TexMaster Meat Goats™.........developed by Onion Creek Ranch in Texas are THE solution to
commercial producers.

HARDIER
LOWER MAINTENANCE
HIGHER-MEAT-TO-BONE RATIO
EXCELLENT MOTHERING INSTINCTS/ABILITIES
KIDDING EASE

Recognizing that there are many markets for meat goats demanding different sized animals, in 1995 we began crossing Tennessee Meat Goat™ bucks with Boer and Boer-cross does.

After many generations of cross breeding, this new composite breed has been trademarked by Onion Creek Ranch as the TexMaster™. TexMaster™ is the result of many crossings of Tennessee Meat Goats™ with Boers. The resulting composite breed is significantly Myotonic, with just enough Boer to add a bit of faster growth. The precise breeding formula is proprietary to Onion Creek Ranch but the male used was always Myotonic or Tennessee Meat Goat™ in the development of the TexMaster™ breed. TexMasters™, like Tennessee Meat Goats™, may be registered with Pedigree International.

Article taken from the Onion Creek Ranch website entitled:

Which Breed do you Need?

Producers often ask which Onion Creek Ranch breed will best put meat on the offspring of the does that they already own. I recommend that commercial meat goat producers whose herd influence is significantly Boer, Kiko, or any of the dairy breeds should upgrade to Tennessee Meat Goat™ bucks to breed to their does. Since it doesn't take much Boer influence to take the meat off the offspring and since Tennessee Meat Goats™ have no Boer in them, Onion Creek Ranch's TMG bucks will best accomplish that goal. Research has been done by Dr. Lou Nuti at Prairie View A&M University near Houston , Texas proving that any goat having at least 50% Myotonic influence yields 6% to 10% more useable meat. The meat-to-bone ratio of Myotonic goats is 4 to 1; no other breed exceeds a 3 to 1 meat-to-bone ratio. Onion Creek Ranch's Tennessee Meat Goats™ are extraordinary fullblood Myotonics unlike those produced by anyone else.

Tennessee Meat Goats™ are short legged, deep and wide bodied, and carry lots of meat (muscling). They are built like boxcars with legs. Because this is a body conformation unfamiliar to most goat producers, buyers usually ask me to select breeding stock sires and dams for them. The unique characteristics of this breed require producers owning TMG's to educate others about their great value to the meat-goat business. Tennessee Meat Goats™ are the Angus cattle of the goat world. In fact, TMG's are the best meat goats on this planet.

People who don't yet own goats but are searching for the breed to purchase for commercial production should consider raising TexMasters™. I began developing this breed in 1995 to meet the needs of the slaughter industry. The TexMaster™ incorporates the heavier muscling found in Onion Creek Ranch Tennessee Meat Goats™ with the slightly faster growth rate of the Boer. Producers breeding TexMasters™ can expand into breeding TexMaster™ crosses -- 1/2, 3/4, 7/8, 9/16, 31/32 TexMasters™ -- thereby adding to the depth and breadth of the breed's genetic base.

TexMasters™ look more like the meat goats that most people are used to seeing. This can be important in areas of the country that are new to meat goats where buyers with limited knowledge and experience are fixated on any goat having a white body and a red head. The strong color patterns that carry through with even small amounts of Boer genetics may give producers an additional sales tool in these young markets, although it is also possible to get solid reds, solid blacks, and various paint combinations. Further, TexMaster™ and TexMaster™ percentages are proving to be good choices for people who want to participate in market goat shows where meat on the animal is actually desirable. Myotonia usually breeds out in the first cross, which means that (a) the percentage offspring won't display myotonic characteristics -- the stiffening and relaxation that builds muscles that means more meat but which may be considered a drawback in shows, and (b) while the meat on these goats will be less than on Tennessee Meat Goats™, TexMasters™ will definitely be meatier than any other breed or crossbreed of goat in the show.

 Producers owning a variety of commercial does should purchase both an Onion Creek Ranch Tennessee Meat Goat™ buck and a TexMaster™ buck, dividing their does into two herds, and breeding each buck to one-half of their does. Keep the doe kids, and when they are old enough to breed, put the other Onion Creek Ranch buck with them to breed. Do not linebreed. Muscling (meat) is lost when these goats are linebred (inbred). After two years, the producer will need to purchase unrelated Tennessee Meat Goat™ and TexMaster™ genetics from Onion Creek Ranch.

I do not sell TMG's until they are one year of age because buyers cannot visualize what a three-month-old weanling will look like when he is three to four years old -- even if I place a mature TMG buck beside the buckling. Tennessee Meat Goats™ achieve full frame size at about two years of age but continue filling out body conformation until they are four years old. The analogy I often use to explain this process is that a two-year old TMG is like a 16-year-old boy, while a four-year-old Tennessee Meat Goat™ has filled out its frame like a 25-year-old man. A young Tennessee Meat Goat™ carries the genetics needed to produce quality offspring -- he doesn't have to be fully mature to produce outstanding kids. TexMasters™ are available for purchase as young as weaning (three months of age). I do not sell semen or embryos nor do I sell pregnant does or provide live coverage breeding services. There are many sound reasons for these policies to be in place which I will be happy to discuss with prospective buyers.

Tennessee Meat Goat™ is a designation given to fullblood Myotonics out of Onion Creek Ranch stock that are larger and more heavily muscled than the typical Myotonic goat. Not all kids born of TMG dams and sires qualify as TMG's, but many of them do. Onion Creek Ranch has a certification program for TMG's that are born and raised at other locations that is available when the goats are 12 to 18 months of age; there is no cost for the service and it can be done without transporting the goat. Tennessee Meat Goats™ and TexMasters™ both have a signficant role to play in the meat-goat world. While the appearance of TexMasters™ may be more familiar to the eye, understand that Tennessee Meat Goats™ have been the key to creating the TexMaster™ breed.

Please visit the Onion Creek Ranch website for more information on the Tennessee Meat Goat™, TexMasters™ and the Myotonic breed.

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All information and photos copyright © Onion Creek Ranch and may not be used without express written permission of Onion Creek Ranch. TENNESSEE MEAT GOAT ™ and TEXMASTER™ are Trademarks of Onion Creek Ranch . All artwork and graphics © cpatch and Onion Creek Ranch.