This presentation is about a series of pen vs. pasture studies with meat goats.

1. Using grain to improve goat
carcass quality and value
Susan Schoenian and Jeff Semler
University of Maryland Extension

2. I like
grain!
Thank you for your support of the
2012 pen vs. pasture study.

3. Pen-fed (n=15) Pasture-fed (n=15)
• Maintained in dry lot • Maintained on pasture
• Free choice grass hay • Pasture only diet
Warm and cool season grasses and forbs
• Fed grain once per day
(4 parts whole barley: 1 part 36% CP pellet) • No supplemental feed

4. Growth rate – average daily gain (ADG)
0.183 vs. 0.149 lbs./day
2.85 lbs. over 84 days

5. Worm status
11 goats dewormed
0 goats dewormed

6. Live grade and carcass yield

7. Meat Quality (last year’s data)
Longissimus dorsi had 1.3% intramuscular fat and 23.3% protein.
Grams per 100 grams of fat
35.0 Pasture Pen
30.0 b
25.0
20.0 a
15.0 a a a a
10.0
5.0
0.0 Bad SFA Good SFA Good MUFA
Palmitic acid Stearic acid Oleic acid
16-0 18-0 18-1, cis-9
Even when there are differences in fatty acid content, the
differences are not likely relevant to the human diet.

8. Economics
 Advantage to pen-fed goats
Growth
+ 2.85 lbs. @ $1.60/lb. = + $4.56
Feed costs
$14.05 (pen) - $7.81 (pasture) = + $6.24
Additional profit
$4.56 + $6.24 = $10.80/goat
$10.80 x 15 goats = $162 total
 On the other hand
The cost of parasite control and
any death losses (due to parasites)
would have offset the advantage
exhibited by the pasture-fed goats.

9. We’d like to repeat the study . . . Why?
• Results in 2011 and 2012
were opposite.
• We’d like to correct the
possible biases in the study.
– Equalize groups of goats
– Use same scale for weighing
• Feed a different ration to the
pen-fed goats.
– Mixed hay + whole barley
• Regardless of the
comparison, we’d like to
determine if pen feeding can
be a viable method for raising
market goats.

10. Thank you Maryland Grain Producers!