Boer goat

The Boer goat was developed in South Africa in the early 1900s for meat production. Their name is derived from the Dutch word "Boer" meaning farmer. The Boer goat was probably bred from the indigenous goats of the Namaqua Bushmen and the Bantu tribes, with some crossing of Indian and European bloodlines being possible. They were selected for meat rather than milk production; due to selective breeding and improvement, the Boer goat has a fast growth rate and excellent carcass qualities, making it one of the most popular breeds of meat goat in the world. Boer goats have a high resistance to disease and adapt well to hot, dry semi-deserts. U.S. production is centered in western Texas, particularly in and around Mills County and Tom Green County. The original US breeding stock came from herds located in New Zealand. Only later were they imported directly from South Africa.

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Boer goats commonly have white bodies and distinctive red heads. They are noted for being docile, fast growth, having high fertility rates, and does are reported to have superior mothering skills as compared to other goats. Mature Boer bucks weigh between 110-135 kg (240-300 lb), and mature does between 90-100 kg(200-220 lb).

Commercial meat production

Meat goats are minimal care animals that are browsers by nature, preferring brush, shrubs, and broadleaf weeds rather than grass. Boer goats raised for meat production are typically raised on pastures. The main reasons for this are two-fold: pastured goats are on average healthier animals then pen-raised goats; secondly, it costs far less to raise Boer goats on a diet of brush and weeds, then on bags of commercial feed. The ideal option is adequate year-round grazing with only mineral supplementation. Boer goats can be raised effectively in combination with cattle due their preference browse and the resulting limited impact on the grass cover.

Trace minerals are particularly important to good goat health, especially copper. Feed and mineral blocks mark "for sheep and goats" should be avoided. Copper in quantities suitable for goats is toxic to sheep, so dual sheep/goat feeds will almost always lack sufficient copper for goats. Copper deficiency is known to cause anemia, diarrhea, infertility, spontaneous abortions, and lethargy.

Fencing

The three main cost of any Boer goat operation are land, goats, and fenceing. If goats are not overstocked then fencing is much less of an issue; however, any goat on overgrazed land will redouble its effort to escape, especially if they see food on the other side of the fence. Most farmers use 12.5 gauge fencing, with commercial 1047-6-12.5 (six-inch holes) being the most common. Besides keeping the goats in, fences are important for keeping out predators such as coyotes and dogs.

Bucks

The most critical part of any meat goat operation is the selection of a herd sire (breeding buck). A high quality buck can produce high quality offspring even when mated with an average doe. Boer goats tend to gain weight at about the same rate as their sire, so a buck from a proven fast growing bloodline will command the highest price, as its offspring will tend to also be fast growers. The primary market for slaughter goats is a 35-80 lb kid; kids should reach marketable size at weaning age. The kid of a proven fast-growing sire might weigh 80 pounds at 90 days, while the kid of a poor quality sire might weigh only 35 pounds at 90 days. An average quality buck will initially be less expensive to purchase; however, they can significant undermine an operations long-term profitability.

Other criteria for a breeding Buck include:

Jaw alignment – most meat goats are raised on pasture. A goat with poor jaw alignment will be at a significant disadvantage when feeding on pasture; poor jaw alignment is not acceptable in a commercial herd sire.

Good feet and legs: needed to move about the pasture.

Two well formed equal size testes in a single scrotum: -the main purpose of a buck is to breed does.

For breeding purposes, one buck is normally required for every 25-35 does. Under ideal conditions the ratio can be as high as one buck for every 50 does. Bucks are normally separated for the does except for when breeding is specifically intended. Often does are bred for six weeks every 8 months, resulting in three kid crops every two years.

Successful bucks must be able to survive on pasture. Pen-raised bucks will stay near their pen, while the does they are supposed to breed are out in the pasture.

Does

Does used to breed show quality goats are normally very large, as show goats are expected to be of large stature. For commercial meat production medium size does are normally preferred as they produce the same number of kids, but require less feed to do so.

As a general rule the more kids born per doe, the greater profit margins for the owner. Boer goats are polyestrous (they can breed throughout the year), and they reach sexual maturity at 5-9 months of age. A typical breading program is to produce 3 kid crops every 2 years; meaning the does are pregnant for 5 months, nurse their kids for 3 months, and then are rebred. Multiple births are common and a 200% kid crop is achievable in managed herds (meaning does will average two offspring per year).

Weaning size is largely controlled by how much milk the mother produces, along with how long she allows each kid to nurse. Does weaning large kids should be kept, those weaning small to medium kids should be removed from the herd.

The presence of a buck causes does to come into estrus (heat) which lasts about 24-36 hours. The gestation period for does varies from 149 to 155 days.

Boer does are normally very good mothers requiring only minimal attention from the owner; however, this is not always true when a doe delivers her very first kid. First time moms should be supervised as the mothering instinct may not manifest itself the first time she delivers. After the first time, Boer does normally make excellent mothers.

Cross breeding

While purebred bucks are usually preferred for breeding purposes, it is common to use crossbreed does for kid production, with the resulting offspring being 7/8 or more Boer. Common crosses are Boer x Spanish goat, Boer x Angora goat, Boer x Kiko goat, and Boer x Nubian goat.

Many producers still prefer purebred bucks and does, and intentional crossbreeding is far from universal.

Livestock guardian dogs

Under most circumstances Boer goats can be left alone for long periods of time without supervision, as they are able to take care of themselves quite well when given decent pasture. When left alone predators can devastate herds, especially newborn or young kids, and successful predator control often determines the successes or failure of an entire operation. Their main predators are coyotes, bobcats, buzzards, and domesticated dogs that have been allowed to run loose.

Most pastured herds are watched over by livestock guardian dogs, with the Great Pyrenees being the preferred breed. Most dog breeds are ill tempered for employment as guardian dogs; however, the Great Pyrenees has been found to be well matched to the Boer goat. Other popular breeds are Komondor and Anatolian Shepherd.

Alternatively, some farmers use donkeys or llamas to guard their herds, but neither are as popular as dogs.

Show goats

Boer goats raised specifically for show purposes have little in common with pastured goats. They are bred to be larger then normal goats, and meet specific visual appearances. Bucks and does that have been bred for show should never be used for commercial breed stock.

Overstocking

Once a section of pasture has reached is full capacity, adding more goats becomes counterproductive. Adding goats does not increase the owners profit margin, instead the forage resource is depleted, the goats must browse closer to the ground which leads to far more parasites, toxic plant problems increase, overall heath of the animals declines, and the goats fail to gain weight. In addition rainfall becomes less effective because the soil has been laid bare, so what rain that does fall turns to run-off instead of being absorbed; thus drought management becomes much harder or impossible. All these factors reduce profit. It is not possible to starve a profit from livestock or rangeland.

Show goats

In other breeds of goats it is a disqualifying trait to have more then two teats, Boer goats have been bred to have two or four, in order to easier nurse the higher numbers of kids they have been bred to have. Although the different breed registries do not agree 100% on other aspects, they do agree that up to two teats per side is accpetable.

External links

Commercial meat production

Fencing

Bucks

Does

Cross breeding

Livestock guardian dogs

Show goats

Overstocking

Show goats

See also

External links