Outstanding Characteristics
The American Boer goat is one of the hardiest of all livestock breeds. Bred for dominance, the breed distinguishes itself by carrying superior genetic characteristics for goat ranching. Boer goats have a high resistance to disease and adapt well to various climates and terrain. Internationally, and now in the United States, the Boer has been used to improve other breeds of meat goats through agressive cross-breeding programs. Boers also have the ability to maintain economic production for ten years and longer and have multiple births. The ability to multiply and maintain economic value, coupled with the Boer's regular features, stout build, lean meat, remarkable size and rate of growth, gentle nature and maturity reached at an early age, makes a Boer goat a valuable commodity.

Market Potential
Demand in the United States for low fat healthful Boer goat meat is strong and growing. This current market demand, along with Boer's influence on the existing U.S. meat goat industry, have the potential to make Boer the choice meat consumed throughout the world.

FAQ

1) What is the normal body temperature of a goat? Between 102 and 104 degrees.
2) Do all goats have horns? No. Some are hornless.
3) What is a common symptom of misfeeding in goats? Diarrhea.
4) Do goats really like eating grass? Goats enjoy feeding in pastures, especially where there are different types of grasses and weeds.
5) What is the earliest period of time that man believes the goat existed? Around 7000 B.C.
6) Which is easier to milk...a goat, sheep, or cow? Goat.
7) What causes foot rot in some goats? Bacteria that can be passed from one goat to another.
8) How important is it for a newborn kid to nurse after birth? Extremely. The kid has only 2-3 hours to obtain colostrum from the mother. Colostrum helps to strengthen the kid's immune system as it develops.

Currently, the prime meat market weight is 70 to 100 pounds. Depending on each animal's genetics and individual herd management practices, the prime market weight is achieved sometime between 4 to 10 months of age. Ideally, producers should strive for quality stock which can reach this weight range quickly.

A Boer buck reaches a mature weight between 260 - 380 pounds while mature does reach between 210 - 265 pounds. They are a content, easily managed animal that adapts well to various climactic conditions. A 200% kid crop is achievable and the standard rule is that ten head of goats can be raised in place of one cow.

The ideal Boer goat is a rapidly growing, robust goat. It is a well proportioned goat with well balanced muscling that blends throughout its neck, forequarters, and hindquarters. They have pendulous ears and a Roman nose, loose, supple skin, with pigmentation of at least 75% on hairless areas to help guard against sunburn. Traditionally their coloration was a white body with a red head with the color extending back no further than the shoulder blade. The red color could vary from shades of light brown to dark red with a white facial blaze. Solid colors and paints are becoming common and acceptable.

Goat meat (also referred to as chevon) has a fat content 50-65% lower than beef, while having a similar protein content. Comparing fat content with lamb, goat meat has 42-59% less, and the same to 25% lower fat than veil. The percentage of saturated fat in goat meat is 40% less than skinless chicken. When compared to beef, pork, and lamb, goat meat has 850, 1100, and 900% less saturated fat respectively.

Studies indicate that goat meat supplies a high quality protein source along with a healthy fat (increased unsaturated fats/saturated fats ratio) with minimal cholesterol intake. Goat meat, chevon, has higher values of iron, potassium, and thiamine associated with a low sodium level, and all essential amino acids are present. In our modern health conscious society chevon should be looked at as naturally occurring health meat.

On average, Boer goats produce 4.4 pounds of milk per day compared to 6-12 pounds with dairy goats. Boer goat milk is higher in protein and fat, averaging 4.3% protein and 7.6% fat. While dairy goat protein averages 3.5% and its fat average is 3%.


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.

Boer goats commonly have white bodies and distinctive red 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).

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 fencing. 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 from 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.
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.

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.


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