The Backyard Homestead

by Carleen Madigan

  • its plumage is bright and hard looking, and it feels smooth when stroked

  • you see no pinfeathers when you ruffle its feathers against the grain

  • it has no downy patches along the breastbone or around the vent

  When all of these signs are right, a duck or goose is ready to be butchered. If you are doing your own butchering for the first time, have an experienced person guide you, or refer to a good book (see Recommended Reading, page 338). If you don’t want to do your own butchering, you might find a custom slaughterer willing to handle ducks and geese. Alternatively, a fellow backyard waterfowl keeper or a hunter might be willing to kill and pluck your ducks or geese for a small fee. If not having to kill your own waterfowl is important to you, determine before you start whether or not someone in your area can do it instead.

  Storing the Meat

  Freshly butchered duck or goose must be aged in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours before being cooked. If you’re not going to use it within the next three days, freeze it after the aging period until you’re ready to cook it. To avoid freezer burn, use freezer storage bags. Most ducks will fit in the 1-gallon size. A Muscovy female should fit in the 2-gallon size. Geese and Muscovy males should fit in the 5-gallon size. Remove as much air from the bag as you can by pressing it out with your hands or by using a homesteader’s vacuum device designed for that purpose. Properly sealed and stored at a temperature of 0°F (-18°C) or below, duck and goose meat may be kept frozen for six months with no loss of quality. To thaw a frozen goose or duck before roasting, keep it in the refrigerator for two hours per pound.

  A whole duck or goose takes up a lot of freezer space. Unless you intend to stuff and roast the bird, you can save space by halving or quartering it, or filleting the breasts and cutting up the rest. Muscovy breast makes an exceptionally fine cut and is the most like red meat of any waterfowl. After removing the fillets, you might package the hindquarters for roasting or barbecuing and boil the rest for soup. A great use for excess Muscovy and goose meat is sausage. Small amounts may easily be made into sausage patties, whereas larger amounts might be stuffed into links.

  Roasted to Perfection

  Properly prepared, a home-grown duck or goose should not be greasy. Although ducks and geese have a lot of fat, the meat itself is pretty lean. All the fat is either just under the skin or near one of the two openings, where it may be easily pulled away by hand.

  Proper roasting begins by putting the meat on a rack to keep it out of the pan drippings while the bird roasts. Remove any fat from the cavity and neck openings, and stuff the bird or rub salt inside. Rub the skin with a fresh lemon and then sprinkle with salt. Pierce the skin all over with a meat fork, knife tip, or skewer, taking care not to pierce into the meat. Your goal in piercing is to give the fat a way out through the skin as it melts during roasting. This melted fat will baste the bird as it drips off; no other basting is required. Do not cover the duck or goose with foil during roasting as you would a turkey.

  Cooking Methods

  The most suitable method of cooking a duck or goose depends on its tenderness, which in turn depends on its age. Fast dry-heat methods, such as roasting, broiling, frying, and barbecuing, are suitable for young, tender birds; slow moist-heat cooking methods, such as pressure cooking and making a fricassee, soup, or stew, are required for older, tougher birds.

  Slow roasting keeps the meat moist. Roast a whole duck at 250°F (121°C) for 3 hours with the breast side down, then for another 45 minutes with the breast up. Roast a goose at 325°F (163°C) for 1½ hours with the breast side down, plus 1½ hours breast up, then increase the temperature to 400°F (204°C) for another 15 minutes to crisp the skin.

  Because not all birds are the same size and not all ovens work the same way, the first time around, keep an eye on things to avoid overcooking your meat, which will make it tough and stringy. Once you settle on the correct time range for birds of the size you raise, you can roast by the clock in the future.

  When the meat is done, it should be just cooked through and still juicy. You can tell it’s done when the leg joints move freely, a knife stabbed into a joint releases juices that flow pink but not bloody, and the meat itself is just barely pinkish. To keep the meat nice and moist, before you carve the bird let it stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to lock in the juices. During this time, residual heat will cook away any remaining pink. Duck or goose does not have light and dark meat like a chicken or turkey; rather, it is all succulent dark meat.

  Properly prepared, a homegrown duck or goose should not be greasy. Although ducks and geese have a lot of fat, the meat itself is pretty lean.

  CHAPTER 6

  Meat and Dairy

  Perhaps the final step in completing a backyard homestead is the addition of animals for milk and meat. Surprisingly, it takes very little space to get started with raising your own meat. Although they’re most often thought of as pets, rabbits are the easiest and most efficient way to produce meat in a small space. An ordinary backyard can easily accommodate two pigs (provided the neighbors don’t mind and your town ordinances allow it), and with a quarter acre of open yard or pasture, your family could keep a couple of goats for milk or meat. You’ll need a bit more space (at least half an acre) if you’re interested in keeping a cow.

  If you have the land and desire to keep animals, one way to start is with a short-term commitment. Try buying a young steer or a couple of pigs to raise for the spring and summer, then take to slaughter in late fall. This way, you can see how caring for an animal suits your lifestyle before you dive in to a years-long commitment with dairy goats or cows. And if, after you’ve had your steer for the summer, you decide that raising animals isn’t for you, you won’t be stuck trying to find a home for it.

  Even if you don’t intend to keep livestock at all, this chapter contains plenty of information you can use when you’re buying local meat and milk. You can still play an active role in producing the food you put on your table. You can learn to make yogurt, butter, and several kinds of cheese. You can make your own beef jerky, smoked pork chops, sausage, and so much more.

  Consider this chapter to be your introduction to backyard animals, but not the definitive guide. It wouldn’t be feasible for such a short book to cover in adequate detail everything you’d need to know in order to raise a dairy cow successfully, for instance, or to slaughter a chicken humanely. While a vegetable garden or a patch of grain can endure failure without any real harm, “failing” at animal husbandry can result in real harm to the animals. It pays to do your homework before setting out on the path to animal care. If you find yourself getting especially interested in keeping animals, consult the suggested reading list on page 345 for complete references.

  Goats for Meat and Milk

  Goats serve many purposes worldwide. They produce delicious milk, healthful low-fat meat, and fiber for spinning. They are excellent at brush control, and they may be used to carry camping supplies on hiking trips or hitched up to help with light chores around the yard. They are inexpensive to maintain, require simple housing, do not take up a lot of space, and are easy to handle and transport.

  Scientifically, goats belong to the suborder Ruminantia — that is, they are ruminants, like cows, deer, elk, caribou, moose, giraffes, and antelopes. Ruminants are hoofed animals with four-part stomachs. Within the suborder Ruminantia, goats belong to the family Bovidae, which includes cattle, buffalo, and sheep. Of the six species of goat, one, Capra hircus, is domesticated.

  One nice thing about goats is that they do not require elaborate housing. All they need is a shelter that is well ventilated but not drafty and provides protection from sun, wind, rain, and snow. You can easily convert an unused shed into a goat house. Each goat requires at least 15 square feet of space under shelter and 200 square feet outdoors. A miniature goat needs at least 10 square feet under shelter and 130 square feet outdoors. You’ll also need a sturdy fence — don’t underestimate the ability of a goat to esc
ape over, under, or through an inadequate fence. Goats are social animals and like the company of other goats, so you’ll need at least two. If you will be breeding your goats, the herd will probably grow larger than you initially expect. Plan ahead by providing plenty of space.

  Goats are opportunistic eaters, meaning they both graze pasture and browse woodland. Those that harvest at least some of their own food by grazing or browsing will cost less to maintain in hay and commercial goat ration. Each year the average dairy goat eats about 1,500 pounds of hay and 400 pounds of goat ration. Nondairy goats do well on hay and browse, with little or no ration.

  Despite what you may have heard, being opportunistic eaters does not mean goats eat things like tin cans. A goat learns about new things by tasting them with its lips. Young goats like to carry things around in their mouths, as puppies do. If you see a goat with an empty can, it could be playing with it or eating the label, which, after all, is only paper made from wood. Although the goat may look cute carrying a can, it’s a bad idea to let her do so; the goat may cut her lips or tongue on the sharp rim.

  Another myth is that goats are smelly. A goat is no smellier than a dog, unless you keep a breeding buck, which will smell pretty strong during the breeding season. But unless you plan to breed the does, you don’t need a buck. And even if you do plan to breed, you may find it more convenient and economical to use someone else’s buck if you have only a few does.

  Parts of a Goat

  Why Keep Goats?

  So what’s your reward for keeping goats? If you raise dairy goats, each doe will give you about 90 quarts of delicious fresh milk every month for 10 months of the year. You and your family might drink the milk or use it to make yogurt, cheese, or ice cream. Surplus milk may be fed to chickens, pigs, calves, or orphaned livestock and wildlife.

  From each meat wether (castrated buck), you will get 25 to 40 pounds of tasty, lean meat, which may be baked, fried, broiled, stewed, or barbecued. If you raise fiber goats, from each adult Angora you will get 5 to 7 pounds of mohair twice a year. From each cashmere goat, you will get just less than 1 pound of down per year.

  Each doe you breed will produce one kid or more annually; some does kid twins year after year. Every day, each goat will drop a little more than 1 pound of manure, which makes good fertilizer for the garden.

  Buying Goats

  More than 200 breeds of goat may be found worldwide. Each breed has characteristics that are useful to humans in different ways. Some are efficient at turning feed into milk or meat, others at turning feed into hair for spinning. Some breeds are small and produce less milk or meat than larger breeds but are easier to keep in small spaces. Your purpose in keeping goats will determine which breed is right for you.

  Dairy Goats

  A dairy goat is one that produces more milk than it needs to nurse its kids. In the United States, there are six main dairy breeds: Alpine, LaMancha, Nubian, Oberhasli, Saanen, and Toggenburg.

  Alpine. An Alpine has a long neck and a two-tone coat, with the front end a different color from the back. A mature doe weighs at least 130 pounds and a mature buck weighs at least 170 pounds.

  Dairy Goats

  Alpine

  LaMancha

  Nubian

  Oberhasli

  Saanen

  Toggenburg

  LaMancha. LaManchas come in many colors and are considered to be the calmest of the dairy breeds. A LaMancha is easy to recognize because it has only small ears or no visible ears at all. A mature doe weighs 130 pounds or more; a mature buck weighs 160 pounds or more.

  Nubian. Nubians come in many colors and are the most energetic and active of the dairy breeds. You can tell a Nubian from any other goat by its rounded face (called a Roman nose) and long, floppy ears. A mature doe weighs 135 pounds or more; a mature buck weighs 170 pounds or more.

  Oberhasli. The Oberhasli looks something like a refined deer. Its coat is bay (reddish brown) with black markings. A mature doe weighs at least 120 pounds and a mature buck weighs at least 150 pounds.

  Saanen. A Saanen is all white or cream colored. A goat of this breed in any other color is called a Sable. A mature doe weighs 130 pounds or more; a mature buck weighs 170 pounds or more.

  Toggenburg. A Toggenburg has white ears, white face stripes, and white legs, setting off a coat that may range in color from soft brown to deep chocolate. A mature doe weighs 120 pounds or more; a mature buck weighs 150 pounds or more.

  Alpines, Oberhaslis, Saanens, and Toggenburgs are closely related and are similar in shape. They all originated in the Swiss Alps and are therefore referred to as the Swiss breeds or European breeds. These goats have upright ears and straight or slightly dished faces. They may or may not have wattles consisting of two long flaps of hair-covered skin dangling beneath their chin. These breeds thrive in cool climates.

  LaManchas and Nubians, on the other hand, originated in warmer climates and are therefore grouped together as tropical or desert breeds. The Nubian originated in Africa, and the LaMancha comes from the west coast of the United States. As a general rule, both breeds are better suited to warm climates than the Swiss breeds.

  A dairy goat may be born with horn buds that will eventually grow into horns. Kids with buds are usually disbudded, because mature dairy goats without horns are easier to manage and are less likely to injure their herdmates or their human handlers. If they are to be registered or shown, they are now allowed to have horns. Goats born without horns are called polled.

  Traits of a Good Milker

  If you buy a young female, or doeling, you can’t tell for sure how much milk she will give when she matures, but you can get a good idea by looking at her dam’s milk records. An average doe yields about 1,800 pounds, or 900 quarts, of milk per year. A doe’s dairy character gives you a fair idea of whether she will be a good milker. Characteristics of does that prove to be good milkers include the following:

  • A soft, wide, round udder

  • Teats that are the same size, hang evenly, and are high enough not to drag on the ground or get tangled in the doe’s legs when she walks

  • A well-rounded rib cage, indicating that the doe has plenty of room for feed to fuel milk production

  • A strong jaw that closes properly, so the doe has no trouble eating

  • Strong, sturdy legs

  • Soft skin with a smooth coat

  Meat Goats

  Boer

  Spanish

  If your dairy herd includes polled does, make certain your buck is disbudded rather than polled. The polled trait is linked to a gene for infertility; if you breed a polled buck to your polled does, half of their offspring will be incapable of reproducing.

  Meat Goats

  In many countries, more goats are kept for meat than for any other purpose, and many people prefer goat meat to any other. Since slightly more than half of all goat kids are male and only a few mature bucks are needed for breeding, most young bucks are raised for meat. Surplus goats of any breed may be used for meat, but a breed developed specifically for meat puts on more muscle, and does so more rapidly, than other breeds. In the United States, two types of goat are kept primarily for meat.

  Boer. The main meat breed today is the Boer goat. Boers originated in South Africa, where they were developed for their rapid growth, large size, high-quality meat, and uniformity of size, meat quality, and color. The Boer has a white coat, a brown or dark red head with a white blaze, and horns that curve backward and downward. A mature doe weighs 150 to 225 pounds; a mature buck weighs 175 to 325 pounds.

  Spanish. Before Boer goats became popular in the United States during the latter part of the twentieth century, most meat goats were essentially those that were left to roam over brushy range- or forestland in the South and Southwest to keep the land cleared of brush and undergrowth. These goats are often called Spanish goats because the first feral herds were brought to this country by Spanish explorers and left behind to furnish meat for future expeditions. Because these go
ats vary greatly in shape and color, the term Spanish doesn’t really refer to a specific breed. Mature does weigh 80 to 100 pounds; bucks weigh 150 to 175 pounds.

  Miniature Goats

  African Pygmy

  Nigerian Dwarf

  Miniature Goats

  Miniature goats are smaller than full-sized goats and therefore produce less milk or meat. Minis eat less, require less space, and have scaled-down housing needs that make them ideal for cold climates, where they spend a lot of time indoors. The two miniature breeds are African Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf.

  African Pygmy. Pygmies are blocky, deep, and wide, and their faces are dished. The most common color is agouti, meaning they have two-tone hairs that give the coat a salt-and-pepper look. The Pygmy has the muscular build of a meat breed. Mature does weigh 35 to 60 pounds, and mature bucks weigh 45 to 70 pounds.

  Nigerian Dwarf. The Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature dairy breed. It is smaller and finer-boned than a Pygmy and has longer legs, a longer neck, and shorter, finer hair. Nigerian Dwarfs are lean and angular, with faces that are flat to slightly dished. Dwarfs come in all colors. Mature does weigh 30 to 50 pounds and mature bucks weigh 35 to 60 pounds.

  The milk from minis tastes sweeter than other goat milk because it is higher in fat.

  A Dwarf yields about 300 quarts, or 600 pounds, of milk per year, which is one-third the amount you would get from a regular-sized goat.

  Despite its stockier build, a Pygmy doe produces about the same amount of milk as a Dwarf. The milk from miniature goats tastes sweeter than other goat milk because it is higher in fat.

  Name That Meat

  In the United States, most goat meat is marketed as chevon, a term coined by combining the French words chêvre (goat) and mouton (sheep) and used to describe the meat of older kids and adult goats. The pale, tender flesh of milk-fed kids is called cabrito (Spanish for “little goat”) or occasionally capretto (Italian for “little goat” and a term more commonly used in Europe, Great Britain, and Australia). Some buyers simply call it goat.