[Azzdodd]

I've been offered 2 Sannan wethers 6 months old for £30 each I have wanted to try goats for meat for a while! Is there going too be enough size on them to make it worth while? If so around what age do they get sent off I'll have lambs gonng off December time ideally like then to go off them

[Anke]

We normally leave our British Toggenburg wethers until they are between 8 and 10 months old. The last lot killed out at 24.7, 24.2 and 22.7kgs respectively, they were 10 months old and just becoming a real nuisance....

Goats are probably a bit more expensive to rear (as they don't do outside grazing if it is wet) and will need concentrate to help finish them, but the meat is incredibly tender when cooked right. Ours were hang for 10 days.

Saanens may not get quite so big, but I would try it. You will need a shed or similar, and they will need hay when inside, I wouldn't worry too much  about goat specific food and feed them on lamb/sheep mix, plus if you can collect lots of branches for them - hazel, willow, some ash they will love you even more.

I am surprised someone is selling them for 30 per head at 6 months - it cost them more to rear them for sure!

[Azzdodd]

They buy them in for pennies and they are bottle reared they run a petting zoo when they get to that ages there no food as the cute factor for kids lol! I have had goats before were a pleasure too keep apart from your escaping all the time ha I have a big stable etc

[Anke]

But if they are six months now they will be well over a year old by next December. If they are castrated that doesn't matter, but I would guess they will be a handful (or two) to look after this summer... They will also be quite fat given that they are wethers.

If you can have the meat hung somewhere professionally than slaughter anytime will be fine, but I would definitely make sure they hang for a week at least.

Goat meat doesn't have the marbled kind of meat that cattle or some of the traditional sheep breeds have, the fat is stored mainly in the body cavity - around the kidneys for example (and you can normally see this on the carcass). So for roasting it will need marinating and I also roast under cover, with a good bottle of cheap red wine in the bottom of the tin (also used for marinating).

[Lesley Silvester]

I had a Saanen x BA slaughtered at 20 months. Plenty of meat but it is fairly tough and needs long, slow cooking. The next one is going at 8 - 10 months.