The Meat Goat Group |
Also see www.umassmeatgoat.com for more information.The Student-Run Meat Goat Herd
By participating, students
gain meaningful experience in the handling and management of a small
herd of ruminants and are eligible for credit. All management decisions
regarding reproduction, nutrition, herd health and marketing are
researched by student committees. Proposed solutions are voted on
by the membership during weekly meetings. Membership ranges from
20-40 active participants and is open to all students. Students' StatementThe Meat Goat Group is an experimental project associated with the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at UMass. Students are offered the opportunity to completely manage a meat-goat herd consisting of more than 40 animals. This project began in 1999 as a result of a Senior Honors Feasibility Study with the acquisition of 16 crossbred and one purebred (full-blood) animals with Boer Tennessee and Spanish genetics from Cablecroft Farm in Connecticut. We still have three of the original half-Boer does and have successfully increased the percentage of Boer genes in our herd by leasing registered full-blood and Boer bucks. Also, we have acquired some full-blooded animals through purchase and donation such that we now have six full-blooded Boers. The number of students in the group varies with each semester and has ranged from 29 to 37. Most of these students are 2nd or 3rd year Animal Science majors. To date we have concentrated on the hands-on aspects of herd management and will begin to learn about the marketing of animals as our numbers increase and with our desire to merchandise quality full-blood and percentage animals. For more information, contact: Dr. Mark Huyler |
In
1999 the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at UMass started
a student-run experiential learning project, which incorporated
all aspects of managing a small Boer goat herd. "The Goat Group"
started with 16 crossbred does and one purebred buck. Presently
the herd consists of 40 reproducing does, which are housed down
at the Hadley Livestock Center. The goal is to develop a purebred
herd of Boer goats that can be merchandized as breeding stock.