Please... Tell me more about Boers

**mygoat** · #21 04/01/13, 07:23 AM

I wouldn't do boer does with nubian sires - backwards. If you utelize crossbreeding, it's usually best to have the does as the crosses or dairies. Why?

- Smaller body size as crosses or dairies, thus you need to feed each doe less per head for maintenance or production. A smaller framed lighter muscled doe requires less feed than a 250lb boer doe with heavy bone/muscle. Crossing back to boer will yield higher percentage, hefty kids.

- Utelizing heterozygosity in both the kids AND the dam results in best growth of kids and production.

- Crosses or dairy dams will produce more milk.

- A boer sire that is registered (97% or higher purebred, or fullblood) can sire registered kids. A 50% doeling (or higher percent) can demand a larger market than unregistered kids as breeding stock. If the sire is not registered, then he cannot sire registered kids.

- My favorite cross is the LaMancha cross. I've got some boer/nubian crosses and they annoy me. I hate nubian voices.

Horns are now pretty much required on ABGA registered animals. Personally, we disbud everything. The kids can get their heads stuck in pretty much any fence when their horns start to grow, and there's nothing more annoying than removing a boatload of wethers from fencing. Haven't lost any but it's been close sometimes...

jolly rabbit · #22 04/15/13, 02:15 PM

I am am planning on raising kikos for "stock" but crossing my kiko does with a the very best boer buck I can afford- these kids will probably be sold as meat or less expensive breeders. These seem to be the best goats for the climate Iam moving to.

copperpennykids · #23 04/15/13, 02:37 PM

Boer X LaMancha make some pretty nice chunky kids...But you need to be aware that the ethnic groups do not like LaManchas (the no ear thing) and you will get less money for those crosses than for a comparable Nubian X Boer or Saanen X Boer.

If you are hauling to a processing facility, this will make no difference. Also, keep in mind that it is near impossible to overcome the "no-ear" thing to ever breed your Boer X La Manchas back up to Boers, as they have to meet breed standard, which includes pendulous ears (Saanens generally have correct ears for Boers the 2nd or 3rd generation, and airplane ears are acceptable in Percentage animals).