How to Raise Meat Goats in Confinement

Meat goats are not overwhelmingly difficult to raise, but producing healthy, heavy goats on a small plot does present a challenge. Goats are ruminants and, in an open pasture, spend the majority of their waking hours wandering and grazing. In confinement, however, goats can become bored and turn their grazing habits into destructive pawing and chewing. Keeping your herd stimulated and busy is key to successfully raising meat goats in confinement.

Things You'll Need

  • Pelleted goat grower feed
  • Feed tubs
  • Hay
  • Hay bags
  • 2, 100-gallon water troughs
  • Whole cottonseed
  • Mineral blocks
  • Fresh greens
  • Rake
  • Scoop shovel
  • Garbage bags
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the goats in a secure barn or shed with a small, attached pen. Goats may be hardy animals, but they still need protection from the elements to thrive. Remove all tree limbs and logs from the pen, and make sure there are no sharp, protruding edges along the fence line.

    • 2

      Vaccinate and worm the meat goats for optimal health and weight gain. Vaccinate the herd once a year against tetanus and enterotoxemia, and worm each animal with a paste wormer every eight weeks. Follow the directions on the worming tube for proper dosage for each goat.

    • 3

      Keep two, 100-gallon water troughs filled at all times inside the pen. The average adult meat goat can drink as much as 1 1/2 gallons of water per day. Dump and scrub the troughs once a week to fight algae growth and keep the water clear.

    • 4

      Provide a pelleted growth feed supplemented with clean hay. Goat grower is packed with protein that stimulates lean muscle production, resulting in heavier goats on market day. Feed each goat approximately 1 1/2 pounds of pelleted feed per day, spread on the bottom of a shallow feed pan. Fill a few hay bags with clean, fresh hay and tie them along the top fence rails around the pen. Distributing the hay around the pen rather than feeding in one area keeps the goats moving and busy to prevent boredom.

    • 5

      Supplement the herd's diet with pure cottonseed and mineral blocks. Cottonseed is full of fats and oils that increase energy and encourage muscle development, while mineral blocks provide vital nutrients the goats might be missing from not being allowed to graze. Mix 1/4 pound of cottonseed per goat in with the pelleted feed, stirring vigorously with your hands to keep the goats from picking out the seeds. Add a mineral block to the pen, replacing it as necessary.

    • 6

      Scatter a few handfuls of fresh greens around the pen each morning. Lettuce, celery tops and even a few grass clippings provide your meat goats with variety and stimulation. If you notice any fighting over fresh greens, feed them to each goat by hand to eliminate dominance issues.

    • 7

      Clean up spilled food and feces every three or four days. Confining your herd means that feces will pile up faster than if your herd is allowed to roam, so frequent cleaning is vital to stemming parasite infestations. Rake the entire pen, and scoop feces into garbage bags for disposal.