# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Livestock and Animal Husbandry >  Goats and Sheep...

## LeaveThisLifeGuy

i've haven't killed and cleaned an animal in probably over twenty years, and twenty years ago it was a deer.  i wanted to know just how much meat is on a sheep or goat.  assuming you smoke some, jerkify some, and freeze some, how long, or how many meals could one goat or one sheep provide for a family of three people?

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## LeaveThisLifeGuy

i guess nobody eats goat n sheep around here... shame, really.  i saw two goat "bucklings" on craigslist for $150.

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## crashdive123

Give it time LTLG.  Kind of like hunting.  Those with experience in the area you are seeking knowledge will come along and the BAM!!!! answers will be plentiful.  .......or if you prefer I could make something up and try and pass it off as if I knew what I was talking about. :Big Grin:

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## nell67

Just bought 2 doe kids for $40  each. The meat is similar to deer IMO.

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## RBB

A friend has sheep and "fainting" goats.  Fainting goats are bred to faint when startled.  I could ask her how much meat on the goats, but I don't think she gets a chance to eat many.  She spins her own yarn from the sheep wool and the fainting goats are just there for the wolves.  When the wolves show up, the sheep run, the goats faint, and the wolves eat the goats instead of the sheep.

A while back, one of the county workers was driving by in a truck.  Truck backfired and all the goats fainted.  The fella came to the door, hat in hand, and said, "Ma'am, I don't know exactly what I did, but I think I just killed all your goats."

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## nell67

Depends on the goat you get as well,you have dairy goats,and you have meat goats,which have considerably more meat than the dairy breeds,a good meat breed to look for,is Boer goats which is what I just bought.

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## crashdive123

LTLG - Here's some info on raising meat goats http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/meatgoat.html  Looks like about 200lbs per.

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## Pict

I have a pet goat, but things haven't gotten bad enough for me to think of her as livestock.  The next time she jumps up on my car I'll let you know.  Mac

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## crashdive123

Pict - You can do an instructional vid on goat skinning.  Or car body repair if the family disagrees.

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## LeaveThisLifeGuy

> LTLG - Here's some info on raising meat goats http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/meatgoat.html  Looks like about 200lbs per.


wow, thanks!  that's a lot of rancher lingo, but a lot of good information :Smile:

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## LeaveThisLifeGuy

> Just bought 2 doe kids for $40  each. The meat is similar to deer IMO.


i read that most holidays use kids.  do people not eat adult goats?  is the taste much different?

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## bourne

When we had our angora buck (may 3-4 years old) butchered, I had almost all the meat turned into burger since it was very lean.  We did have some "lamb"/goat chops and a couple of leg roasts as well.  I'd say maybe we had 45-60 lbs of meat from a 150 lb goat.  It's been a while, so I've forgotten the details exactly.  The meat didn't totally fill up our freezer or anything.  

We've sold bucklings for ethnic Easter dinners - between $25 and $40 each depending on how old.

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## Rick

Thanks for the info bourne. How about grinding your way over to the Introduction section and tell a bit about yourself.

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## wildWoman

Oh...I thought you meant wild goats and was just going to say that one mountain goat would feed 3 people for maybe 1-2 months, depending on how much meat you eat...Guess if you get milk goats, you have to keep them kidding in order to have milk, so you could slaughter the kids once they're a certain size. That would keep you in both milk and meat.

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## Pict

> Pict - You can do an instructional vid on goat skinning.  Or car body repair if the family disagrees.


I actually like the goat, car not withstanding.  She comes when you call her and insists on fake head butting me when I come home.  They are totally unlike dogs, though she runs with my two pit bulls like she's part of the pack.  They even sleep all snuggled up, its kind of wierd. 

I am hoping to do a deer butchering video if I get the chance this year.  Mac

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## wareagle69

that would be great pict- a skill i do not have would love to see other than reading

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## Sam Reeves

We bought a goat to butcher. (I assume it's done just like a deer) But we (I) got attached to it and kept it around. I had him tied off to eat the undergrowth and a Husky came along and chewed him up so bad we had to put him down. 

The good thing about him was that he would eat anything. The bad thing about him was that he would eat anything.

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## Pict

Sam,

I have a 1000 square meter walled property here.  I bought the goat to eat weeds but she's a high class high maintenence type goat who only eats ornamental shrubs.  She won't touch a weed until I start cutting them down, then she eats as many as she can stuff in her gut before I kill them all.  That's evil.  Mac

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## Sam Reeves

> Sam,
> 
> I have a 1000 square meter walled property here.  I bought the goat to eat weeds but she's a high class high maintenence type goat who only eats ornamental shrubs.  She won't touch a weed until I start cutting them down, then she eats as many as she can stuff in her gut before I kill them all.  That's evil.  Mac


I might know how to cure that.
http://www.jackmauldin.com/goat_recipes.htm

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## dragonjimm

i'd rather skin goats or sheep then pigs....i've heard its better to pen either animal up and feed them corn for a week or so before you put them in the freezer also what little bit experience i've had cooking mutton wasnt real good i'd stick to goat or alpaca, a goat that can spit.

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## klkak

> I'd rather skin goats or sheep then pigs....I've heard its better to pen either animal up and feed them corn for a week or so before you put them in the freezer also what little bit experience i've had cooking mutton wasn't real good I'd stick to goat or alpaca, a goat that can spit.


Skinning a pig is a pain in the ***. It is better to dunk a pig in boiling water and scrape the hair off.

Mutton is kinda strong. We always butchered our sheep and goats when they were 6-9 months old. Makes for much better tasting meat. We raised black faced sheep (suffolk). They seem to have more meat on them and were better tasting.

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## DOGMAN

I've never skinned a domestic goat, but a mountain goat has a really, really thick goat and is much more of a chore than skinning a deer. They seem to dull knives faster than about anything I have ever caped out. They make beautiful mounts though if there in good condition.  Bighorn sheep are very similar to skinning out as deer their hides aren't as thick as a mountain goat. Bighorn sheep are incredible table fair very tasty meat- perhaps my favorite game animal to eat.
I have never skinned a pig, but I imagine that they look like a human once you get their hide off. I have skinned alot of black bears, and they look like a fat naked guy once you get the hide off. eeirly similar to humans in fact.  For a couple of years I collected fresh road kill and fed it to my sled dogs so I have pretty much skinned about everything around here.

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## dragonjimm

i agree with you there. I have only boiled hogs one time and we did twelve that day each one between 250 and 350 lbs 
couldn't eat ham for a month and then had to close my eyes to eat bacon.....

the few i have skinned were in the 100lb range

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## Rick

Jason - Just how many guys have you skinned out? :EEK!:

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## DOGMAN

Dang, caught again in a web of deception. Alright, alright....I admit, I haven't skinned everything around here.

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## Rick

But, but, you said a bear looks just like a fat guy when it's skinned out. I mean, yikes!

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## DOGMAN

Dang man, were you and English professor. LOL
I should have said, "A skinned bear, looks alot like Rick in his powered by bacon thong!"

*ok, ok, I took down the pic.*

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## wildWoman

oooh man Jason, now you really turned me off venturing among people again!

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## crashdive123

There goes another thread.

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## dragonjimm

my eyes...my eyes...

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## Rick

I get into trouble and I don't even do anything.

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## nell67

Someone,ban that picture PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

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## Alpine_Sapper

> Someone,ban that picture PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!


... +1 ...

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## DOGMAN

*THis thread is back open for discussion.  Rick's tasteless photo has been removed*

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## Gray Wolf

Just remember

One mans sheep, is another mans prom date...  :Big Grin:

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## DOGMAN

we have a saying here in MAntana.

Montana- were the men are men, and the sheep are scared!

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