Meat goat farming
Learn about producing meat goats in Ontario, including how to start a meat goat farm and best practices for health and nutrition.
Start a meat goat farm
Starting a meat goat farm requires careful planning and knowledge of the industry. Publication 61: Starting a Farm in Ontario provides information on what to consider if you are new to farming in Ontario.
If you intend to raise goats for meat, you must be familiar with meat regulations and the inspection process. For more information about meat regulations and responsibilities, visit Meat regulation responsibilities for livestock and poultry producers, dealers and buyers.
The Codes of Practice for the care and handling of goats serve as the national understanding of care requirements and recommended practices.
Goat health
Maintaining the health and wellbeing of the goat herd is one of the most important tasks for a producer. To learn about humane on-farm euthanasia, visit the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) fact sheet, On-farm euthanasia of sheep and goats.
Disease
Learn how to manage diseases that commonly impact goats.
- Coxiellosis (Q Fever)
- Coxiella burnetii in small ruminants and Q fever in humans
- Chronic copper poisoning in sheep
- Ontario Animal Health Network: Toxoplasmosis in sheep and goats
- Ontario Animal Health Network: Guide to safe handling of sheep and goat placentas
- Ontario Animal Health Network: Campylobacter abortions — emerging resistance to antibiotics
Biosecurity
Create a biosecurity program to prevent the spread of disease and maintain herd health.
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency: National farm-level biosecurity standard for the goat industry
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Biosecurity planning guide for Canadian goat producers
Predation
Predation is when livestock are preyed upon resulting in injury or death. It can be costly and frustrating. Learn about different techniques to manage this issue.
- Wildlife damage to livestock and poultry
- Livestock guardian dogs
- Tools for mitigating losses due to coyote predation
- Guidelines for using donkeys as guard animals with sheep
- Fencing options for predator control
Management resources
To learn about performance evaluation and setting goals and benchmarks, visit the fact sheet Evaluating the performance of small ruminant operations.
Publication 855: Kidding Diary
OMAFRA’s Publication 855: Kidding Diary is a practical way for meat goat producers to record kidding activity in the barn. The book contains pages to record kids born, breeding records, record deadstock information, health treatments and cull.