Chevron: Butchering a Goat

Reader Contribution by Sherry Leverich Tucker
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Last spring my son acquired a small herd of milking goats. Among them was a Nigerian doe bred to a Boer buck. We have since learned that this combination is not healthy, as it could cause kidding problems because Nigerians are small. Nevertheless, this doe had two healthy Boer/Nigerian bucks that were soon banded, rendering them wethers.

This fall we still had one of these wethers, and after a discussion with my son on the resources necessary to keep him, he had to choose to either sell him or butcher him. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, “I’m going to butcher him and take him to Bill’s.” (Bill is our neighbor whose smoked meat is a favorite in our house.) So, seeing his conviction, I knew it was an experience we needed to pursue.

We all had been exposed to goat meat, called “Chevron,” but having never butchered one I knew we would need some advice and help. Our friend, Chris, was able to assist in the slaughter. Fortunately, he had butchered goats before and offered experience and insight. Chevron is best if it is allowed to age — similar to beef or venison — as this promotes natural tenderization and flavor. If you can butcher in the winter during cold but not freezing weather, the meat can be hung outside for up to a week before cooking or freezing for storage.

The day we chose was about 40 degrees and perfect for this chore. I had read that it is good to isolate the animal so they are only able to drink water, but I did not do this. I hated to separate him from the herd in fear that it would stress him. So, when we were ready for butchering, we brought some grain out for the herd. While the others were eating grain, we quickly separated the selected wether and he was immediately shot behind the head with a .22 and moved to a downhill position. Once moved, his neck artery was cut and he was left to bleed out for a few minutes. The goat was then carried from the pasture to a tree where the carcass would be hung.

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