Is it better to raise goats for pets or sell for meat?
Image by CUESA
After St. Benoit, we drove to Achadinha Cheese Company in Petaluma, where the Pacheco family raises goats and makes cheese from their milk.
Question by waydude: Is it better to raise goats for pets or sell for meat?
What do you think? Answer below!
21 Responses to Is it better to raise goats for pets or sell for meat?
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Pets most definitely. I have never even heard of goat meat. As far as I know, most people use them for their milk (and they are also very cute).
Cavalia
December 28, 2011 at 4:53 pm
PETS DEFINITELY!!!
dontgetallriledup
December 28, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Pets, cause who eats goat meat nowadays?
rockhererap
December 28, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Pets. Not many people in this country eat goat anymore.
jackrussellgirl2006
December 28, 2011 at 5:49 pm
milk
White Rose
December 28, 2011 at 6:01 pm
I have never eaten goat meat…so I couldn’t tell you but I do know that they stink and often times are pretty mean when they get big…why would you want goats as pets or food? Sheep are the bigger question…they are super sweet, though totally stupid and the meat is much better.
alexajbully
December 28, 2011 at 6:50 pm
I doubt you’ll get your money’s worth if you raise a goat simply for meat. With all the things you need to take care of it, that will most likely exceed the price of whatever meat you can sell.
On the other hand, goats can produce milk, which doesnt require slaughtering the animal to obtain.
stevenxtreme
December 28, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Pets are better not too many like goat meat!
sweetansassywolf
December 28, 2011 at 7:01 pm
sell for meat, very big in some cultures
rocketman9070
December 28, 2011 at 7:41 pm
It’s better to raise female goats for their milk and make cheese with it or sell it to someone who makes cheese.
melius
December 28, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Pets ,I hate goat meat.There milk is also, good.
Mom
December 28, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Many people raise goats for meat and milk. And goats are VERY prolific (they have lots of babies), so unless you want a BUNCH of pets, I’d have to say “sell for meat”.
artistagent116
December 28, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Raise for meat. My grandchildren get big money for livestock at fairs. The best pet goat is a Pygmy
Mary somersfun
December 28, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Pets,def. Some cultures eat goat meat but not many in the U.S. We raise goats for milk and cheese (very good, by the way). We sell some for meat but not enough to make a living.
They’re really good as pets though…
ERad
December 28, 2011 at 9:19 pm
personaly I don’t think goats make good pets for most people
we inherited three ex champion show goats from friends who didn’t want to have them killed but who needed the space and resources for new goats to show
well to cut a long story short the goats are stuborn, noisy and spoiled like some pampered dog but they don’t give you much back, they arent exactly affectionate
vulpes
December 28, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Hey i would raise the goat and sell it for meat. Because that’s what I do. I have 4 female and 1 male and we are going to raise and sell the babies.
And you don’t want a goat for a pet because they use the bathroom every were and they will climb all over your vehicles.
losers_ru
December 28, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Sell for meat of course. You like money don’t you? Just get a cat or dog for a pet instead of dumb goats.
I answer like a stupid moron
December 28, 2011 at 11:29 pm
There is very in the way of a market for pet goats. People who keep dairy goats always breed their own to keep producing milk. At least there are always people out there who want to eat goat (goes well in a curry).
iceni
December 28, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Boer goats are in big demand for thier meat in the US, its not the US citizens who eat them but the people from other countries, like mexico. Goats are even stolen off farms for thier meat! There are the meat breeds of goats and the dairy goat breeds and also the fiber breeds, most you hear of are the dairy breeds . There are more and more meat goat ranches starting up yearly due to the demand for the meat, also zoos buy a large amount of goat meat to feed to the carnivores, like the big cats. (they also buy horse meat !)
You can type in Boer goats on google , and check out that breed of meat goat, some of the sites will give you a lot of info such as the number of goats slaughtered in the US and all.
I personally had 40 + PET goats, never milked them much nor did anything with them but play with them and enjoy them. Most intelligent animals i have ever had, will learn almost anything you take the time to teach them and the girl goats do not have any smell if kept properly–they hate rain and water, but if they do get wet, do not have a stinky odor (like wet dog smell ).. and the babies are adorable ! Goats come in sizes from the Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy , both ‘miniature’ breeds, the ND is the dairy type and the Pygmy is the meat type (altho i can not imagine anyone eating such a cute small animal!), up to the Nubians who can get quite large, my biggest mubie was a 350 pound wether who was housebroken and totally spoiled. His little brother was only 300 pounds. To me, after dealing with goats and having them as pets for a few years, eating one would be like eating a dog or cat! They are loving creatures and will follow you just like a dog, try to protect you from strangers,, and will make you laugh daily when they are out playing as they act like fools at times! If a person wants a pet goat but wants some type of income from the goat,without hurting the goat, the fiber goats, like the pygora,are the way to go! even with dairy goats, you have to breed them to have milk and half the kids are gonna be boys, and probably 90 percent of those end up going to slaughter! With the fiber goats, you just shear them twice a year and thats it! I had a goat sanctuary and within a year had 20 goats given to me , and i bought a few to keep them from going to slaughter… I would love to have fiber goats but with all the ones out there who need homes… will more than likely just get ‘culls’ (does who did not give enuff milk, or boy goats that no one wants) to save them from slaughter.
leisagayle2004
December 28, 2011 at 11:57 pm
I own goats and it depends what goat you get there is dairy goats for milk boer goats for meat and angora goats for fleece! Unless you decided to own a farm with many goats you will find that selling the meat wont work because one you arnt an offical stud with high quality meat and there are so many boer goats out there that most are turned down because they are not good quality or you would get hardly any money for them. I have had experience with this and by the time you have fed them until they have grown enough for you to sell them you will be in debt even after you sell them so you might as well keep them and breed them. And i do say that goats are so smart and ill put it this way oce a goat has a collar and name they are part of the family. I hope this helps you
bedazzled_goat
December 29, 2011 at 12:40 am
Well I would say that just depends on what you are trying to do, if you get a goat for a pet, like any other animal you have to feed n water it everyday, and take care of it, if u are trying to make a living sell it.. I live on a farm, and we dont raise goats, but we have some we buy, and we keep nothing for pets, this is how we make our living, selling animals like sheep n goats… we have 6 dogs, we keep for pets, but it is simple if u want a pet keep it if u want to make money sell it
Kimmy
December 29, 2011 at 1:04 am