You’ve seen them in the pasture. Those goats that look like they’ve been doing squats for three hours a day. Honestly, if you are a livestock breeder or just someone who enjoys hobby farming, seeing a goat with fat ass—or what we technically call heavy muscling and high condition in the hindquarters—is usually a cause for celebration, not concern. It’s the hallmark of a "meat machine." But there’s a massive difference between a goat that’s genetically gifted and one that’s just plain obese.
Most people get this wrong. They see a wide rear and assume the animal is just overfed on grain. Not necessarily.
In the world of Boer goats and Savannas, the "hind end" is where the money is. If you're looking at a goat with a wide, deep, and thick rear, you’re looking at the primary cuts of meat: the leg and the loin. Dr. Frank Pinkerton, a legendary figure in the goat industry often known as "The Goat Man," spent decades explaining that muscle shape in goats is highly heritable. You can't just feed a skinny-framed goat until it has a massive rear end; it has to be born with the skeletal width to support that kind of mass.
The Genetics of the Modern Meat Goat
Why do some goats look so much "thicker" than others? It comes down to the Boer revolution. Before the 1990s, most goats in the U.S. were dairy breeds or Spanish brush goats. They were leggy. They were thin. They definitely didn't have that "fat" look. When South African Boers were introduced, everything changed. These animals were specifically bred for terminal traits.
A goat with a wide base—meaning its legs are set far apart—naturally carries more meat. When you look at a goat from behind, you want to see a "U" shape between the legs, not a "V." A "V" shape indicates a lack of muscling. That "fat ass" look is often just a result of a massive Gluteus medius and Biceps femoris.
But here is the kicker.
Goats store fat differently than sheep or cattle. While a cow might get a nice layer of subcutaneous fat (marbling and external cover), goats are "internal fat" storers. They pack fat around their kidneys and organs first. By the time you see actual fat deposits on a goat's rear or brisket, that animal is likely morbidly obese internally. This is a huge distinction for breeders. You want the appearance of a large, thick rear end caused by muscle, not the jiggly, soft touch of actual adipose tissue.
How to Tell Muscle from Obesity
You have to get your hands on them. There is no other way. You've got to use the Body Condition Scoring (BCS) system. This is a scale from 1 to 9, though some use 1 to 5.
Basically, you feel the ribs and the spine. If you can feel the backbone like a saw blade, the goat is a 1. If you can’t find the ribs even if you poke hard, you’ve got a problem. A goat with fat ass that is actually healthy will still have a firm feel. If you squeeze the tailhead and it feels like a sponge, that’s fat. If it feels like a flexed bicep, that’s high-value muscle.
Overfeeding is a silent killer in the goat world. "Show goats" are notorious for this. To win a blue ribbon, owners often pump them full of high-protein grain to make them look "bloomy." It looks great in the ring. It looks terrible on a necropsy report. Excess fat in does leads to pregnancy toxemia and ketosis. It makes kidding a nightmare because the birth canal is constricted by internal fat deposits.
Breeding for the Rear End
If you want a herd full of these high-performing animals, you have to look at the sire. The buck is half your herd. Look at his "width of stifle." The stifle is basically the goat's knee in the back leg. If the buck is wide through the stifles, his kids will likely carry that same "fat" look.
It’s also about the "twist." In livestock judging, the twist is the area where the two hams meet. A deep, low twist means the muscle carries all the way down to the hock. It gives that visual of a "fat" or "heavy" rear.
- Look for skeletal width: If the bones aren't wide, the muscle has nowhere to go.
- Check the loin: A thick rear usually correlates with a wide, meaty loin (the back muscles).
- Watch the gait: A goat with too much "junk in the trunk" might struggle with its gait. If the legs are rubbing together or the goat is "cow-hocked" (knees pointing inward), that’s a structural failure.
The "Fat" Goat Misconception in Different Breeds
Context is everything. If you see a Pygmy goat with a huge rear, that’s standard. They are a cobby, compact breed. They are supposed to look like little tanks.
However, if you see an Alpine or a Saanen (dairy breeds) that looks like a goat with fat ass, you should actually be worried. Dairy goats are supposed to be "angular." They put their energy into the milk pail, not onto their frame. A "fat" dairy goat is usually a sign of a metabolic issue or a "dry" doe that hasn't been working.
Then there are the "Fainting" goats (Myotonic). These guys have a genetic condition called myotonia congenita. When they get excited or scared, their muscles stiffen. This constant "workout" of the muscles staying tensed actually makes them incredibly muscular. They have some of the highest meat-to-bone ratios in the world. A Myotonic goat will almost always have a more bulging rear end than a Spanish goat of the same size.
Real-World Management and Health Risks
Let's talk about the downside. Being "heavy" has a price.
Goats are naturally mountain climbers. They are foragers. When we breed them to be extremely heavy in the hindquarters, we put a lot of stress on their pasterns—the part of the leg between the hoof and the fetlock. If a goat is too heavy, its pasterns will start to drop, making it walk on its "heels." This is painful and eventually leads to lameness.
Also, consider the parasite load. In the Southeastern United States, the Barber Pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) is the king of goat killers. Often, a goat that looks a little "pudgy" or has a "potbelly" isn't actually well-muscled. It’s "bottle jaw" or extreme bloating from worm internal damage.
Always check the eyelids. Use the FAMACHA scale. A goat with fat ass might look healthy from 50 feet away, but if its inner eyelids are white instead of bright pink, that animal is anemic and dying regardless of how much meat is on its bones.
The Economics of a Heavy Hindquarter
Why does this matter for the market? Because the consumer pays for the "primitive" cuts. In the ethnic markets—where the vast majority of goat meat is sold in the U.S.—buyers want a "meaty" carcass. They aren't looking for fat cover; they are looking for muscle volume.
A buck that can produce kids with a 60% dressing percentage (the amount of meat left after removing head, skin, and organs) is worth its weight in gold. Most brush goats might only dress out at 45-50%. That extra 10% comes almost entirely from the thickness of the hindquarters and the loin.
Actionable Steps for Goat Owners
If you’re looking to improve the "thickness" of your herd or manage a goat that seems over-conditioned, here’s how to handle it without ruining the animal's health.
1. Evaluate the Diet Immediately
Stop the heavy grain if the goat is just a pet or a breeding doe not in her final month of pregnancy. Goats are ruminants; they need high-quality forage (hay and pasture), not bags of corn. Over-conditioning a goat leads to "fatty liver" and reproductive failure.
2. Focus on "Width" in Selection
When buying your next goat, don't just look at the profile (the side view). Walk behind the animal. Look at how it stands. If its feet are close together, it will never have that sought-after muscle volume. You want an animal that "walks wide."
3. Balance the Minerals
Sometimes a "bloated" or "fat" look is actually just poor digestion. Ensure they have access to loose minerals (not just a salt block) specifically formulated for goats. Copper and Selenium are non-negotiable for muscle function and coat health.
4. Exercise is Key
For show animals or breeding bucks that stay in small pens, provide "play structures." Large cable spools or rocks encourage them to jump and climb. This builds that "fat ass" muscle naturally while keeping their joints limber.
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Basically, having a goat with fat ass is a double-edged sword. It's the gold standard for meat production and "eye appeal" in the show ring, but it's a potential health hazard if it's caused by laziness and grain rather than superior genetics. Know your breed standards, feel the ribs, and always prioritize structural integrity over raw mass. A goat that can't walk to the feeder is a liability, no matter how much meat it's carrying on its back end.