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Everything to know about boer goats
Breed Profile: Boer Goats
History of boer goats
Boer goats is an african breed bred from the indigenous goats of the Namaqua Bushmen and the Fooku tribes, , its name mean “farmer” .
They were developed in South Africa since 1900s , and exported first time to New Zealand when embryos were smuggled out .
A few years later , the were exported around the world , now Now the biggest countries for Boer goat production are the U.S., New
Zealand, Australia and southeast China.
Characteristics of boer goats
The boer goats are characterized by a white body , large pendulous ears and a red head which make them special .
This breed has a fast growth rate , Docility and high fertility , making it one of the most popular breeds of meat goat in the world.
Also they have a high resistance to disease and adapt well to hot, dry semideserts.
It’s the largest goat breed in the world , it can grow up to 340 pounds for bucks and 230 pounds for does .
They have been selected for growth rate and may gain in excess of 0.4 pounds per day under feedlot conditions.
As typical browsers, the boer goats are used for land maintenance due to their versatility on different terrains .
They are able to suppress regrowth after bush thinning and browse from plants up to 1.8 meters high.
What make the boer breed special ?
The boer goats are easy to raise, they lived in difficult and harsh climatic conditions, but they were able to adapt with it. They are survivors.
This strain lives on browsing, it spends most of its time browsing instead of grazing, which gave it a strong immunity to poisonous plants.
If we compare goats with sheeps, most of the sheeps feed on anything that you offer for them and don’t need other options, while goats are difficult to satisfy.
I prefer boer over all other breeds because they are nice, its mood is always good, they do not need milking, no special care and no cutting.
On the contrary, it is developed to cleanse the hardest lands and purify them, it spends more time grazing than any other goats, they go out in the heat of the day when dairy goats remain in the shade and even snowstorms do not affect them.
In good conditions, Boer goats grow in the first 12 months at an average of 250 grams per day, the grove reaches a reproductive age within 5 months while females within 6 months.
Often times, female goats give birth to twins, at 50%, and triplets, at 15%.
The use of boer goats
Meat
The main reason why goat breeders raise the boer is to get meat , as i mentioned before the boer are the biggest breed of goats , it can gain weight in a short period Which makes it perfect for meat .
Breeding
It is one of the original strains used in offspring development. Most modern strains that are used in the production of milk and meat are at the same time a hybrid of two original strains.
Boer goats are often used as terminal sires – animals whose offspring will be sold for meat, regardless of gender.
improving Pasture
As i mentioned before , boer are browsers they can thrive on land that is unsuitable for grazing other animals , If you have a large pasture just bring a couple of boer goats , it’s will be clean from blackberry, thistles, ragwort, and all other weeds.
We keep the boer goats specifically for this purpose.
Raising boer goats
How to choose a boer goat ?
Choosing a boer goat is depending on the gendare buck or does , but generally there are some specific things in choosing a goat .
First , Your new does should be 10-36 months old , don’t choose older goat, they will not adapte with you .
The size need to be at least 30 kg , its preferable to get a goat from a seller of breeds that you know well , to know exactly how old is it.
Take a look at the place where they live , it must be clean and inspect your goat well , you need to Look for these signs:
Eyes and nows , they must be clear without any discharge or mucus.
Respiration should be clear with no coughing .
The goat have to walk without any difficulty or limping.
Avoid to buy a goat in the period of kidding , because during this time they will have lowered immunity they mustn’t be teleported to any place.
How to Feed Boer Goats?
We have an article about feeding goats for meat i recommend it if you don’t know anything about feeding goats , i will just talk about the important things .
In order to get a good and healtheast goat you need to provide for theme the best food .
They like to eat grain , hay , alfalfa fruit , vegetables and other supplement .
In our farm we feed the goat two to three times a day with different quantities .
Don’t forget the water , they need it a clean water all the time ,about 4-5 liters each day .
Fencing and Housing
- Boer Goat Fencing
it’s known that the goats don’t like close places , if you are raising goats in a pasture that is great but if you have them in a small yard you need to provide for them a strong fence to contain them and protect them from animals and predators thats lives in your area .
Goats are very skilled in escaping , they can jump over 8 feets and stand on their hind feet until they reach the top of the fence .
The fence need to be over than 5 feet high , and the corner posts should be 8 feet apart .
it must be made of woven wire because it’s durable enough to withstand rubbing, chewing, and pawing and it should have 2×4 inch openings , goat heads may be stuck in the fence and you will have to remove their horns .
Many goat breeders an electric wiring to the fence , it prevent leaning and rubbing .
- Boer Goat Housing
The housing is depend on where your goats live in a big or small farm or on a yard and how many one do you have .
But i generale the boer goats need sheltered space thats can protect them from the wind and wet especially in winter , they need at least 20 to 25 sq and more , depending on the number of goats that you have.
The place should be divided into three, a large place where all the herd is placed, and two rooms, one of which is reserved for sick goats and the other for kids of you plan to get them.
The boer is the largest and strongest goat breed , a buck that weight over than 260 pounds in the breeding period became aggressive , it can break the fence and even attack people around him , make sure that you have a place where you can isolate the bucks during this period .
Making profit from boer goats
Make profit from the boer goats is only by selling meat , but you can make a lot of money just from it . The more you goat meat is good , i mean with that a high protein meat with low fats , the more you gain more money .
There is 3 ways to sell your meat , i will start with the less profitable way
The first choice is to sell the whole carcasses from the farm directly to butchers and meat buyers , it can be sold with 4 to 8 dollars per kg depending on the buyer and the quality of meat .
The second choice is to set up your own shop , if you have sheeps and chickens will be great , you will have a clients and you can sell the meat with the price that you want , and by time you will grow your shop and why not make your own company .
The third choice is to work with hotels and restaurants , Goat meat is very much in demand and it is sold for expensive prices in 5 stars restaurants.
it content low fats in comparison with chicken and high protein than beef .
Compared to other red meats, it is lower in calories, total fat, saturated fats, and cholesterol and high in iron, selenium, and potassium .
You need to know what you have to give it the right price .
I think that this is all what you need to know about the boer goats
we are here for any question , feel free to ask .
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