THE BOER GOAT

I have had so many people call and write me that are interested in starting up commercial herds, and they ask the best way to go about it. They also ask is there money to be made. YES........you bet there is money to be made if you do it the right way. Heres what I tell them.
First and foremost, the most important thing you can do is make sure the bucks you are using are good quality BOER BUCKS. Your Buck is the most important animal in your operation. Any doe, no matter the quality, bred to a good Boer buck is going to 9 out of 10 times improve the quality of the kids....and greatly improve them.
I remember years ago when we had Spanish and Nubian does, and some crosses, ( around 60 ) we bred them all to a big Spanish Buck and a Spanish/Nubian cross buck. We used these same bucks for 3 kidding seasons. We were pleased with the kids.
Then the Boers came to the US. We bought our first Boer buck in 95 and sold our other two Spanish, Spanish/Nubian bucks. We were simply amazed at the kids produced from those same does that we were now getting from our new Boer Buck. The difference was unbelievable. That first year we won grand with a 4 H wether that was shown in Cleveland. The little gal that showed him won close to 4 thousand dollars. The Mother of that wether was a Spanish/nubian cross, and really an ugly goat. She was probably 4 years old, and I had had her since she was weaned.. Try as I did, I could never put weight on that doe. She was tall and skinny. but the twins she had from that boer buck were awesome. It is true, on some of those Nubian and Nubian/Spanish does, we did have to pull some kids. As soon as we could, we got % Boer does, and a few FBs.
Living in Texas does help. There is great demand for Boer goats here. Quality genetics...............There are many many big commercial herds here. I do not know of one big commercial operation that does not use Boer Bucks as their herd sires. .Some also use the Kiko. Kikos are a very hearty breed, and I would not mind having a few Kiko does in my herd. but I would still only use the Boer as the herd sire.......Commercial operations here do very well. and they DO MAKE A GOOD PROFIT. Don't let anyone tell you offspring from Boer Show goats, do not make good commercial goats. Thats just plain not true. I don't know of one big commercial operation that does not have the EGGS bloodline in it. and in it heavily................Most commercial herds have high percentage Boer does, or FB does. These big Boer does are made for having large kids. You can easily breed a boer doe half the size of your boer buck , and do well. I know, I do it every year and have for years.
Practically all the schools in Texas are now showing goats for 4 H. Before the Boer, they only showed sheep. There is great demand now for show goats here. If they are not Boer influenced, they will not show. Same at the Auction houses,..........if a goat is not heavily Boer influenced, these big packers are not going to touch them. Boers are a very hearty animal.
When there are problems, its due to management. If you cram too many goats on two little land, you will have nothing but problems. You will not have clean pasturers to put them after worming. They will keep re-infecting. Its a no win situation. Overfeeding is the worse thing you can do. ....Ketosis and kids too big will be the result................When Boer kids are born too big,...........its NOT because the Boer Buck is so much bigger than the Boer doe, its because the doe was overfed...........or overdue. Thats what causes the problems.

The average weight , and its a good weight on Boer newborn is 9 to 10 lbs. Prime killing weight is 40 to 60 lbs. Boer influenced kids can easily do that in 60 days or less. There is not another breed of goat that can consistently do that in 60 days or less than a Boer.
When we started out in goats, everything we learned, we learned the hard way. Y we had no one to help us. Even the vets around knew little to nothing. We did not have goat lists on the internet. ..........we didn't even have a computer. People are so lucky now with these goat list. Hollys Boer goat list is without a doubt the fastest growing and best goat list on the internet. If you are not a member you need to join. The_Boer_Goat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Cyndi and John Underwood have a top Texas list. If your from Texas you need to join....... Texasboergoat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com These two list have so many many knowledgeable goat people. There is not a question you could think of to ask, that you won't get a good reliable answer.
One last thing I have to add about Boers. I like to see beautiful things......... There is nothing in my opinion more beautiful than a Boer goat. They are magnificent! Everytime I see them coming in from the pasture.............a mass of red heads and white bodies, it still, even after all these years, takes my breath away.

Judy and Dave Muska