick and the butcher clean, the meat will taste good.

Most of the goats I butcher are dairy goat stock. Goat meat is goat meat. The only difference is there is more meat on the Boer goats than the dairies. But dairy goats are very worth butchering.

The goat in the pictures in the butchering article on the 1st page addresses both your questions. He was an intact pure Nubian buckling.....YUM!


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## rebelfarmer

thank you so much for posting this.
i had just got my first goat the day i read this i didnt know i would need it yet
it saved me so much time


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## YoungOne

Thank you, so very much. We did our first butchering on Saturday and it went pretty fast and quick. We had never butchered before so it was quite the experience, the photos were what gave us the oomph needed to believe we could handle it. Kids handled it fine and now we are planning a goat bar-b-que for a barn raising later in the year.


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## picklespickles

the photos are wonderful. thank you. 

shiver. still freaked by the idea, but know it needs to be done. it is helping my minds eye a lot. it's just sorta like a biggggggggggg chicken right? oh, my.

so very glad i chose before hand who was getting the dinner table tango. i have not held her or handfed or whatever. 

it will be hard, i think, but much more so if we had the relationship that i do with her mom, dad and sis.


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## MissMenagerie

Bucks make great eating! I butchered a 120lb, 3 yo. Nigerian Dwarf buck a couple months ago. Just need to be sure not to let the hair side of the skin touch the meat. Slow cooked in the crock pot with potatoes and onions! Wonderful, tasty, tender meat! Very, very slight "bucky" taste, just add salt and you can't tell. :banana02: I like it better than beef.


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## ranger4327

very good thread!!! lots of good advice and info....... this is something that i needed to read/see before we get some goats. i havent had goat meat yet, but am am anxious to try some. i did a search on youtube and found a 30 minute video showing the skinning of a goat. it seems very similar the technique used here in this post!

question: when using the .22 how close to the goat do you shoot? as close as the picture shows?


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## ozark_jewels

ranger4327 said:


> question: when using the .22 how close to the goat do you shoot? as close as the picture shows?



Pretty much, yes. If using a rifle I would stand further back of course but I always use a pistol. And if killing a mature goat, a larger shot should be used just to be sure. In over 10 mature animals(bucks and does), I have only ever had *one* not go down immediately when a .22 was used.....but believe me, that one experience was enough to convince me to use a different pistol next time.
Oh, one more thing that needs mentioning. The bullet will almost always go through the skull completely and exit through the lower jaw. Be sure there is soft ground beneath you and the goat when you shoot. You do not want to do this on concrete or rock due to the high probability of ricocheting bullets.


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## picklespickles

your information helped me. it was hard to do, but knowing that others had done it before helped. thank you.


----------



## farmmom

I'm planning on buying a wether in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for the very helpful thread.


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## Cheryl aka JM

Thanks for the thread~
I've now done three goats with the instructions you provided (the third one was much easier than the first!) ~ and we have discovered that we like goat so much we have changed our plans to bring in a lot more goats (need my own buck now!) and eat a lot more goat meat. Thanks so much!!


----------



## Silverwolff

This was a really helpful article and thread, thank you! I only wish I had read it before I went and butchered one of my 7 month old wethers this morning; I've always done a .22 rifle shot from a sort of 45 degree angle off of the side of the head and it's worked just fine except for the one this morning. I either had the barrel too low, or he moved just as I shot, and it wasn't a clean kill.   I felt so bad.

I have another wether to do next weekend and I'll do this one from the back.

I also tie off the anus just after I cut it loose to keep anything from coming out.



--Silverwolff


----------



## sonya01234

i just threw up looking at all of this!!!!!


----------



## Illini

sonya01234 said:


> i just threw up looking at all of this!!!!!


If you are a vegetarian, and own no shoes, purses, belts, etc., made of leather, then I can somewhat see that you might be upset, though I don't understand why you would read through the entire two pages of posts if that is the case.

If, however, you eat meat - of any kind - you are just allowing a middleman to do your dirty work. And factory-raising and processing meat IS dirty!

I believe it is hypocritical to object to the slaughtering of animals if one consumes meat. I believe it is better for my family to consume meat that has been humanely raised and butchered, and I am grateful to the posters who have taken the time to share their wisdom and experiences.


----------



## ozark_jewels

sonya01234 said:


> i just threw up looking at all of this!!!!!



Glad I could oblige.


----------



## BoldViolet

ozark_jewels said:


> Glad I could oblige.


HA HA! :buds:


----------



## ozark_jewels

Only had time for a one line reply lastnight. Here goes the whole thing.

I will not in any shape or form apologize for butchering my animals. I am proud to be able to supply my family with healthy meat, raised and even killed humanely.
My butcher livestock are treated better than most "pet" livestock. They are never hungry, thirsty or mistreated. When it is time they die quickly and don't even know its coming. Could we all be so lucky.
In my opinion, if you can't stomach the idea of butchering, then you'd be better off not eating meat. I understand not everyone can butcher their own, but to belittle those who can and do?? The animals who are given a great life until butchering time and then a quick death, are much, much, much happier and healthier than the animal who produced the meat you buy at your supermarket.
I say again, if you can't handle the butchering idea, don't breed your goats.
And if this thread makes you vomit, maybe you shouldn't have clicked on it to start with as it is plainly titled "BUTCHERING".


----------



## motdaugrnds

OMG sorry your stomach cannot take the discussion!
Great information here, though. Thank you for putting it together with pictures.

We differ slightly in that we pen those to be slaughtered up a couple of months. The purpose is to make sure they are "gaining" weight and not stationary or losing any weight. By slaughtering them while they are in the process of gaining weight, the meat is always tender, no matter what the age of the goat is.

We shoot behind the head & bleed them as you described; then take off their heads immediately. Then we gut the goats on a slope with one of our open feed bags under its belly for the guts to fall onto, saving the hearts & livers. (I suspect it might be less hard on my knees to hang them first; but we just have not done that as yet.) After cleaning guts out, we tie a wire around each back-leg hock and hang the goats to the rafters, spreading the hind legs apart for easier work.

After skinning and washing down the carcus thoroughly, we cut it up for the freezer while it is still hanging and use both freezer paper as well as freezer bags, depending on the cut of meat being packaged at the time. (This year we have 6 in the holding pen; so these will take about 2 days to process; but yummmmm, healthy meat for the family.)


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## Tallabred

I appreciated the information. When my son shot my doe down who was in such pain it was great to have a picture for him to go by. I could not butcher my own but I do prefer meat from hunted or home raised livestock over commercially raised. They are all happy until the very end.


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## Wonderland

This is great info...my dad has been wanting to butcher his own deer for a while now instead of paying someone else to do it, so I'm going to show this to him. I think deer and goats have similar enough structure to be done basically the same.

Do you think you could describe or take pictures of how you cut the meat itself? As in like, where/how you cut if you want a roast, steak, sausage, etc? 

Thanks for all the useful info! :goodjob:


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## Cheryl aka JM

I just wanted to say again how very, very, very much I appreciate the work put into this thread and your generosity in sharing it with us. I've printed it and shared it with a couple more families that don't have internet access and were looking at selling their extra goats to the lowest bidder at a sale barn~ so much better to put meat on their own tables then to send the babies off to the big slaughter houses. So you've helped even more people than can post here and Thank you.

Thank you!


----------



## oldsettlerswood

Wonderland said:


> Do you think you could describe or take pictures of how you cut the meat itself? As in like, where/how you cut if you want a roast, steak, sausage, etc?:



Yes mee too! :clap:That is a question I had. I have looked at old books on the subject of butchering but the old black and white photos and illustrations are just hard to really understand.

And a big thank you for taking the time to document all this for us!


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## GBov

Loved it :goodjob:

Very good information on the younger goats, I am shoping round for our first goat for the freezer right now and I know now I can go for a younger cheaper goat and still get a goodly amount of meat.

Very very helpful:happy:


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## karenbrat1

Thank you for the wonderful article and photos -- I am printing it out to keep in my "butchering notebook" for the future.

Now to find something as well written and illustrated for butchering pigs! Which we'll be doing in a month or two. We have butchered chickens and deer so the killing and cutting up process is not new, but we'll be learning the scald'n'scrape as we go!

Karen B in northern Idaho


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## GBov

I skin the pigs we eat


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## karenbrat1

We WANT the skin left on and no butchers in our area will scald and scrape, they all skin, so we will do it ourselves and find out how bad it can be


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## GBov

Ah, good luck and tell us how you get on.


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## ozark_jewels

oldsettlerswood said:


> Yes mee too! :clap:That is a question I had. I have looked at old books on the subject of butchering but the old black and white photos and illustrations are just hard to really understand.
> 
> And a big thank you for taking the time to document all this for us!



Well, I don't make professional cuts or anything. Just the leg roasts, then I debone everything else. You can also just debone everything. I don't know how much it will help you, but here is the way I cut the meat.

Ok, like I said, its very basic. Here are the cuts I use.

After the skinning and gutting process is complete, I cut the carcase down, bring it in and lay it on a clean sheet on top of my chest freezer:










Then I start cutting the legs off, usually starting with the forelegs. They are very easy to cut off as there is no actual joint. I cut off as much of the surrounding meat with the leg as I can.



















Here is the foreleg after separating it from the body. If you have a smaller family and want a smaller cut, you can cut the leg in half at the joint.










Too many pictures to put it all in one post so I'll finish this in post #two.


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## ozark_jewels

Then the backlegs:





































The leg should look something like this.










Then you can cut the leg in half at the joint if you so desire. I did with this goat as she was a full-sized doe.










Then the other two legs the same way of course, and start on the backstrap. I go as far up the neck with the backstrap as I can. Usually I can get the backstrap from the top of the neck, all the way to the hipbones in one long strip. Here is about halfway through:










When you've finished the legs and the backstrap, I just cut of any stray pieces there are and use them for stew or sausage meat. There is a nice little strip of meat that is on the underside of the backbone that runs along the same line as the backstrap, but its much smaller. The finished carcase and meat will look something like this:










I feed the carcase, the legs, hide and head and guts to my dogs. They love the guts and will eat everything but the actual stomach contents.
Cutting it up is very simple and there is no "wrong" way.....so just go with your instincts!!


----------



## GBov

I wish I had found you BEFORE I tackled my first pig on my own lol

Its funny you use a sheet, I use clean towels the same way.


----------



## Freya

Thanks for the great thread!


----------



## Cashewnut

Thank you for the excellent tutorial. A friend of mine is giving me a couple of boer bucks for slaughter and I am undecided about having them denutted, not a fan of male smell. They are about 6 months and I am wanting to wait until they were about 80 pounds before they are butchered.

I know it needs to cool down before I do this, can't do it in 100 degree heat.


----------



## ozark_jewels

Cashewnut said:


> Thank you for the excellent tutorial. A friend of mine is giving me a couple of boer bucks for slaughter and I am undecided about having them denutted, not a fan of male smell. They are about 6 months and I am wanting to wait until they were about 80 pounds before they are butchered.
> 
> I know it needs to cool down before I do this, can't do it in 100 degree heat.


Yes, when it is really hot, I butcher about 5:00-6:00 AM to beat the heat.

Are you sure they are not 80 lbs by this time?? 6 month old Boer bucklings should be at least that big if they were raised properly.

If they are big enough, I would reccomend butchering them asap to beat the onset of rutt(the only time bucks smell) if they are not in rutt already.

Otherwise, you can wether them, but you'll probably need to wait until late fall/early winter to butcher them then.


----------



## Cashewnut

I messed up their birth dates. They are now 5 months and according to my friend they are still on the smallish side. She feeds them pretty well, so they should still be gaining weight.

Ok, the next question is, do goats have rut season like deer? As in only certain times of the year? I have eaten lots of goat here and in Mexico, but I have never on the live end before. I just know I do not like the gamey stinky smell of male in any animal, especially boars :1pig:, nasty, nasty, nastay.

I don't know if she has enough time in the day to take the goats for castration unless I hike myself over there. I just might have to take some time for a visit! :buds: It's been a while. 

Thanks for the advice.


----------



## ozark_jewels

Yes, goats rutt or breeding season is mainly in the fall. For my goats it usually starts in August and ends around December/January.


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## mduncn52

Is there enough meat on the goat's ribcage to cut them down and use them like spare ribs?


----------



## ozark_jewels

mduncn52 said:


> Is there enough meat on the goat's ribcage to cut them down and use them like spare ribs?


You can.......but there really is very little meat over the ribs. I prefer to use them to feed my dogs or else to boil for soupmeat.


----------



## christie

This is sooo helpful. We were contemplating butchering our 3/4 month old nubian buck. And this answered so many questions.
A couple more question I have is.. I t being September now, Is he or will he at 3 months go into rut that young?
How do I know if he's in rut?
And if I wait till February, he'll be out of rut and won't stink anymore?
How do you keep the knife clean while skinning? Like you wouldn't want to touch the hair, then go back to meat, right? Is there something you clean the meat with after?


As for burning pigs hair I have done that. And the smell is everywhere on you. And your lungs hut from breathing it in. And its pretty tedious shaving them after. Never skined anything so not sure if its more work then that?


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## sunflower75

Thank you for the excellent article and instructions!


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## ozark_jewels

christie said:


> This is sooo helpful. We were contemplating butchering our 3/4 month old nubian buck. And this answered so many questions.
> A couple more question I have is.. I t being September now, Is he or will he at 3 months go into rut that young?
> How do I know if he's in rut?
> And if I wait till February, he'll be out of rut and won't stink anymore?
> How do you keep the knife clean while skinning? Like you wouldn't want to touch the hair, then go back to meat, right? Is there something you clean the meat with after?


You'll know when they go into rutt, he will start peeing on himself. Although, bucklings at three months will have a hard time building up much stink, yes they can go into rutt that young. By February most of *my* bucks are out of rutt. A lot depends on your does being bred and where you live(climate and daylight).
I keep an old clean towel beside me while butchering. Anytime I notice hair on the knife blade, I wipe it clean on the towel, a different spot every time. This also allows me to keep my hands relatively free of blood and free of hair.
If the meat has anything on it when I'm done(its very hard to keep *every* hair off the meat), I wash it in the sink after its cut up. Then I pat it dry before freezing.


----------



## motdaugrnds

We butcher and process our goats every year; however, this year we want to do it a little differently. This time we want some "ground" and some "steak" and "chops".

I did find one store in this area selling a meat grinder (about 10 lbs a min) for $600.00, which is too costly for us at this time. This shop also told us about a "meat saw" for $100.00. Do any of you in here know where I might find these tools for less?

Have not found any sausage mixes. Any ideas for making spicey sausage?


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## GBov

Wallmart lol (or a kitchen supply store or online.)

They have a table top mincer, dont get the cheapest one as it has plastic parts inside and doesnt do a great job but the one we had last time was a higher class model and was GREAT!

Make sure you go that little bit extra and get the sausage attachment. You should be able to get the entire thing, good quality, for under $150.00

You wont be able to mince up an entire pig or goat at one go but for workable amounts they are great. I usually mince up about 2 or 3 pounds in about 10 min. but there is nothing stopping you at that amount, just keep on going.


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## francismilker

motdaugrnds said:


> We butcher and process our goats every year; however, this year we want to do it a little differently. This time we want some "ground" and some "steak" and "chops".
> 
> I did find one store in this area selling a meat grinder (about 10 lbs a min) for $600.00, which is too costly for us at this time. This shop also told us about a "meat saw" for $100.00.* Do any of you in here know where I might find these tools for less?
> 
> Have not found any sausage mixes. Any ideas for making spicey sausage?*




I bought my meat grinder and get my sausage spice mixes from the Cabella's catalog. They're very good and the grinder works great for home use. It wouldn't hold up to commercial usage but does just fine for a deer or goat.


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## xoxoGOATSxoxo

Is there any need to worry about cooling quickly? I know you said that you didnt find a difference between hanged meat and meat put straight into the freezer, and if I did this I wouldnt do it on too a warm day anyway, but the meat is ok from the 30 minutes to an hour you said it takes to get it killed, cleaned, cut up and in the freezer? 

Also, we've never butchered our own lambs, but the guy who butchers them for us hangs them. I wonder if he doesnt need to? :shrug: Hmmm

Are flies a problem? Are there challenges to different kinds of weather? I dont think I'd do it in the dead of winter, your hands would freeze, but then summer seems too hot and buggy. 

Thanks!  Just speculating; I'm thinking about doing some small animal butchering this spring/summer/fall. This is the first time I've read this sticky with the actual process in mind.


----------



## xoxoGOATSxoxo

And for those looking for meat saws, I know a guy who uses a hack saw.  Not sure if its ideal but he says it gets the job done. I'd be worried about cleaning it, though...


----------



## LaniganRiver

I was wondering do you or anyone save/use the liver? I know calf is saved and used. 
Also, doesn't dumping the skin and guts draw coyotes to your property?


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## LaniganRiver

xoxoGOATSxoxo said:


> And for those looking for meat saws, I know a guy who uses a hack saw.  Not sure if its ideal but he says it gets the job done. I'd be worried about cleaning it, though...


 Buy a cheap plastic model at wal-mart. throw away the blade after use and put the lastic handle in the dishwasher.


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## ozark_jewels

xoxoGOATSxoxo said:


> Is there any need to worry about cooling quickly? I know you said that you didnt find a difference between hanged meat and meat put straight into the freezer, and if I did this I wouldnt do it on too a warm day anyway, but the meat is ok from the 30 minutes to an hour you said it takes to get it killed, cleaned, cut up and in the freezer?
> 
> Also, we've never butchered our own lambs, but the guy who butchers them for us hangs them. I wonder if he doesnt need to? :shrug: Hmmm
> 
> Are flies a problem? Are there challenges to different kinds of weather? I dont think I'd do it in the dead of winter, your hands would freeze, but then summer seems too hot and buggy.
> 
> Thanks!  Just speculating; I'm thinking about doing some small animal butchering this spring/summer/fall. This is the first time I've read this sticky with the actual process in mind.


Yes, the meat is fine in the time it takes to process into the freezer/fridge. It is cooling the entire time.

I prefer to butcher in the fall, when the weather is not too cold, but not too warm either. That is what I prefer for my personal comfort. Flies seem to be less of a problem with a fresh kill than yellowjackets. I always have to brush yellowjackets away.


----------



## ozark_jewels

LaniganRiver said:


> I was wondering do you or anyone save/use the liver? I know calf is saved and used.
> Also, doesn't dumping the skin and guts draw coyotes to your property?


I don't eat liver, though I do save it for my dogs. Sure you could save it if you'd like.
I dump the guts and skin(legs, head and ribcage as well), just far enough away from my house that I can't smell them. Though they never get a chance to go bad, I don't like the smell of fresh guts. My LGD's take care of all of it, leaving nothing but the actual stomach contents(looks like a manure pile and washes away in the next rain). They will eat everything else, then I burn the few clean bones that are left.
Of course if you are worried about attracting coyotes, you could bury or burn the offal.


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## GBov

Lambs liver is lovely sliced about half an inch thick, rolled in seasoned flour and fried fast in bacon fat. The only thing to remember is it dries out more than beef liver does so cook fast, eat sloooooooow mmmmmmmmm yummy!

Cant see why goats liver would be any different.


----------



## rugerman1

motdaugrnds said:


> ...Have not found any sausage mixes. Any ideas for making spicey sausage?


I've used Con Yeager spices to make pork sausage.They have many different mixes to try.
PREPACKED FRESH SAUSAGE SEASONINGS
Con Yeager Spice Company Online Store


----------



## lisa's garden

I enjoyed the article on butchering goats, thanks for posting it! I have considered raising goats for milk but wondered what to do with all the offspring. My only question is about the taste of goat meat. Does it taste very much like lamb? I have never been a big fan of lamb and if the goat meat tastes like lamb, I might just think about a dairy cow instead.

Thanks again for the wonderful information!


----------



## suzyhomemaker09

bah..wrong thread


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## GBov

I had goat meat for the first time and its FANTASTIC!!! It is like lamb but without the heavyness that lamb has. Much lighter and fresher taste.

Well good meat!!!


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## ozark_jewels

lisa's garden said:


> I have considered raising goats for milk but wondered what to do with all the offspring. My only question is about the taste of goat meat. Does it taste very much like lamb?


In my opinion, it tastes more like rich beef or a mild venison than it does lamb. I like lamb, but I prefer goat meat.


----------



## Ozark Mountain Jewel

I saw the title of the thread and was hoping it was your article Emily


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## ozark_jewels

crowweaver said:


> I saw the title of the thread and was hoping it was your article Emily


Hi, nice to see you here.:cowboy:


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## christie

Emily.. see that white squishy stuff on the does ribs in the pictures? Do you make sure you get that all off before grinding?
I did a full grown doe and she was covered w/ it. A man that helped me told me to grind everythin up because goats are lean and need the fat in it. Well that stuff made the ground meat so mealy. And the flank area just behind the ribs.. supports the stomach I guess.. What do you do w/ that? I feel I ruined my ground meat grinding those parts. The doe wasn't lean.. maybe I should p ut them on a diet befor slaughter? She was a well fed milk goat her whole life.


----------



## ozark_jewels

ozark_jewels said:


>


Over the ribs in this picture?
That is mostly fat with a bit of the squishy membrane that holds the skin to the meat. Not sure what that is called. If I intend to grind, yes, I peel the fat off first. I want a low fat ground meat anyway, so off the fat comes. 
If I cook it without grinding, then I leave it on. It melts to the bottom of the pan and keeps the roast meat more moist.
The thin flap of meat between the ribs and flank, I usually feed to my dogs or boil it up for soups. There is so little there on a goat, not like a cow.


----------



## christie

Thanks Emilee... Now i know better for next time!


----------



## RedSonja

Really appreciate the time you put into this and your willingness to answer questions. Our two Nubian does came with five bucklings that we have since wethered. Two are staying as future draft goats, the runt triplet may never get big enough to warrant butchering & is mighty cute besides, but two are destined for the freezer. I've never slaughtered or butchered before so pictures are especially helpful. Thank you!

-Sonja


----------



## francismilker

Going to butcher a 120lb boer wether this morning when I get off work at 6am. He has been an eating partner for a show doe this season and is butter ball fat. I'm wondering how much fat cover he has and wonder if his backstraps are as wide as they feel. I'll let you guys know the outcome when I get a chance to get on the PC in a day or two.


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## HillRunner

I dont sapose anyone has like a gain chart or like a gain chart that shows weight gan to feed conversion?


----------



## groovyoldlady

This is an amazing article. Thank you for posting! We've just started our goaty venture and I'd much rather eat any wethers we're blessed with than try to pass them off as pets. I'll definitely be referring back to this article!


----------



## simka2

I really appreciate the time you have taken with this article! I am so glad to have found this forum and am feeling much more comfortable with moving to the country.

Thanks again!


----------



## Bulldog 6

Ok, now I know it is a small world. I think parents bought a Jersey cross heifer from you recently. It was your last one. Same name, your town address initials MV


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## ozark_jewels

Bulldog 6 said:


> Ok, now I know it is a small world. I think parents bought a Jersey cross heifer from you recently. It was your last one. Same name, your town address initials MV


If your folks have Nubians and Saanens, yes, that was me.:bowtie:


----------



## Oxankle

Hey, guys: Before you cut the anal canal free of the carcass, tie it off with a strong cotton twine. Then when you cut and let it drop back into the animal's body it cannot lose anything. 
Ox


----------



## GottaloveOregon

Why is the goat so young wasnt that kinda a wast of time for like 4 pounds of meat?


----------



## ozark_jewels

GottaloveOregon said:


> Why is the goat so young wasnt that kinda a wast of time for like 4 pounds of meat?


A LOT more than four lbs of meat. My family of 12 ate well off that young wether for many meals.

The reason I butchered him so young is that he was dam-raised and I had bred his dam back. He needed weaned off to give her time to fatten. At that point I had very little money in him. If I weaned him and fed him for four more months, I would get very little weight gain for a lot of expense. Butchering at that point was the best financial decision. Butchering right off their dams makes for the most economical meat. 
But he was a late kid so got butchered extra young. Usually I butcher 6-8 month old straight off their dams. They have never had anything but milk, hay, browse and a tiny bit of oats they steal from mom. They have never been vaccinated, wormed or had any shots. They usually run about 80-100 lbs at butchering.
Not expensive meat. If I was to wean and try to get them bigger while feeding them for a few more months?? Then it becomes expensive meat. As far as time goes, it takes me all of 20-45 minutes to butcher a goat.


----------



## sleepgrins

Thanks again to you Emily for posting this...I processed my cull doe today using a lot of the info here. I' ve helped with deer before (and butchered chickens solo) but this was a first for me. My observations: glad I used a .38special instead of a .22, and it took me a LOT longer than 45 minutes to get it quartered up in the cooler. The leg movements were disturbing though the animal was no longer conscious or breathing. Especially since I bottle fed this goat, I was going to send the doe to a local processor, but he wanted $100! Can you believe that? Anyway, this will provide for my family many many meals of meat of a quality not available elsewhere.


----------



## francismilker

Emily, I butchered a 90lb liveweight wether this past week. All went well. It was about like butchering a deer. The one thing I noticed about it though was that unless I wanted to get really, really picky about it and pick little pieces off the carcass it doesn't produce much meat. I didn't weigh it but I'd guess that I only got about 25 lbs of meat off a 90lb predressed carcass. Those cutting percentages are very low as compared to beef. (Unless I done something wrong.)


----------



## masterJOY26

Just wanted to thank Ozark Jewels for the very informative article. We are considering raising some beef, pork, chickens, and/or rabbits, but goats are definitely an option we haven't given enough thought. I had no idea you could butcher them so early. Never had goat for myself, but I've also never had a meat I didn't like 

Does anyone know of a quality, in-depth slaughter to freezer manual/book that would include poultry, rabbits, etc.? Looked at some on the web, but I was wondering if anyone on here had used one or knew of a good one.


----------



## CaliannG

masterJoy26,

I use "Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game" by John J. Mettler Jr. It covers nearly everything, and has some great techniques.

Hope this helps!


----------



## BobDFL

CaliannG said:


> masterJoy26,
> 
> I use "Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game" by John J. Mettler Jr. It covers nearly everything, and has some great techniques.
> 
> Hope this helps!


I just got that book and also remembered this article. I'm about to process my first goat (a wether) this weekend. I have sent a few to the processor but they want $100 each and that takes a lot of the cost incentive out of it. 

I'm also planning on doing a lamb (also a wether) in another week. My biggest concern os the heat around here, so I'll try to do it first thing in the am.

Thanks for the article.


----------



## flumes

Just wondering if anybody who butchered a goat has used a bandsaw (ie for chops and steaks.)

I can see deboning some meat for burger and stews...but I dont like roast, (well at least venison anyways). And am drooling already thinkin of goat chops 

Tia


----------



## sleepgrins

flumes said:


> Just wondering if anybody who butchered a goat has used a bandsaw (ie for chops and steaks.)
> 
> I can see deboning some meat for burger and stews...but I dont like roast, (well at least venison anyways). And am drooling already thinkin of goat chops
> 
> Tia


Goat chops are EXCELLENT and worth it if you have the means (don't have a bandsaw, but eaten chops processed this way before). I just cut the backstraps from both sides of the spine and crosscut into 1.5 to 2" medallions. Most excellent pan broiled in a cast iron skillet medium rare. :grin:


----------



## cnsper

All I can add to cooking the meat off the bone is .....

Chile
Tacos
Fajitas
Sausage

You can also use the tounge as that is all meat. The heart and liver are edible. If you can not do either of these then add them to your sausage meat. The liver would have to be used sparingly in the sausage. No sense in wasting 5-10 lbs of good meat and the vitamins.


----------



## Rootdigger

Emily, I wanted to thank you, this was my first time processing a large animal and with only your guidance it was actually an enjoyable experience! The hardest part was the stress of getting it done and done right but from the time I saw the money shot and pulled the trigger to the time the quartered animal went in the cooler, everything was set up like machine works thanks to your article, and input from others! Very cool and a testament to how well this forum can work! We had rack of chevon last night and it was fantastic!

I can add something, bandsaws came up. I am a chef and can't imagine not having the fine cuts and since I will be processing 6-8 per year I got one. I ordered the one on sportsmansguide dot com, about $400 with shipping. Now that is is actually together and in use, what a joy! You still have to use a hand saw for the primal cuts but after that it is amazing what you can do, everything is professional butcher cuts you would see in a glass case.

The downside and what I have learned. First the cheap chinese POS I got from the mentioned retailer is a nightmare, I would not recommend it to anyone. The assembly directions are for a different unit, most of the critical installation parts are missing. You need to have excellent mechanical ability, know how and a full metal shop to get the misaligned parts together and be an expert on jigsaw puzzles. Even still it was built and torn down 3 different times as you realized the missing direction steered you wrong guessing.

Even for someone mechanically inclined to basically figure out how to build a bandsaw and machine the parts to actually fit and work, I would not recommend it solely for this reason, if you are looking for a meat bandsaw look for one that takes into account in its design and construction easy access for cleaning and sanitation. I learned last night over a 3 hour period that I have to pull the machine apart to clean it. Most important in my opinion is quick access to blade removal for cleaning. If you shop for one shop for one that advertises specifically easy cleaning in the design. Hope this helps.


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## Rootdigger

I would add, if you get a bandsaw, we used a pretty good DVD for professional butchering "The gourmet butcher, from farm to table" with Cole Ward, I think we got it from Lehman's. It has got me through the primal cuts, and the rack and loin so far, but at that point the rack went on the grill and that was the end of the day. From what he has laid out so far I am not worried about the rest, I am lightyears ahead of where I was 2 days ago.


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## Rootdigger

I post as I learn. I sent my brother some photos of me using the meat saw but complained about how hard it was to clean. His hunting buddy is a professional chef and one of the top rated caterers in SoCal. They will process up to 6 deer in one day. He said I was wasting my time and energy, they do every cut I do but with a Sawzall and cleanup isn't much more than throwing the removable blade in the dishwasher. I have a few styles of Saw tips on the next list for town to see how it compares. Even with the bandsaw I will use it for opening up difficult cuts on the bandsaw that are hard and dangerous for one person to do.


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## Rootdigger

OK, so I finally got around to doing another goat that was a bit over the hill as far as butchering so didn't mind experimenting with the Sawzall. I was pretty impressed. The specifics, I chose a pruning blade, not the normal Sawzall blade, it is an aggressive wood cutting blade with shark tooth structure for cutting both ways, has a thinner curf both of which I thought would be kinder to the meat while still working fast through bone, 6 TPI (teeth per inch). I started with the neck, I thought I should score the meat first and then just hit the bone but figured lets push it, the neck was off in about 20 seconds. I took off the back straps so I wouldn't mess them up, wasn't necessary, I went strait down the spine, it took maybe 2 minutes then the breast and pelvis, in less than 5 minutes I was finished to where you see the photo below. The rest of the 6 primal cuts to go in the cooler for aging was not much more than 10 minutes. I haven't tried chops but I know I could do a rack easy and this will do riblets and such that don't require precision. Clean up was taking the blade off and dropping it in the sink with everything else that magically gets done out here while I do my work. I am more than impressed, this is my new main tool for butchering. If you have a Saw, the blade is $6, if not and this is all you will use it for you can get the saw from Harbor Freight for probably $30. Wear safety glasses, if I am telling you that then wear safety glasses, have a helping hand to hold the carcass still picking someone who doesn't mind being rained on by meat and bone particles, and do this OUTSIDE, the chickens will love you and clean up everything! Hope someone can use this.


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## Ross

Impressive I would not have thought of trying a pruning blade but it seems to work very nicely!


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## Blue Run Farm

Wow! Can you give more details on how you did the cuts? It takes me 2 hours to do a goat, from putting it down to wrapped up in the freezer. I am slow! This looks like it could cut some time for me.


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## KrisD

I haven't processed one myself yet but I definitely would after seeing I could use a saws all. I've been paying the butcher afraid I would get in over my head. How long are you aging the meat? Do you have a walkin cooler or what do you use?


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## Rootdigger

I've had a long snowy drive day to town for supplies and have a new internet satellite install tomorrow but will get a reply to the questions when I can, have to spend some time searching the internet for the prime cuts diagram I use for butchering chops and steaks. I age on the porch if cool enough, 3-4 days, or cut the 6 primal cuts, halved, shoulders, loin and rump and that can pack in a cooler that has been well bleached and cooled with frozen soda bottles 3/4 full of water.


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## Rootdigger

Blue Run Farm said:


> Wow! Can you give more details on how you did the cuts? It takes me 2 hours to do a goat, from putting it down to wrapped up in the freezer. I am slow! This looks like it could cut some time for me.


Wow back! I have a day with the skinning, gutting etc, but then I am trying to preserve the hide and bits for sausage and wishing for a G&^%$*ed sharp knife for Christmas! I like to say you know how good you are at sharpening a chainsaw till you get a new chain and sharpening a new knife till someone with sense hands you a knew one. Learning life from the internet and not a grandpa sucks. 

I use this chart for cuts, if it doesn't work let me know.
http://www.alnasirexports.com/lamb-goat-sheep meat.html


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## Rootdigger

Try that again..., different website
http://www.jackmauldin.com/carcass_cuts.htm


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## dkhern

i really liked this thread and apparently lots of others did also. i dont mean to start anything anyone who would like to experment might try hanging by head, cut a ring around head and split skin down front of neck to point of breast bone cut around front legs at the knee joint and split the leg skin to the point of the breast bone skin hide down from neck until you have a flap incert a rock golf ball etc in flap and tie a rope around rock and use tractor or 4 wheeler to pull skin off. use bypass pruners to cut leg bones (if using sawzsall i like the fine tooth blades) cut the shoulders off, cut the backstraps off, cut the hams off by disjointing them. (all like eamilee did on chest freezer) at that point you have virtually all usable meat. inner tenderloin can be cut out and neck and flank meat can be saved if desired there will probally not be but few pounds i dont save coytoes need to eat also


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## Rootdigger

dkhern said:


> i really liked this thread and apparently lots of others did also. i dont mean to start anything anyone who would like to experment might try hanging by head, cut a ring around head and split skin down front of neck to point of breast bone cut around front legs at the knee joint and split the leg skin to the point of the breast bone skin hide down from neck until you have a flap incert a rock golf ball etc in flap and tie a rope around rock and use tractor or 4 wheeler to pull skin off. use bypass pruners to cut leg bones (if using sawzsall i like the fine tooth blades) cut the shoulders off, cut the backstraps off, cut the hams off by disjointing them. (all like eamilee did on chest freezer) at that point you have virtually all usable meat. inner tenderloin can be cut out and neck and flank meat can be saved if desired there will probally not be but few pounds i dont save coytoes need to eat also


Seriously? I don't doubt you, on about my 500th pheasant I was down to 2-3 minutes per bird and then saw a South Dakota farm wife clean one in 20 seconds with a similarly brutal method, but a goat is a whole different ball game. Do you still get a hide you can tan?


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## dkhern

Rootdigger said:


> Seriously? I don't doubt you, on about my 500th pheasant I was down to 2-3 minutes per bird and then saw a South Dakota farm wife clean one in 20 seconds with a similarly brutal method, but a goat is a whole different ball game. Do you still get a hide you can tan?


 yes the front legs are split the belly and rear legs come off like a sox could be split to tan


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## Gaea Star

Thanks for posting this I find it highly informative and am glad to see you are also willing to answer any questions that might come up during the process.


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## ozark_jewels

KrisD said:


> I haven't processed one myself yet but I definitely would after seeing I could use a saws all. I've been paying the butcher afraid I would get in over my head. How long are you aging the meat? Do you have a walkin cooler or what do you use?


I've had many tell me the sawzall works great. 
I don't find that you *must* age goat meat(unlike beef), or deer. I don't age deer, ever. But when butchering a goat, if I have the space, I like to clear a middle shelf in a clean and very cold fridge and after wrapping the meat, I sit it in single layer on the clean shelf and let it sit for 3-4 days. I do have more than one fridge.........

On the time: Even just using a knife like in the original article, I can do a 100 lb wether in about an hour, kill, cut and wrap. But of course it took me a lot longer to start with.......


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## o&itw

Helpful hint. When getting ready to open the body cavity to remove the entrails, pull the front legs forward so the animal is more horizontal. That is, more like it would be when lying on it's back. This will cause the entrails to lay back down between the backbone, and make it much easier to pull up the belly skin to get a knife under it without taking a chance or stabbing a gut or the bladder. then cut from the rib cage up towards the groin. Most of the entrails will then fall out, at least partially, and you will have more room to carefully cut around the anus and remove the bladder safely. It does take another person, though, to pull the legs forward, unless you can grab a hold of both front hooves with one hand and cut with the other.


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## dmbenson

ozark_jewels said:


> Only had time for a one line reply lastnight. Here goes the whole thing.
> 
> I will not in any shape or form apologize for butchering my animals. I am proud to be able to supply my family with healthy meat, raised and even killed humanely.
> My butcher livestock are treated better than most "pet" livestock. They are never hungry, thirsty or mistreated. When it is time they die quickly and don't even know its coming. Could we all be so lucky.
> In my opinion, if you can't stomach the idea of butchering, then you'd be better off not eating meat. I understand not everyone can butcher their own, but to belittle those who can and do?? *The animals who are given a great life until butchering time and then a quick death, are much, much, much happier and healthier than the animal who produced the meat you buy at your supermarket*.
> I say again, if you can't handle the butchering idea, don't breed your goats.
> And if this thread makes you vomit, maybe you shouldn't have clicked on it to start with as it is plainly titled "BUTCHERING".



*Yes!*

Perfectly said!


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## mrs D

Terrific article and thank you for sharing.


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## Awnry Abe

Tip: I used my tractor's front end loader to hoist the carcass. I used a T post threaded through the tendons, and suspended the post across a palette jack. Worked great,


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## ozark_jewels

Awnry Abe said:


> Tip: I used my tractor's front end loader to hoist the carcass. I used a T post threaded through the tendons, and suspended the post across a palette jack. Worked great,


Yes, we have the front end loader on the tractor for goats, sheep, deer, and even the occaisional cow. It works!


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## 3henhomestead

Living in a city like neighborhood, I have to ask, what do you do with the left over ......stuff. I am a bit queasy at the idea of butchering the babies but we cannot keep them. Plus goat meat can replace beef for us. So thanks for poasting this.


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## ozark_jewels

3henhomestead said:


> Living in a city like neighborhood, I have to ask, what do you do with the left over ......stuff. I am a bit queasy at the idea of butchering the babies but we cannot keep them. Plus goat meat can replace beef for us. So thanks for posting this.


I'm sure it will be different for you since you live on a small acreage with others nearby. I live on a 300 acre farm, with about 15 acres that I use for myself and my animals. I have a Great Dane, a Malamute, and 2 LGDs that are all fed a raw diet. Since I don't care for organ meat, I take all the meaty bones, lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, etc and freeze it for later feedings to my dogs. The day I butcher, my dogs get the lower legs, head, hide and stomachs/guts for their feeding. And they *love* it. The only thing they leave are the clean bones that are too big to chew, and the actual stomach contents(which looks like a pile of fresh cow manure). After the next rain or two, that is completely gone too. I gather up the bones when they are finished and burn them in my burn barrel.
If I were you, I would probably bury the guts, head, etc. I used to do that years ago. If you know of anyone who wants the hide for tanning, thats great. I've tried to give mine away but very few people tan hides at home. I simply don't have the time so the dogs get the hides.
Hope this helps!


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## WildernesFamily

We don't have a "goat recipes" sticky, so I thought I would add this link here since I love lamb curry and chicken curry and this sounds so good!

Goat curry:
http://www.indiansimmer.com/2011/11/goat-curry-with-five-whole-spices.html


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## dean.collins

Bury the intestines/hide/head etc in a pre-dug hole and plant a tree.

If you have the hole and sapling ready its easy and clean and not wasting anything.


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## Doug Hodges

I took videoes of skinning and cutting up a deer. My electric knife quit so it took a couple minutes longer. Also I can't get photobucket to load them. I'm trying. 


Living the good life


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## Doug Hodges

[ame]http://youtu.be/yfLygGwlN9E[/ame]

See if this works. A big deer takes a lot longer than a buckling or small deer. It's tougher to skin. 


Living the good life


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## ozark_jewels

WildernesFamily said:


> We don't have a "goat recipes" sticky, so I thought I would add this link here since I love lamb curry and chicken curry and this sounds so good!
> 
> Goat curry:
> http://www.indiansimmer.com/2011/11/goat-curry-with-five-whole-spices.html


Oh this looks so good! I cut up a goat haunch yesterday, cooked it up with crushed garlic and olive oil, added it to homemade chili. Oh my gosh. Am never making chili with ground beef again. It was amazing!
Goat chunked into spaghetti is amazing too.


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## Doug Hodges

ozark_jewels said:


> Oh this looks so good! I cut up a goat haunch yesterday, cooked it up with crushed garlic and olive oil, added it to homemade chili. Oh my gosh. Am never making chili with ground beef again. It was amazing!
> Goat chunked into spaghetti is amazing too.



Glad you're back. 


Living the good life


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## ozark_jewels

Doug Hodges said:


> Glad you're back.
> 
> 
> Living the good life


Thanks Doug! I missed all you guys and the internet in general......but you guys the most.
Been a crazy busy October, but we are finally getting some MUCH needed rain so I have a little indoor time.


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## crabtree

We butchered all our small animals(chickens,rabbits,pigs)not big animals like cows.
I have butchered a few deer.
I am looking into growing goats for meat, maybe milk if someone wants to process it.
I would need to butcher 2-3 young goats a year.
I may have the processor cut & wrap them for me.
The cost is about $50.00 each & the FDA will be happy too.


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## punchiepal

Glad you can get a good price where you are.
The shops I contacted it was a minimum of $50 just to kill the animal, doesn't matter a goat or cow, and then around $0.20# hang weight to cut and wrap. Plus, the gas 2x, drop off and pick up. Not worth it for us.


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## RonTgottagoat

Very cool article. Love the tpost gambrel can't beleive ive never seen that used at a deer camp great idea!!!


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## Squeaky McMurdo

Just read through this whole thread. Husband usually does deer and elk and only does the legs, back straps, and tenderloins. Debones it all and removes the fat and striffen before packaging. This will obviously not work with Pygmy wethers because there would be nothing left. Gotta convince him he won't die if there's bones and fat in his meat when it goes in the freezer. Lol.

If I can even convince him to butcher them. He thinks they're cute. I think the brown one is a pain in the butt because he can scale a 5ft cedar fence and doesn't like people so I have to go catch him several times a day (while due to have a baby any day now...) and he hates people but has no fear of them so he would love to kill me with his horns over a bucket of grain. 

I will concede that the black mostly friendly one is cute, but I still want to eat him!


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## Frosted Mini's

Bone in meat is suppose to be healthier anyway.  Goat is GOOD eats.


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## mmwb

A great instructional thread! A couple of considerations. I've butchered goats, lambs, hogs, and dozens of deer/elk/antelope. On your domestic animals; if you remove food for 10 or 12 hours before slaughter, you will find the guts are significantly smaller and pose a much smaller mess if you slip with the knife. 

If you do accidentally cut the bladder or guts and it gets on the meat, hose it off as soon as you can and the meat will be fine. Trust me. All animals (with two exceptions) skin better warm than cooled. The exceptions are hogs and beaver. The later probably won't matter to most, unless your trapping. Hogs are a royal pain to skin. Every square inch must be cut off. I believe that is why they were traditionally scalded and the hair scraped off, rather than skinned. 

While it may not be as important with the very young animals, cutting the meat before rigor has set and released, can lead to tougher meat. The set up and release of rigor mortis lends to a tender meat. It usually takes 3-4 hours for it to set and another 8 to 12 release for a smaller animal like a goat.

I never age any meat. Course grained meat like beef benefits from it in terms of tenderness, but most meats are fine grained and don't need it. After your goat is quartered throw it in a cooler with ice for 12 to 20 hours and then finish butchering. A quick cooling seems to lend to a firmer meat then a slow cooling.

People talk about 'older animals' only being good for sausage and burger are often missing out on some prime cuts. Those of us that hunt big game know that a two, five, even six year old animal can make for great roasts and steaks. I once butchered a cull sow a hog farmer gave me a killer deal on. She was three years old and five hundred pounds (some fantastic monster chops!). She was as tasty and tender as any young butcher hog I've had.


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## mmwb

duplicate


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## mmwb

One more comment on the rigor. I believe it is only a variable if you are cutting across the grain of a muscle. If you are packaging whole 'leg of goat', it won't matter. You can cut the back straps off right away, just wait before cutting them into chops/steaks. You can bone out the meat right away as long as cutting length ways with the muscle and it shouldn't affect tenderness either.


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## Smoke_Adam

Thank you for such an informative article!


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## Hdunc20

Thanks


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## Jimmbo

This will help my wife feel better about my butchering at home. TY


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## hurryiml8

This is an excellent article. I stopped by just to reread it, since I’ve got some that need to go to freezer camp. Great job, Emily!


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## GTX63

Quality OP.
Bump


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