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In our country, breeding goats is something frivolous. An old woman in a white scarf immediately appears, who has one dairy goat and a couple of kids. In other parts of the world, they are doing this seriously, breeding new breeds of goats, the characteristics of which are much better than ordinary outbred animals.
Breed description
Boer goats were bred in South Africa at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. The name translates as farmer. Animals of this breed are used only for meat, because the milk they give is only enough to feed the kids.
An adult goat weighs 120-130 kg, but can reach 150 kg live weight. Goats are somewhat smaller – 80-100 kg.
The color of purebred representatives of the breed is white with a golden brown head and neck. The coat is short and smooth. The physique of the Boer goats is stocky, proportional. Powerful short legs support an equally powerful body. Ears large hanging. The horns are almost invisible, they are small, moreover, they are directed backwards and pressed to the head. Goats may have not two, but four nipples on the udder. You can see all the beauty and harmony of this breed in the photo.
Separately, it is worth noting the calm and friendly nature of these animals. In addition, they are very hardy to drought and heat, less susceptible to various diseases.
The meat of these goats is tender, has a pleasant taste, reminiscent of veal. The meat of purebred animals of the Boer breed is highly valued by gourmets.
What to feed Boer goats
Like all goats, Boer goats chew everything, but still prefer the leaves and twigs of the bush. They can feed on areas with very poor vegetation. Due to their calmness, these goats can be let out for grazing with other animals.
It is very good if there are areas that need to be rid of bush growth, these animals will do just fine with this. Sometimes Boer goats are bred for an aesthetic purpose: goats delight with their appearance and ennoble the area entrusted to them, saving it from overgrowth.
In winter, hay will become the main component of the diet, vegetables and food waste can serve as an additive. These goats eat well various compound feeds and mashes. Goats are so unpretentious in food that they can be accustomed to any kind of food.
Content
Important conditions for keeping these animals are just a few points:
- Maintaining the room temperature for goats above +5 degrees;
- Vaccination of animals, preventive examinations by a veterinarian;
- Ensuring adequate supply of clean fresh water;
- Room humidity control. The indicator should not exceed 80%, and preferably 60-70%. High humidity indoors with animals leads to the growth of pathogenic bacteria, increasing the risk of animal diseases;
- Provide insulating bedding, as the legs are the weak point of the Boer goat;
- Hooves should be trimmed twice a year. The animal, spending the whole winter in a stall, does not have the opportunity to walk on solid ground, thereby turning the growing hooves. Over the winter, growths appear that will interfere with walking, they also do this before wintering;
- Daylight hours in winter should be at least 8 hours;
- In summer, Boer goats should be provided with a grazing area, if there are valuable and necessary plants, shrubs and low trees nearby, they must be protected from goats.
Breeding
The breeding process itself is quite simple, thanks to the rapid puberty of these goats. Puberty time is 5 months, but there are some nuances. A goat will tolerate pregnancy better if you wait with mating for up to 7 months.
Pregnancy in these animals lasts 5 months, plus a couple of months for recovery, pregnancy again. Thus, in 2 years there are three lambing.
The first time one kid is born, in subsequent lambing – at least two. The offspring of a purebred Boer goat is always strong.
The only problem is that finding a purebred Boer male in Our Country is difficult and expensive. If nevertheless it succeeded, it is possible to cross it with females of the Nubian breed, which also gives good results.
The main breeding of this breed is concentrated in South Africa and the USA.
Growing goats
From birth until two weeks old, kids are best kept with a goat to ensure adequate milk supply. From the age of two weeks, the kid is separated from the mother if they want to get milk for their own use. Then they begin to feed the baby from the bottle three times a day. Carrot juice and a decoction of oats are added to the milk. From the age of one month, add hay decoction, finely crushed wheat bran. Switch to two meals a day. Usually kids themselves start eating hay and feed, refusing the bottle.
Since this is a meat breed, it brings less milk, so it makes sense to let the goat suck mother’s milk in the amount that he determines himself, without taking it away from the mother. If the kid is already big, but continues to suck milk, then a linen bag is put on the udder.
Features of breeding the Boer breed in Our Country
Produced in Africa, the Boer goat breed is still adapted to the hot arid climate. These goats wait out the harsh winters indoors, and this may affect their growth and weight gain. Therefore, in central Our Country, animals of the Boer breed do not grow as fast as they could.
Boers are not very common in our country, so it is extremely difficult to find them, and the cost is in the tens of thousands.
Otherwise, even under harsh conditions, Boer goats grow to the required size. The quality of dietary meat is in no way inferior to foreign meat.
Pros and cons of breeding
Summing up, I would like to briefly highlight the main advantages and disadvantages of this breed.
Pros:
- Delicious dietary meat, which can be called a delicacy.
- Rapid growth of animals.
- Large weight of an adult animal.
- Unpretentiousness in food.
- Rapid reproduction.
- Lack of aggression.
- Good health.
Cons:
- It is difficult to find purebred representatives.
- High price.
Reviews
An opinion about the Boer breed of an experienced goat breeder can be seen in this video:
