Goat Slaughtering

[elizabethbinary]

After I told my mother in law I slaughtered my first chicken (which BY THE WAY I think I just earned my farmin inlaws respect for the rest of my life!! Yeah, I'm the cool daugher in law!) she got excited and said to me:

"Can you do the goats next??!"


... she said if I kill two goats for her, I can take an entire goat's worth of meat/offal with me in return for doing the deed. Two young yearlings (is yearling used to refer to goats? anyway you get what I mean).

Just how hard is it (mentally as well) to slaughter a goat? I mean - a whole goat for the job of offing two! Seems like a sweet deal to me.... I could feel my family for a year off one whole goat! (only two of us)

How do you do it? Could you do it?

Edit: FEED! I could FEED my family for a year. Not feel them!!!

 

[dutchhollow]

Some shoot them in the head, some cut their neck. Let me look around, I have a book with details and I am sure they can be found online. No harder then skinning and cleaning a small deer. That said, feeding the family for a year isn't going to happen, goats dress around 50% for a meat goat, little less probably for a dairy type goat. My yearling meat goats go about 100-150, so 50 to 75 lbs of meat. But still it is a good deal if you can do it.

 

[elizabethbinary]

Quote:
I exaggerate for effect.

That being said, I think they'd rather I slit it's neck but I can shoot it, I have those tools as well. As for 'no harder trhan skinning or cleaning a small deer'.... I've only ever killed a chicken and I did that two days ago. So, still lost.

50-75 pounds of meat for two people for free is still a great deal.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

I think Storys Guide To Raising Goats might have the info you would need. There is another book that I know has good detailed instructions but I can't remember which one. Sorry. Do you have a library you could check for the book?
A big difference with goats is that like cattle the meat should age a couple days. So after you get it skinned and gutted you let them hang in a cooler.

 

[elizabethbinary]

Quote:
Oh thank you yes I will see if I can get that book! I knew the meat needed to hang and the farm has a cooler and all the hooks and tools, I just don't know *how* to do it all, y'know? But I have nothing better to do today than check the library, thank you!

 

[redhen]

Gah... i know that i could never do it.
I could a chicken, if i had to.
But a goat, no way. Its a totally different thing. And they dont die as quick as a chicken either. *shivers*

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Have you dressed a deer? If so you are set. They are very much alike. I agree that aging for a few days helps the flavor and makes it a bit more tender but we've whole goat BBQ'd them an hour after dressing too. Great both ways.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

I took my goat to the processor last Wed. Because we are not set up to do a larger animal yet. They electrocute the. I know that isn't possible but I thought it was interesting. I get to pick the meat up this Wed.
Another company I was looking into severed the spine at the cervical vertebrae. One quick slice with a knife and it was done.

Edited spelling. I swear I can't spell.

 

[elizabethbinary]

I haven't done anything with anything other than chickens. Deer aren't really a common thing here anyway and quite illegal to kill in most places.

They will most likely hang two days and then I'll help break them apart and take my half home!

 

[Wild Trapper]

Goat meat is maybe my favorite meat, next to some fish.

I haven't done it in a while, but I recommend shooting it in the head, from behind if possible, that way the bullet goes right to the brain, done right they will drop like a shot. Then I like to gut them out and that can be done on the ground or hanging just do it right away. Oh, slitting the throat helps them bleed out better. Once you have the insides out you can hose it out, hang it up and remove the hide. From there you are ready to let it age and finish draining out if it is not too cold or hot. If it is too warm, I recommend refrigerating it in chunks, cutting up after it is chilled. If too cold you might be able to let it hang overnight and then chunking it up to cut up as you want.

I know that is the short version, but you might even find some helpful information at the county extension service. I got a real nice book from the extension service one time on butchering my pig. It even went into the different cuts you can get off the pig. I've found info on chicken health there too. Don't know if they might have some pointers on goats or not. I always did them basically the same as I did deer, but I had a big brother to show me how to do that.