| First of all, what is a Boer Goat? Boer goats are large framed animals. A Boer is a large, double muscled animal. Boers are specifically meat goats. They consistently produce more muscling in less time, then any other goat on the market. Boers are to the meat goat industry what imported cattle were to the beef industry. Where did the boer goat come from? The Boer goat was developed in South Africa in the early 1900s for meat production. hardiness and brush control abilities. 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 Fooku 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. The original US breeding stock came from herds located in New Zealand. Only later were they imported directly from South Africa. What do Boer goats look like? Boer goats commonly have white bodies and distinctive brown heads. Like the Nubian goat, they possess long, pendulous ears. They are noted for being docile, fast growth, and having high fertility rates. 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). Solid red Boer goats are also becoming more and more popular. When you look at a Boer goat you should look for a deep, broad chest, good back, strong shoulders and heavy muscling in the rump. Why raise Boer goats? One reason is efficiency of feed and space. The accepted standard for raising cattle is one cow-calf pair per acre of good pasture. With goats, the equal comparison would be six does with two kids each per acre. Ten months after breeding, a cow is nursing a 75 pound calf. Ten months after breeding to a Boer buck, six goats will have raised 12 kids (a goat's gestation period is 5 months), and the kids will have been sold. Boer kids reach a market weight of 50 to 90 pounds at about 5 months of age. (A weight gain of .5 pounds a day is not considered unusual). If we use a market weight of 60 pounds, at $1 per pound, these 12 kids sold for $720. The same six does were then rebred 60 to 90 days after the kids were born and are now 60 days pregnant ten months after the first breeding! If you have 10 acres, you can easily raise 60 goats or ten head of cattle. Goats, especially Boers or Boer crosses, can survive, even prosper, on poor pasture and brush that would not support cattle. Many breeders find the fact that goats will eat berry bushes, russian olive, elm or cottonwood trees, ragwort, gorse, dock, amerauthis and other weeds, to be an important factor when deciding to raise goats. Some ranchers also find it good pasture management to run goats on the pasture after their cows to clean up the weeds. Goat meat has a lower fat content than either lamb or beef and is eaten by over 80% of the world's population. |
Little Lakeview Boer Goats
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