Boer goat is a famous meat goat
breed originated in South Africa in early 1900s. ‘Boer’ is a Dutch word meaning
‘farmers. Boer goats originated from the indigenous goat breeds kept by local
goat farmers in South Africa. Boer goats are infusion of Angora goats, European
and Indian goat breeds. Farmers in Eastern Cape province of South Africa
started selecting goats for meat production which resulted in the emergence of
a new breed ‘Boer goat’. This breed is selected from all the existing breeds of
goats in South Africa. Selective breeding by local farmers and later by South
African Boer Goats Association made Boer an excellent breed for meat production
owing to its fast growth rate. Read and download free pdf veterinary books
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| Boer Goat Breed Characteristics and Farming Benefits | Raising goats for meat |
Some common names for Boer goat are
Africander, Afrikaner and South African Common goat. Red Kalahari goat of
Pakistan is considered as close relative of Boer goat. Boer goats are cute and
friendly in nature. They can be raised as companion animals and pets instead of
meat.
Boer goat has significantly changed
the goat meat industry in USA since they were imported in 1993 to United Stated
of America. Efficient selective breeding under the guidelines of American Boer
Goats Association (ABGA) further increased the genetic superiority of this
breed which is known as Modern Boer Goat or American Boer Goat nowadays.
Population of Boer goats in the
world is concentrated in South Africa, USA, Canada, UK, New Zealand and
Australia. However Boer goat breeders can be found all over the world. South
African Boer Goats Association, American Boer Goats Association (ABGA) and Boer
Goats Association of Australia are International organizations working for
establishing the breeding standards for Boer goats.
Breed characteristics of Boer goats
Boer goats show a variety of color
patterns. Mostly they have white body with distinctive brown heads. Brown color
may extend up to their neck region and they may have large colors patches on
white body. Some Boer goats can be completely brown though.
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| Boer goats are white colored with brown head and neck |
Boer goats have broad, pendulous
ears of medium length. They are short haired and docile in nature. It is a
horned goat breed. Horns are round, strongly curving backwards and dark
colored. They have soft brown eyes and slightly curved nose with wide nostrils.
Too short ears, pointed jaw, too straight horns and blue eyes are not
desirable. Pure Boer goats have medium length neck and strong legs with dark
colored hoofs. Too fleshy legs are not desirable.
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| Strongly curving horns, pendulous ears and brown eyes are characteristics of Boer goats |
They are large, stocky animals with
high growth rate and high fertility. Both does and buck grow approximately at
same rate. Market weight for slaughter is 22-36 kg. Kid from a superior doe can
reach the market weight in just 90 days. Mature Boer buck weighs 110-135 kg
while Boer does weighs 90-100 kg. Maximum weight for bucks is 160 kg and for
does is 110 kg. Average weight gain in feedlot is 200 g/day.
Bucks reach puberty in 6 months
while does in 10-12 months. Twinning is common and one can get kids 3 times in
2 years from Boer goats. Gestation period is 5 months and they can live up to
10 years generating profit for the goat farmer.
Scope and benefits of Boer goat farming
Boer goat is an excellent breed for
farming as meat animal. Maintenance cost for Boer goats is quite low and they
yield lean meat of high quality. Other factors that make them one of the best
animals for farming include their docility, early maturity, kidding 3 times in
2 years and fast growth rate. How to care for goats? Raising goats for profit
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| Boer goat have high ability of adaptation to new climate and pastures |
Some of these guidelines and tips
will help you design a pre-feasibility report for Boer goat farming in your
area. Boer goats have very low maintenance costs with high profits. They can
revolutionize the meat goat industry in India and Pakistan as quickly as they
did in USA. Boer goat gestation period is 150 days, they nurse their kids for
90 days. It means a Boer goat will be ready for next pregnancy just in 8 months.
Kids on the other hand, will reach
marketing weight in 90 days so they are ready for slaughter soon after weaning.
You get 1 or 2 kids per goat and kid production can be increased if cross the
purebred Boer goat with some other goat breed. Some common crosses include
crossing Boer goat with Angora goat, Spanish goat, Kiko goat, Nubian goat or
Jamnapari goat of India.
Boer goats can be raised both in
extensive grazing systems and in commercial set up. Raising Boer goats in
commercial farms will, however, yield higher output than conventional farming.
They have high ability for
adaptation to new climatic conditions. They are one of the hardies goats in the
world and do not require supplementary feeding for survival. A detailed
discussion on feeding and nutritional requirements of Boer goats will follow in
the upcoming paragraphs.
Boer goats are liked for highly
tasty, lean and flavorsome meat. Goat meat have extremely low fat as compared
to other meat animals. Goats can be marketed between the age of 6-15 months.
Besides their primary product that is meat, Boer goats also give useful by
products. The pelts of Boer goats are used to make gloves, book covers and
uppers of shoes.
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| Boer goats can be raised both in conventional and commercial farming systems |
They have exceptional resistance to
diseases like enterotoxaemia, blue tongue, pulpy kidney disease and internal
parasites. They are very fertile and are not seasonal breeders. You can set the
kidding period according to your own climatic conditions and fodder
availability.
They have sufficient milk
production. A doe has enough milk to raise twins easily. A Boer goat can live
for 10 years at farm being productive and avoid the need for culling.
Boer goat breeders
Here we are sharing with you contact
information of some Boer goat farmers which, we think, will be of great benefit
to ones who want to buy Boer goats for them. Feel free to contact them if you
want to buy Boer goats at best price.
Polska Livestock: Phone: +48616604681 Whatsapp: +48575759270 Email: info@polskalivestock.com
Price ranges may be roughly between USD
150-400 depending upon the size and physical condition.
Feeding management of Boer goats
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| A Boer goat takes 75% of its feed from plant leaves and 25% from grass |
One of the most attractive character
of Boer goats is their economical feeding habits. They can survive without any
supplementary feeding and may gain an average growth rate of 200g/day. Boer
goats like to eat trees and shrubs but their economic importance lies in the
fact that they can utilize the plants which may be less appetizing to other
breeds of goats. It is possible to raise cattle and Boer goats together as Boer
goats take only one quarter of their feed as grass while rest of it is taken
from leaves of plants and shrubs. They fulfill their nutritional requirements
for vitamins and minerals from plant leaves.
Because of low feed expenses and
high adaptability to pastures, Boer goats can be a great choice for goat
farmers in India and Pakistan. Goat farming | What do goats eat?
Fun facts about Boer goats
Thank you for showing interest in
Boer goat farming. Let’s close this discussion with some interesting facts
about Boer goats you may like.
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| Boer goats are really fun ! |
1. Primary purpose of Boer goat was
meat but in USA, people started to keep them as pets for their beauty and
docile nature.
2. Blue eyes may be the sign of
beauty for some but a Boer goat with blue eyes is undesirable for a
professional goat farmer. He will cull her in first sight.
3. Modern Boer goats of USA are not
as hardy as their ancestors this may be due to extra pampering of these goats
by their owners due to their high prices. They are more susceptible to
parasites as well.
4. USA imported Boer goats in 1993
from New Zealand instead of their country of origin, South Africa.
5. Cross breeding of Boer goat will
result in increased twinning as compared to purebred Boer.
Related article:
sir where is your location in Pakistan
ReplyDeleteHello Good Day ! where can i find boar goat parent folk in Pakistan for breeding purpose
ReplyDeleteHello Good Day ! where can i find boar goat parent folk in Pakistan for breeding purpose
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