How to Raise Goat Meat for Profit

Build facilities. For a profitable meat goat business, the goats must have adequate facilities to create an environment that they sense will support their offspring. Compared to other livestock ventures, goats are a relatively low-cost, low-maintenance venture. Goats thrive on brush, kudzu and poison ivy, according to Hobby Farms.com. Besides preferring browse to prime grass, six to eight goats flourish on the hay and concentrates needed to nourish a single cow or horse. Their pasture can be supplemented with hay and concentrated feed. Their pasture is best when filled with low maintenance, wild growing plants and goats can even thrive in places that receive little rainfall. Likewise, their housing needs also are modest. They need a shelter that will provide a dry, draft-free retreat. A simple fence of barbed or electric wire will keep goats from wandering, while a few climbing toys will provide exercise as well as entertainment.

Purchase goats. Expensive, pure-bred goats are not necessarily the key to a successful goat farming operation. A moderately priced mixed meat breed such as the Boer, Kiko, Tennessee meat goat or Texmaster will do fine. A majority of your start-up budget should be spent on a high-quality buck or male goat. Likewise, you also should purchase some does to begin operation. Look for goats that, from the top view, are rectangular in shape with wide, muscular hind quarters. These animals will be the genetic basis of your herd.

What's important in a commercial program is producing fast-growing, meaty kids tailored to supply a given market. To show a healthy profit, you've got to take care of your commercial breeding stock and keep it healthy, but not spend a lot of money doing it.

Market your goats. Marketing is the key to a profitable meat goat operation. Some producers cater to a niche market such as organic goat producers. They target restaurants, grocery stores and meat markets that cater to these health-conscious consumers. Others sell commercially as part of a marketing co-op or directly to the consumer. Some farmers make a name for their operation by participating in breeder and stock shows.

Begin a reproduction program. Another factor that will greatly influence the profitability of a goat operation is the effectiveness of the reproduction program. It will have a direct effect of how many pounds of meat will be available for sale when it is time to go to market. Reproduction should be a concern year-round, not just during kidding season. It is important to keep your bucks and does in excellent health and be sure they are getting adequate nutrition. Another key to a successful reproduction program is selecting females that would make excellent mothers that want to care for their young and have good udders. Select males that would produce a high number of high-quality offspring. Some meat goat operations select for the number of offspring a mother may have, such as triplets or even quadruplets. This makes a more labor intensive operation, however, since some of the young will have to be bottle fed.