Breeds of Meat Goats: Complete List of Meat Goat Breeds with Pictures & Comparison

What is a Meat Goat Breed? A Quick Explanation of Characteristics

A meat goat is a goat breed that is raised for the production of meat.

Apart from the Boer goat, there are no specifically-designated meat goat breeds in the United States. However, other breeds of goats that are used in the production of meat are Spanish, Myotonic, Kiko, Nubian and Pygmy.

There are four main characteristics that distinguish meat goat breeds:

1. Adaptability– the goat has to adapt to the production environment.
2. Reproductive rate– reproductive rates to check for in meat goats include the kidding rate, ability to breed out of season and the conception rate.
3. Growth rate– growth rate is classified as pre-weaning daily growth and post-weaning daily growth.
4. 4arcass characteristics– different meat goats have different distribution of muscles and the ratio of lean. As an animal grows, the fat in the carcass increases while the percentage of bone tends to decrease.

How Many Meat Goat Breeds are there?

There are more than sixty officially recognized goat breeds in the world. These are breeds that produce meat, milk, fiber and goat skins. In the United States, the head count of meat goats is more than 2.9 million, according to NASS.

​Meat Goat Breeds – Complete List & Description of Each Breed

Below is a complete list of different breeds of meat goats in the world. Some are large meat goat breeds while others are small meat goat breeds.

​ANGLO-NUBIAN GOAT
Country of Origin	Originated from the United Kingdom
Breed Weight	Bucks weigh up to 310 pounds   Does weigh up to 240 pounds
Breed Height	Males average 35 in   Females average 31 in

ABAZA GOAT
Country of Origin	Turkey
Breed Weight	Males weigh approximately 110 kg   Females weigh approximately 80 kg

ALGARVIA GOAT
Country of Origin	Portugal
Breed Weight	Bucks weigh between 60 to 70 kg   Does weigh between 40 to 50 kg

ASMARI GOAT
Country of Origin	Afghanistan
Breed Weight	Males weigh between 50 to 90 kg   Females weigh between 45 to 60 kg
Breed Height	Bucks are 70 cm tall   Does are 53 cm tall

BARBARI GOAT
Country of Origin	India and Pakistan
Breed Weight	Bucks weigh approximately 38kgs   Does weigh approximately 23kgs
Breed Height	Bucks are 71 cm tall   Does are 56 cm tall

BOER GOAT
Country of Origin	South Africa
Breed Weight	Bucks weigh between 240 to 300 pounds   Does weigh between 200 to 225 pounds
Breed Height	Boer goats have an average height of between 17 to 25 inches.

BLACK BENGAL GOAT
Country of Origin	Bangladesh
Breed Weight – Bucks	Males weigh between 25 to 30 kg   Females weigh between 20 to 25 kg

​DUAN GOAT
Country of Origin	This goat breed is from China
Uses	It is used for meat production. The coat color is either black or white.

​MYOTONIC GOAT
Country of Origin	United States of America
Breed Weight	Males can be as heavy as 200 pounds   Females weigh between 40 to 70 kg
Breed Height	Fainting goats are generally 17 to 25 inches tall

​FRISA VALTELLINESE
Country of Origin	Italy
Breed Weight	Bucks weigh between 75 to 80 kg   Does weigh between 65 to 70 kg
Breed Height	Frisa Valtellinese goats have an average height of 75 to 85 cm

​HEJAZI GOAT
Country of Origin	Arabian Peninsula
Uses	Meat production

​KALAHARI RED GOAT
Country of Origin	South Africa.
Breed Weight – Bucks	Bucks weigh approximately 115kg   Does weigh approximately 75kg

KIKO GOAT
Country of Origin	New Zealand
Breed Weight – Bucks	Bucks weight up to 310 pounds   Female weigh up to 240 pounds
Breed Height	Bucks are 30-37 inches tall   Does are 26-30 inches tall

MOUNTAIN GOAT
Country of Origin	Brazil
Breed Weight – Bucks	Mature bucks can weigh up to 140 kg   Mature does can weigh no more than 81kg
Breed Height	Mature Mountain goat stand at 3.3ft at the shoulder.

PYGMY GOAT
Country of Origin	United States
Breed Weight – Bucks	Males weigh between 25 to 30 kg   Females weigh between 20 to 25 kg
Breed Height	The height of pygmy goats is usually in the range of 16 to 20 inches

ROVE GOAT
Country of Origin	France
Breed Weight – Bucks	Bucks weigh between 150 to 200 pounds   Does weigh between 100 to 120 pounds
Breed Height	The height of a mature Rove goat varies from 74 to 81 cm

​SAHELIAN GOAT
Country of Origin	Mali
Breed Weight – Bucks	Males weigh between 38 to 56 kg   Females weigh between 25 to 34 kg

​SAVANNA(H) GOAT
Country of Origin	South Africa
Breed Weight	Males weigh approximately 80 kg   Females weigh approximately 60 kg
Breed Height	Savanna goats have a height range of between 19 to 25 inches

​SPANISH GOAT
Country of Origin	Spain
Breed Weight	Bucks weigh between 200 to 250 pounds   Does weigh between 100 to 150 pounds
Breed Height	Spanish goats have an average height of between 17 and 25 inches

​TEXMASTER GOAT
This goat was developed in the United States by crossbreeding Tennessee meat goats with Boer goats.   They are used for the production of meat.

​VALAIS BLACKNECK GOAT
Country of Origin	Switzerland
Breed Weight	Bucks weigh between 55 to 65 kg   Does weigh between 75 to 85 kg
Breed Height	Males average a height of 85 cm   Females average a height of 75 cm

​VERATA GOAT
Country of Origin	Spain
Breed Weight	Males weigh approximately 80 kg   Females weigh approximately 70 kg
Breed Height	Verata goats have an average height that ranges from 60 to 75 cm

Largest Meat Goat Breeds

The development of the American Meat Goat Industry is the driving force behind the huge demand of high quality and healthy goat meat. This has led to the development of large meat goats for production purposes. Below we will look at some of the common large meat goat breeds out there.

Boer Goat

Arguably the largest meat goat breed in the world, the goat was developed in the early 1900s and can be traced to Dutch farmers in South Africa.

The Boer was imported to the United States from Australia in the late 1990s. The Boer head displays a roman nose, long hanging ears and slightly curled horns.  A purebred Boer goat characterizes a reddish brown head with a white body. They can also be all-white or all-brown or display spots of the other color.

A mature buck weighs between 240-300 pounds while a mature doe weighs between 200 and 220 pounds.

The does are highly fertile, often produce twins and are excellent mothers.

Boer goats are in high demand because of their rapid growth rate and produce desirable carcasses.

Boer goats may add weight at the rate of 0.4 pounds per day under a good feeding program.

Spanish Goat

Spanish goats originated from Spain. The Spanish Goats were introduced in the 1540s when Spanish explorers came to North America. Mature bucks can weigh up to 210 pounds while does can weigh up to 140 pounds. These goats come in all colors whereas body shape and hair are not consistent among goats of the breed. Most of these goats are wild or at least semi-wild.

These goats are polyestrous (can breed throughout the year). This allows for yearling meat production.

Spanish goats are very hardy and can survive in any climatic condition and require little management.

Currently the estimated head count of Spanish goats in the United States is 500,000 according to the Spanish Goat Association (SGA)

Kiko Goat

Kiko goats originated from New Zealand in the 1980s. Kiko goats were imported to the US in 1992 by Goatex Group LLC. The Kiko goat is hardy and can do well in any climatic condition.

They grow fast and are capable to producing multiple offspring with little management.

The major problems with Kiko goats in high humid environments are parasites, hoof rot, hoof scald and respiratory diseases.

Although the Kiko did not start as popular as the Boer, it has become the most popular goat breed which performs well under less ideal environments.

The Kiko goats are white or cream in color and have erect ears.

Mature bucks weight up to 310 pounds and females weigh up to 240 pounds.

Savanna Goat

Savanna goats were bred and developed in South Africa. They have white coats and are a large goat breed.

The goat was imported to the United States in the late 1990s.

The savanna goats have excellent reproduction rate, strong bones and legs and a good muscular development.

The body of a savanna goat resembles that of the Boer goat. It is adaptable and can do well in both intensive and extensive grazing.

It is very fertile and has a high twinning rate. However, they are not seasonal breeders.

Savanna goats require very little care since they are disease resistance and have limited hoof problems.  Does are good mothers and are great milk producers and weathers have a good growth rate.

Small Meat Goat Breeds

Apart from the large meat goats, there are smaller breeds of goats that are used in the production of meat. Below are some small goat breeds used in the production of meat

​Pygmy Goats

The Pygmy goat is an African goat. They were originally called the Cameroon Dwarf goat.

In Africa they are raised for meat production whereas in the west they are raised as pets.

In the United States the Pygmies came from Cameroon.

Their color ranges from light caramel, medium caramel, dark caramel and dark red caramel.

An adult Pygmy doe weighs between 50 to 70 pounds, while bucks weigh between 60 to 85 pounds and stands at 17 to 24 inches tall at the shoulder.

A Pygmy doe reaches maturity very fast. It can get pregnant as young as 3 months. They can give birth to triplets and even quadruplets.

Pygmy goats breed frequently – every 9 to 12 months.

Kinder Goats

Kinder goats were developed in 1987 when a Pygmy buck was bred with a Nubian doe.

Weathers have a growth rate of about 7 pounds per month.

Kinder bucks weigh between 135-150 pounds and does weigh between 110-125 pounds. They grow to an average height of 26 to 28 cm.

Kinder goats raised for meat production finish quicker to market weight. They dress out at about 60 percent which is 10 percent higher than other large meat goat breeds.

These goats may be of any color. The ears may be long and down or short with control. They have a thicker bone and width that allows for meat production.

Kinder goats can be bred all year thus increasing the goat herd.

Myotonic Goats

Tennessee wooden leg goats are characterized by a condition where the legs stiffen and it falls over. Although they are called “fainting goats”, they actually don’t fall unconscious.

The goats have myotonia, a condition that makes them collapse with their bodies stiff for about 10-15 seconds and then rise and walk away. This is according to International Fainting Goats Association (IFGA)

These breed weighs anywhere between 60 and 170 pounds.

Myotonic goats stand at 17 to 25 inches. These goats are sometimes bred for the pet market.

Best Meat Goat Breeds – A Comparison of Meat Goat Breeds

In a study conducted in the fall of 2003-2005, 81 Boer, 64 Kiko and 59 Spanish does were bred with Boer, Kiko and Spanish Bucks in order to assess their reproductive and overall performance. Kids were weaned at three months. Below is a table that explains the significant differences in doe performance.

Reproductive Fitness of Meat Goat Breeds (annual kidding rate, weaning rate, kid crop weaned)

TEST	SPANISH	KIKO	BOER
Proportion of delivering at least one live kid	93%	96% ± 3	82%
Average litter size at birth	1.9 kids	1.9 kids	1.9 kids
Average litter weight at birth	6.03 kg	6.03 kg	6.03 kg
Litter size at weaning	1.86 ± 0.6	1.65	1.55
Does weaning at least one kid	88% ± 4	88% ± 4	72%
Kid crop percent at time of weaning	157% ± 9	144%	112%

From the study, we can notice that Spanish goats have a higher reproduction fitness compared to the Kiko and Boer

Parasite Resistance of Meat Goat Breeds

In another study, 249 goats born from Myotonic, Spanish and Boer goat breeds were divided into four treatment programs. Two were maintained on pastures while the other two were injected 5000 barber pole worms.

TEST	BOER	MYOTONIC	SPANISH
Final Weight	27.3 ± 0.4	22.6 ± 0.4	25.3 ± 0.4
Fecal egg count (eggs/gram)	485.2 ± 61.6	301.9 ± 40.6	308.2 ± 53.8
Packed Cell Volume % It’s a measure of anemia. High PCV shows animal resilient	25.6 ± 0.4	29.4 ± 0.3	30.5 ± 0.3
Serum protein level (%) It’s a measure of blood loss. The higher the SPL, the more the goat is able to tolerate the worms.	7.0 ± 0.04	8.0 ± 0.05	7.4 ± 0.05

From the above study, we can notice that parasite resistance depends on the meat goat breed. Myotonic and Spanish goats did well compared to the Boer.

Climate Adaptability of Meat Goat Breeds

Goats are hardy animals and are adaptable to vast climatic conditions from dry to cold climates. Goats in colder climates are huge in size and have big hair while goats in hot and warm areas are dwarf like and have less body weight. Virtually all goats can survive in any climatic condition with little human input.

Cost to Raise Meat Goat Breeds

The cost of raising different type of meat goat depends on requirements like housing, feeds and health management. Cost depends on the gender and breed. Bigger breeds like Boer tend to require a lot of feed than the Spanish goats. Boer goats are more expensive to raise due to their high care needs. From the research shown above, Boer goats are more likely to get parasite infections than other goat breeds.

​Temperament of Meat Goat Breeds

Boer goats are known to be gentle and docile animals. They love attention too.

Spanish goats are a bit difficult to handle because they are not as domesticated as the Boer. They are very nervous too so catching one might be a problem.

Kiko goats are docile and a bit easier to handle than Spanish goats. Their nature has made farmers cross breed the Kiko with other dairy breeds.

Meat Goat Selection Video

Dr. Dave Sparks of Oklahoma State University reviews meat goat selection; its a great video!

Sources:

1. ​Comparing Meat Breeds – Ontario Goat
2. ​Breeds and Production Traits of Meat Goats – NC State Extension Publications
3. Meat Goats – The American Goat Federation
4. International Fainting Goat Association (IFGA)
5. Pygmy Goat | The Maryland Zoo
6. Spanish Goat Association Research page
7. Climate Adaptability of Meat Goats
8. http://www.spanishgoats.org/pdf/dzakuma1.pdf
9. ​Richard Browning, Jr., Ph.D, – Tennessee State University