Raising goat meat. Litzaus working to fill demand - article


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Posted by GoatWorld on January 18, 2003 at 21:13:28:

Raising goat meat. Litzaus working to fill demand

By Gail Lipe
gaill@glencoenews.com

Minnesota’s population has been growing both in numbers and in ethnic diversity. With the ethnic diversity also comes the need for diverse types of food.

Lowell and Coleen Litzau of rural Sibley County are raising Boer goats to help fill the demand for goat meat.

Lowell Litzau said the company he works for, Seagate, has a diverse array of employees. Over 70 languages are represented in the building he works at in Minneapolis.

When people at his work found out Lowell Litzau lived on a family farm, he was frequently asked if he had any goats, which is the preferred meat of many in the Muslim community.

He said those who were looking for goats were mainly Somali people. There are over 60,000 Somalians living in Minnesota, and Lowell Litzau said most of the goat meat sold to them is imported.

Approximately 1.5 million pounds of goat meat is imported into the United States every week, primarily from New Zealand or Australia.

Because of that, the Litzaus decided to investigate the possibility of raising meat goats. They did research on the Internet and over the phone, and found out that the goat industry is strong and growing in Texas.

In August 2001, they set up appointments with people in Texas to investigate the industry. They wanted to know what it would take to get involved in producing goats for meat.

“We basically fell in love with the goats,” said Coleen Litzau. She said they each have their own personalities.

She also said the people in Texas were very friendly and welcomed the Litzaus on their goat farms.

Lowell Litzau said a lot of the people they met in Texas are involved in showing goats, but the Litzaus are not interested in showing at this time. He said that may come in the future.

He said showing goats and selling the offspring for showing brings more money sooner. A kid sold for show can yield approximately $500 soon after it is weaned, which is more than a meat goat will yield.

But raising goats for show also is more labor intensive, he said.

Through their research, the Litzaus found out that the Boer goat is considered superior to any other goat for meat production.

Boer in Dutch means farmer. When the Dutch migrated to South Africa, they were looking for an animal that was hardy and would gain weight quickly, said Lowell Litzau.

The breed was developed in South Africa, and is bred primarily for meat. It is known for rapid weight gain, heavy muscling and has high fertility.

Lowell Litzau said he is trying to get as close to full blood Boer goats as possible. The closer to the pure breed, the more weight is gained faster, which means the goats go to market sooner.

He said the kids he currently has have doubled weight in the last three weeks.

Once the Litzaus decided on the breed, they looked around for goats. They purchased their first 13 goats last April from someone in Pipestone — one buck, Michael, and 12 does and kids.

Lowell Litzau said one of the goats they chose came up to them right away and was real friendly. “That one will always have a home here,” he said.

“We have our favorites,” said Coleen Litzau.

As part of the market research, Lowell Litzau said a friend took him to the markets in the Somali community in Minneapolis where he was introduced to market owners. He said each store had goat meat.

He talked with the owners and asked if they would be interested in local grown fresh goat meat. They were interested, but skeptical, Lowell Litzau said.

Other people have gotten involved in raising goats to fill the demand, but have quit. Lowell Litzau said raising them and dropping them off at the butcher does not work if someone wants to sell to the Muslim community.

The Somalians have strict requirements for the goat meat. For example, the goats cannot have any contact with swine as they are being raised, said Lowell Litzau.

Also, no swine can be butchered where the goats are butchered on the same day.

Another requirement is the goat is slaughtered in the “halal” fashion, said Lowell Litzau, which means the goat is laid flat with its head pointing east. “Allah Akbar” (God is great) is said, which offers the goat to Allah. Then the throat is cut, and the goat is let to run until it is bled out and dies. The slaughtering has to be done by a Muslim.

Lowell Litzau said he has someone who will do that for him.

The Litzaus also are researching providing goat meat for the Hispanic population in the area.

Goat meat also is good for people who require special diets. Coleen Litzau said the molecular structure of the goat meat is different than that of other meats and is digested easier. It also is lower in fat than chicken.

So far, the Litzaus have approximately 20 contacts who are interested in purchasing their goats, one who is willing to take 15 goats per week.

The Litzaus now have 90 goats, have sold some and have butchered some. The goal is to eventually have 400 breeding does and 10 purebred bucks.

Lowell Litzau said they are trying to breed the goats three times every 24 months. Each doe averages two kids per birth, with 50 percent of those being female and 50 percent being male.

Coleen Litzau said one of their does recently had four kids, which is very unusual. What is even more unusual is that all four lived.

It takes 4 or 5 pounds of alfalfa per day to feed an average goat, said Lowell Litzau. But 20 percent of that is wasted by goats dropping it.

The goats also average 1 pound of ground feed per day. Mitchel Litzau, 8, said it is his responsibility to give the kids their ground feed every day.

“I like it,” he said. He said he likes to watch them, and the kids make funny noises.

Mitchel Litzau named one of the kids “Chomper” because it nibbles at his clothes.

Lowell Litzau also said hygiene is really important because the goats have no natural defense for parasites. If the water is unclean, or the goats pick up food from the floor along with droppings, they can easily get parasites.

“We have gotten close to becoming our own vets,” he said. “By necessity, not by choice.

“We are basically learning every day,” said Lowell Litzau.

He said they were not prepared for the first batch of kids. The kids that did not nurse, did not get colostrum because the Litzaus did not have any on hand. Many died.

Lowell Litzau said they now have some on hand.

Another concern is the predators. Lowell Litzau said there never used to be coyotes in the area, but now there are. They had a goat die recently, so they hauled it out to the grove. It was totally gone the next day.

He said the herd has not been bothered yet, but there have been sightings in the area.

The Litzaus belong to the Boer Goat Association. Coleen Litzau said it provides a link between Boer goat owners.

One positive aspect of belonging is that people find out they are there and can pull their name off the association’s Web site, said Lowell Litzau.

The Internet has been very helpful to the Litzaus. Lowell Litzau said if they have a medical question they cannot answer, they can put it on the Internet to other goat producers. “We may get five responses by the end of the day,” he said.

The Litzaus’ farm is approximately four miles south of the Glencoe airport. It has been in the Litzau family since 1885.


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