| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| nanny |
Posted - Oct 10 2010 : 04:54:46 AM
hello ladies , my last of 5 kids has just started school and i am ready to get to work , we have a 100 acre farm in ontario canada and am cosidering getting into meat goats for profit , do any of you have advice and info on getting started ,would appreciate any!! really hoping to stay home on my farm to help with the family income |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Rejena |
Posted - Oct 11 2010 : 3:01:45 PM
Violet Acres Farm...kid run boer goat farm
Hi there ladies. We are an upstart farm that is raising Boer Goats, chickens, and ducks for meat and eggs. Our children are running the farm as part of their homeschooling experience, but most of the "business work" is laid on me.
We have 16 goats right now and 5 are about to kid any day now. That means we could have upwards of 26 goats by the end of the month. Another batch is bred to kid in February. Depending on the sex of each kid, we will be setting our farm limit of "herd" at about 45 does and 2-3 bucks.
My husband was a fulltime shepherd out of high school before /while he became an accountant with over 100 head of Dorset sheep on this property, but he had a border collie dog to assist and a strong 18 year olds back....neither do I have anymore!
We have learned SO MUCH! It is incredible what these goats can do, get into, cause you to stress about, make you stretch yourselves and more. I have enjoyed all the hard learning we've gone through because I know my kids are VERY AWARE of where and how their food comes from and is grown. We are going grass-fed as much as possible, it is cheaper and healthier for our animals.
By next summer, we will have 2 locations where our animals will be staged. It is a big step in the process and a big committment of our lives, but so worth it. I love caprine and I know it is a healthier option for our environment and our bodies. We suppliment with beef, farm-raised chicken and duck and the deer my husband and son will hunt for in November. It is a joyous existence...
Anyhow... I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GOATS! But, I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND a strong portable net-electric fencing be purchased and installed BEFORE your goats ever arrive. This is actually the one thing on my Christmas list for this year....more electro-net and another charger!
Rejena
Farmgirl 2059
www.violetacresfarm.com
"Kid Run Boer Goat Farm" |
| sherrye |
Posted - Oct 10 2010 : 08:16:18 AM
welcome cyndy, i have 2 meat goats right now to butcher. one of our isdeas is to make goat jerky. stores easy with out refridge. i would so like to have more land. what i could do wow. i am like kris i have 3 acres and my neighbors land to use. i am diversified like kris. i sell a little of everything we eat and make. juat a thought. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Oct 10 2010 : 07:04:44 AM
Hi Cyndy. I had some meat goats a few years back. I also had sheep. I was thinking I could make money off the goats with the ethnic community here. But they wanted sheep. Not goats. So I sold the goats and had sheep a few years. I want more sheep now. I think there is a better market for sheep meat where I am. So all this to say you should see what the people are buying more of where you live. You might think goats will be a good money maker but people are wanting something else.
Wth 100 acres, you could go with several different animals. What a good thing to do ishave cows, sheep, goats and chickens and turkeys. And section off several different pastures. You rotate the animals starting with the cows. Then when you move the cows out the sheep move in to eat what the cows don't eat. Then the chickens come in to eat all the cow and sheep manure that might have paritsites in it. You should go look up Polyface Farms in W. Virginia. That's what Joel Salatin does. But you have to time all that right. He is a very smart man. He has a very diverse farm and it really works.
So you have so many ways you could go with this. Meat chickens are a very quick investment where the goats or cows could take a few years to get started. You could have the meat chickens to get you going while you are waiting on the other animals.
Good luck. Please let us know how it goes for you. I am always interested in this type of farming. I only have 3 acres with a borrowed pasture next door for my cowgirls.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Dorinda |
Posted - Oct 10 2010 : 06:22:11 AM
Hi Cyndy,
I'm in the same boat. I have been thinking of doing the same thing. I did buy my first cow and calf back in April. Thinking I might start out with making a profit from some cows. But here lately I have been thinking about raising some goats. Not sure which way to go. I wish I could be of some help. Don't know much about goats.
Seize The Day!
Dorinda |
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