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Pasture vs. Feed Lot Rearing of
Meat Goats |
by Niki Whitley
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University of Maryland
Eastern Shore |
Last year was a good
year for goat internal parasites (worms) and thus
a bad year for goats grazing pastures with little
pasture rotation available. It was a year that grain-fed
“feedlot” goats (not grazing pasture)
not only grew faster but also were cheaper to raise. |
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At UMES,
because we were conducting a sheep study last summer,
we saved our rotation pastures to use for the lamb
rotation, so we could not rotate the grazing kids.
We de-wormed with Cydectin at weaning (2 months of
age) and again about a month later. Starting at around
4 months of age, a graduate student wanted to start
a study giving all natural probiotics in feedlot rations
compared with no probiotics in the feed. All the kids
were de-wormed with Cydectin at 4 months of age. Two-thirds
of the kids were put into the study getting only grain
with no pasture or hay (50-100% Boer) and the other
third (mostly 75-100% Boer) were left on pasture.
Only wethers and does were used in the feeding study
and only does were housed together in pasture (no
wethers to compare), so the results presented here
are only for doe kids. |
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The goats on pasture were
supplemented with 1-2 lb of grain (1 lb for a month
and then 2 lb) and ½ lb of hay per goat per
day starting at around 5 months of age and were de-wormed
approximately every 4 weeks (Cydectin and Valbazen-for
tapeworms) until removed from pasture (7 months of
age) and were de-wormed when removed from pasture.
Overall, kids on the feedlot trial were de-wormed
around 3 times with Cydectin and the ones on pasture
were de-wormed 6 times (3 times with Cydectin and
3 times with Cydectin and Valbazen). The hay and grain/feed
cost around $.09/lb for either one, and de-worming
costing around $.50/goat for Cydectin and $.25/goat
for Valbazen, the overall cost of raising the pasture
goats just during the 3-month period was $13.55/goat
and the cost of raising the feedlot goats was $16.70/goat
(not counting labor, utilities, etc.). |
Over the whole life of
the goat, the pasture goats gained around .19 lb/day
and the goats on the feeding study gained .25 lb/day.
Over the 3 month period, that would be 17.1 lb/goat
for pasture (or $.79/lb of gain) compared to 22.5
lb/goat or $.74/lb of gain). It would be even cheaper
for the feedlot goats if only the average daily gain
for the 3-month period could be calculated, but we
only have that for the feeding study goats. |
Neither one of these
costs is really low and if we expect $1/lb return,
we still would only have around $.21/lb “profit”
for the pasture raised goats and $.26/lb “profit”
for the feedlot type goats, not including labor and
other expenses. However, in a slaughter market, we
would expect a greater return on the larger, fatter
grain-fed goats compared to those raised on pasture
which would make the feedlot feeding even more profitable. |
| A couple of things about this little non-formal
comparison is that most of the high percent Boer doe
kids were raised on pasture. Thinking that Boer goats
grow better than other breeds, one might say that the
pasture goats had an advantage in that. But some studies
say that Boer goats grow better with high nutrition
but equal to other breeds with moderate to lower nutrition
so they probably did not have an advantage. |
| Looking at the goats on the feeding study,
they all look much fatter and sleeker than the pasture
goats and weigh 10-15 lb heavier. They also seem to
“play” more and are “friendlier”
toward people. With all this information, I know I will
seriously re-evaluate our feeding regimes when lack
of pasture rotation and a wet summer come along at the
same time again. |
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