[Stereo]

I'm a 'new entrant' to farming although I grew up on a 300 acre dairy / beef / arable farm and have done all the milking / tractor driving etc. I never really paid much attention as it didn't grab me, at least not the way we did things in the 70s / 80s. Now I have 50 acres of that farm left and it's mine, I want back in at the age of 41.

So, I have this one field, out on it's own, full of volcanic rocks (big ones) and all around those rocks are brambles. Over the years, my family has spent time and money mechanically clearing it, only to find 10 years later that it's taken over again. I'm split between thinking it's a great asset to the wildlife with all the berries and shelter but also the brambles take up a lot of grazing land.

So, I'm thinking the best thing would be goats to keep it in check and if they don't eat too much grass, it could be some conserved forage for cattle over winter. I'm not interested in milking at all, been there and done that with 200 cows and have the (smelly) T Shirt to boot. I'm interested in meat breeds with a view to providing a niche product locally.

So, what should I be looking for? Pick up some cheap locally and go from there? Find a good breeder and get a starter flock off them? Which breeds are best?  Thanks in advance.

[Anke]

Read through the British Boer goat society webpages and there are now books, I think there is a Storey's guide to meat goats (but it's American, so you may want to see if your local library has it or you can pick up a cheap copy somewhere).
 
Basically goats will need a shed/stable overnight and a day-time shelter (if shed is away from the grazing area) for when it is wet. If you want to get to good weights fairly quickly you will need to feed a supplement/concentrates (don't know how much I have dairy goats) and also will need good fences, preferably electric topwire.
 
There are meat goat breeders on this forum, so someone will be more knowledgeable than me.

[katie]

I'd go for a good breeder. As the saying goes, poor animals eat as much as good ones (or something like that) and if you don't want to go buying ion problems from the start.

[fifixx]

Hi - if you need any help with the meat side, send me  a pm...

Storey's book is great - am reading it at the moment, £10 on ebay

Plus, brilliant help here too.

Goats just don't behave themselves and get up to all sorts of mischief, it's usually a miracle if they are all in the correct fields!

[Lesley Silvester]

Boers are the accepted meat goats. I have a boer x and she is strong so pushing through brambles to get to the good bits shouldn't be a problem. They are also very stocky so plenty of meat. I agree that you would need to supplement their feed with concentrates to build them up.


I would find a breeder and get decent stock, especially if you intend selling the meat (there's a good market for goats' meat these days). The British Boer Goats Society, as Anke says, is the place to start.

[cuckoo]

If you want a meat breed then the Boer is the one for you.  If you want commercial meat production then a 100% male crossed with dairy or 50% females will produce kids with a good carcass for meat.  Check out the British Boer Goat Society website for details - they have a buyers guide and stock for sale pages.  take the time to visit different breeders. I am in east Yorks if you are near?? We have 36 ranging from pures to 50% if you are local? otherwise see members list on website and contact someone local to you.
You will be able to buy does in kid - which would be a way to start - if your interest is purely meat then they need not be registered.
Feel free to ask any questions.  Storeys book good but I would strongly recommend the Matthews Goat Vet book as give loads of husbadnry information too.
It is the BBGS AGM in October - there will be a talk on the Boer Goat and other things - see website for details

[Stereo]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm way down in the South West. I'll have a look at the Boers.