Safehaven Boer Goats (2024)

FAQs

How many acres do you need for a Boer goat? ›

Goats are active animals and like to explore different types of environments. It is important to not overstock pastures and allow the renew of forages to decrease the presence of parasites. To produce 70% of your herd's forage, you will need an acre for 1-3 goats (3-9 goats/hectare).

Kids (goats under a year of age) are often slaughtered when 3 to 5 months of age and weighing from 25 to 50 pounds. Kids do not store much body fat until they are about a year old. Many goats are older than a year and heavier when marketed, but most, except aged cull goats, are slaughtered when less than a year of age.

A Boer goat should have a prominent strong head with brown eyes and a gentle appearance. Nose should have a gentle curve, wide nostrils, and a well-formed mouth with well-opposed jaws. Bucks should possess a strong, masculine head while does should maintain a feminine appearance about the head.

While Boers are known for their hardiness and resistance to disease, "You have to be careful," says Turnquist. "Quick pneumonia or heat exhaustion can cause you to lose an animal.

Teats – a Boer goat should have no more than 2 distinct teats on each side. Blind teats, split teats, fish teats, and teats with double orifices are undesirable, as they may cause problems with kids nursing, especially newborns.

Boer goats are generally considered low-maintenance when it comes to management but are not as hardy as other breeds due to an overt focus on growth and large-framed meat goat production traits in the breed over the years.

However, goats are very social animals. If you only purchase one goat, they may get lonely and loud, as they often call for company. It's best to raise at least two goats at a time. Preferably, we recommend purchasing both goats from the same herd so they're comfortable with one another.

Goats are similar to sheep in that you can support about 6-8 goats on an acre of land. Because goats are browsers, not grazers, it will be important that the land you have will supply them with the sort of forage they like to eat—see below.

Spanish goat meat is prized for its rich flavor and tender texture, appealing to consumers seeking high-quality, artisanal meat products. As such, Spanish goats represent a valuable genetic resource for conservation efforts aimed at preserving heritage breeds and promoting biodiversity within the livestock industry.

The Boer goat breed is highly productive and prefers to browse, making it an ideal meat goat breed to raise alongside cattle. Does often weigh around 200-225 pounds and mature bucks weigh 240-300 pounds. Breeding does are very prolific and can kid out more often than other breeds.

Do goats know they are about to be slaughtered? ›

The goats that are to be cut on the following days are kept in the same place where their fellows were cut, skinned and hung in front of their eyes. They kick and cry loudly for days and nights before the sacrifice, but once the killing begins they go eeringly quiet.

Classes: All animals must be registered purebred, fullblood or percentage blood Boer Goats. Percentage doe classes are for goats 50% to 88%, Purebred/Fullblood classes are for does that are 15/16 blood (94%) and higher, 31/32 blood (97%) and higher for bucks.

Breeding animals have been very expensive due to the limited numbers originally imported, but recent numbers have increased sufficiently that prices have become more reasonable. Due to their scarcity and high demand, some animals that should have been culled because they were not hardy were kept for breeding purposes.

Boer goats are generally considered low-maintenance when it comes to management but are not as hardy as other breeds due to an overt focus on growth and large-framed meat goat production traits in the breed over the years.

Characteristic cull defects: Concave forehead, horns too straight or too flat, pointed jaws, ears folded (lengthwise), stiff protruding ears, too short ears, over - or under -shot jaw and blue eyes.

Cons- they are a pain to try to keep in a fence, but the biggest issue with goats is parasites - unless you have a lot of brush for them to eat and can keep them eating at least a meter off the ground, you will be fighting parasites and there is just too much resistance.

The Boer goat is a breed of goat that has been specifically bred for meat and is regarded as the world's premier meat goat. Goat meat is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and is growing in popularity and demand in both the domestic and export markets.