Goat carcass study

One of the goals of the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test is to evaluate and compare carcass characteristics of meat goats consuming a pasture-only diet. This year, nine bucks were selected for harvest.

The bucks were transported from the test site at the University of Maryland’s Western Maryland Research & Education Center to LambCo LLC for humane harvest on October 15.

The carcasses were completely deboned. Fat and lean were separated from the bones, resulting in separate “piles” of bones, fat, and lean, which were weighed to determine carcass percentages.

Next year, the plans to harvest more goats from the test and perhaps incorporate a carcass contest into the performance testing program.

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