Boer Goat

Boer goats are strong, large goats raised for meat production. These meat goat breeders were originally raised by Dutch farmers in South Africa, during the early 1900s. The increasing need for lean meat across the world has increased for the highly productive Boer goat breeders.

What Are The Advantages of Boer Goats?

The main advantage of Boer goat farming is the goats' ability to produce rapidly and grow to a large size in a relatively short time. Their calm behavior also means that they don't need structures for climbing and jumping in their pen. Female Boer goats have a high fertility rate. So breeders can recoup their investment in a pair of goats within a short time. Male Boer goats reach their reproductive maturity at the age of five months, and they can breed throughout the year. The gestation period is five months, and the kid goats suck for about three months.

How Do You Identify a Full-Blooded Boer Goat?

The typical Boer goat color is a redhead and white body. The ears droop or hang down. Boer goats have brown eyes, and their thick horns curve backward. The mature buck or female Boers weighs an average of 220 pounds, while the mature male goat weighs about 350 pounds. These dappled goats demonstrate high resistance to sickness in cool and temperate weather. A Boer has a calm and docile personality, and it shows less aggression when hungry than other goat species. These goats can live for up to 12 years. Boer goat meat is usually moist and thick.

How Do You Care for Boer Goats?

Dappled Boer goats are large goats with surprising strength. That means they can climb out easily if their pen fence is too low. Use a wood or barbed wire fence that is 5 feet tall to stop the goats from hopping out. Remember that Boers need a lot of roughage in their diet all year round. Preparing a large store of hay before winter is a good way to keep them healthy till spring or summer.