[kbluebkeman]

Does anyone on this forum eat Nigerian wethers? I have heard of people that do, but wonder if there is enough meat on them to make it worthwhile?

 

[Texaslass]

I would like to know as well. I'm considering doing that once I have a few, but don't know if it's worthwhile.

 

[ksalvagno]

I put a 100 lb buck in the freezer and got about 18 lbs of ground meat.

It was worthwhile to me because I refuse to send them to auction and just euthanizing him would have cost me more than double what I paid to have him processed.

 

[kbluebkeman]

When you say "buck"....did you leave him intact so that he would grow larger? A breeder I know does her own processing so she doesn't have the cost of that so it makes it more feasible......she also eats her three teated does......she says doe tastes better than wether.....I know that her wethers are used for barbeque a lot.

I have never had a problem finding great homes for my guys.....and it was a buck year for me this year......but you never know. Just want to have my options in place.

 

[ksalvagno]

He was an intact buck. I put him in the freezer because he didn't sell.

 

[TDG-Farms]

intact bucks can taste pretty nasty. Or gamey if you like. Just stay away from the fat on then. As long as wethers and does are feed alfalfa and or grain to finish em out, they taste pretty darn good. Not to far away from what beef tastes like. Use pig fat to make hamburger, not goat fat.

 

[lottsagoats]

My wethers taste closer to venison than beef.

 

[Texaslass]

We once had to butcher an Alpine doe (Long story, don't ask. We wouldn't normally do that:/ ) and the meat was awesome, once I got past gagging every time I thought about it.It tasted like a cross between venison and beef, but a bit more like venison. I loved the taste-I love venison. I can't wait to have goat meat again, but I think it'll be a while- we don't have any "extras" right now.

 

[TDG-Farms]

The more finished they are the more they will taste like beef. Commercial meat just like milk are the result of how they are farmed/prepared. Where I go hunting there are hundreds of thousands of acres of dry land wheat. The deer and elk taken from that area, taste just like beef.

 

[Texaslass]

Interesting!

 

[ThreeHavens]

I harvest my wethers. We got a surprisingly good yield. We feed no grain as we feel it puts them at necessary risk. They get alfalfa pellets and as much hay as they want. Our boys are harvested between 5 and 8 months, depending on their size. The reason we harvest is also because I can't bring myself to sell them at auction. I understand that some people do, but I just can't. I don't want my goats abused, used for rodeos, or neglected. We made the choice that if we cannot find a pet home for all the wethers, it is better for them to have a loved and short life, then a long and painful one.

The meat is very good. We cooked it like deer, but it was so much better than deer. Tender, and sweet. We used in in enchiladas, and we also made sloppy Joe's with it.

 

[Axykatt]

The more finished they are the more they will taste like beef. Commercial meat just like milk are the result of how they are farmed/prepared. Where I go hunting there are hundreds of thousands of acres of dry land wheat. The deer and elk taken from that area, taste just like beef.

You just solved a huge mystery for me!

The venison and wild pork we eat tastes like commercial beef and pork and doesn't have the gaminess or texture you would expect. I never buy meat, and my urban friends are always shocked to learn they are eating game, while my rural friends want to know what my secret is to make my venison taste like beef. Truth is, I'm a city girl and didn't know I needed to do anything, so I just cook it like store meat. Now I know what the difference is between my meat and theirs...

All our game is taken on the cattle farm my husband's father owns! The deer and pigs are eating the same grasses the cattle are being fed. The whole area is small cattle farms, so we're getting really good game because of the diet.

Learn something new every day!

 

[Texaslass]

I harvest my wethers. We got a surprisingly good yield.

How much do they generally weigh when you harvest, and how many pounds of meat does it yield, approximately?

 

[ThreeHavens]

Ahhh, I didn't weight the meat I harvest simply because I can't keep them all, and I can't compromise on home quality. But I remember being pleasantly surprised at the yield, and the taste was out of this world.I THINK he was about 60 lbs ... year old very dairy wether.

 

[Texaslass]

Sounds yummy! I hope baby next year I'll have enough to harvest one or two.I mean, I hate doing it, but I love the meat! Maybe I can convince my family to get a couple of Boers or something.

 

[ThreeHavens]

I was tempted to get a meat goat. Stick a boer in with my Nigerians, haha. :laugh: I had to admit, though, as much as I love the meat, I wouldn't be harvesting them if a good home came along.