Enormous Goats

[Oxankle]

I went out to buy two butcher goats today; found a fellow selling some half-boer, half nubians and some half Boer, half Mexican goats.

His herd sire was a purebred Boer, 5 years old. That sucker was much larger than I expected a goat to be. Stood waist high, long, and thick thru the butt and middle like a barrel. I estimated his weight at 300, 350 pounds.

His owner told me that he never turned his back on that goat, said he was very protective of his females. Showed me where the billy had moved a stud wall off the concrete foundation in one spot by continually battering it.

His get were good goats; I bought a yearling and a two-year old, but they were not ever going to be the quality animals that their sire was.

Anyone here raise meat goats? Apparently the country around here is filling up with them. When I started looking I found several herds within 25 miles. One grower referred me to a local processing plant that he said "killed hundreds of them every year".

Tempted to buy a boer kid and wether him, just to see how big he would get. Has anyone ever done that?
Ox

[Trey]

Quite a few on here have meat goats. How big he would get will depend on his genes, and his early care and feeding, but upwards 300/350 isn't unusual at all, especialy for fb (fullblood) show type boers.

[Goat Servant]

The FB sire we used last yr sounds alot like the one you saw..humoungus, 350lb range, honkin booty & shoulders & very wide, long & level.
Two of my does have taken on his frame. "Booty Queen" took 1st place as a 6 mo old and two of her cousins 2nd & 3rd in the same class.
They were out of 88% dams who are full sisters.
Im just learning this stuff. The first sire we used was not real big. His kids grew fast enough but didn't seem to fill out till they were about a yr old. But this yr have good booty, even on one of Boer/Nubian crosses.
We took 5 boys to freezer camp at 5mos. Hanging wt came to 198lb. (smaller sire)
One of the 06 does is now bigger than her dam.
So in effect yes, genetics does have alot to do with it as well as a good feeding program.

Good question! I'd like to know too!

[DQ]

The bucks I used this year are in the over 300lb range. I was shocked when I first saw them so I know how you feel. one is a full blood really nice show animal the other is almost as large but a little less typey. I had only seen lamancha and nubian bucks previously. I bred 4 girls to them, 2 to each and I can't wait to see the results. I just sent blood off to check the preggo status of two who I am not completely convinced settled.

[Gailann Schrader]

My Boer guy that I like to talk to likes to breed his Boer bucks to Nubian does. (I just sold a well-built yearling doe to him). The resulting cross can get humongous. Especially with big genetics behind it.

I've been told the Hispanic market prefers the cross because fb Boers tend towards fattiness under the skin/meat. But the Nub/Boer cross makes huge meaty animals.

I know I sold an Ober/Boer and she continued to grow until she was about 5 years old and HUGE.

I don't like Boers because they tend towards assertiveness/aggressive natures. You can't put regular milk does or other goats in with them. They either run them to death or knock them silly. Even that Ober/Boer was a TERROR.

[GoatsRus]

Our Buck was in the 300# range (he died this year) and stood over 6 feet tall. I have a picture of the buck standing on his hind legs and my husband is facing him holding the bucks front feet, and he was taller than my husband. He was pretty aggressive when we first got him especially when we put him in with the girls during breeding season. We finally got smart after he knocked me down twice and got a hot prod. I would carry it in with me when he was in the girls pen. I think we only touched him a half dozen times when we first got it, then the next year all he had to do was "see" the prod and he'd back away. After that we never had to use it. He was as gentle as could be, BUT, I never trusted him enough to turn my back on him. We weathered his son (for companion purposes) and his son was pretty big, but not as big as him. Although, since he now "thinks" he's top dog, he seems to be bulking up more.

[Freeholder]

Gailann, that's odd, because the Ober/Boer doe I had was a sweetheart. She was definitely herd queen here because my other goats when I first got her were all Kinders and a lot smaller (she taped at 200 lbs. shortly before she died of hypercalcemia), but she had a good temperament. The kids in the pen would jump up on her (fat, wide) back and ride there! I still have her daughter (only 3/16 Boer) and she's even nicer. I really like the cross.

Kathleen

[Gailann Schrader]

Maybe it was just HER! She was a cranky old sow...

[jen74145]

We had a Boer show here in the fall... some of those guys were really huge, and friendly as could be. Of course, those were show goats likely handled often. But geez... like puppies with their insistence on being petted.

[fishhead]

My boer/nubian wether is the biggest of the 3. He gets shoved out of the way by a smaller goat but just quietly goes back to eating. In 6 months I've never seen any of them butt heads even once.

[tioga12]

Check out this guy! The bucks on this local farm are monsters.

[Trey]

Originally Posted by Gailann Schrader

I don't like Boers because they tend towards assertiveness/aggressive natures. You can't put regular milk does or other goats in with them. They either run them to death or knock them silly. Even that Ober/Boer was a TERROR.

that is funny, I have two dehorned saanens in with my boers and the Saanens, who are very sweet goats, run the place. I have another dairy mix who is new who is working her way up. But my boers are all very laid back, they push each other during feeding, but none are aggressive in any way. Now my angoras were horrible!

[Jcran]

I've got a very depleted herd of boers-down from 18 to 5, and I sold the gorgeous buck to my neighbor; I LOVE them! Three girls due to kid 12/ 26-12/30...I can't wait! With this small a herd, I will save a buck kid to breed to does, then slaughter in Fall, outbreed next year, then do again. That way I'll only have to go off-farm every other year instead of every year. I loved my buck-a Leanin' Tree lineage and worth every penny I paid for him- but it wasn't worth the hassle of keeping him to only have five girls. My neighbor has about 30 so he is utiilized and a lot happier, if ya get my drift.

[YodelDogs]

Are there any other breeds that are larger than Boers?

[Goat Servant]

Jcran, is this Durango or one of his offspring? Durango was the first sire we used at Leaning Tree. My foundation stock is from there. One of his daughters born here placed 3rd at Evergreen Fair as a 9 mo old and took Grand Champ this past yr!
Sorry all just had to brag!

Happy Kidding Jcran!

[Terre d'Esprit]

I have a herd of Boers, and they are very low-key and calm. Like Trey, I have a dehorned Saanen in with my horned Boers (and currently I have all of my does (bred) running with 2 bucks. The Saanen is my herd queen, and the bucks are calm and mellow. Also, my big buck's companion is a Boer/Sannen wether, and I would say that he is more aggressive than the FB Boer buck. Boers, in my limited experience, are more mellow than other breeds.

[Jcran]

my leaning tree boy was a TarzanPipes son; Vindicator, or Vinnie, as we called him; at our sanction show, the judge asked to look at his papers as he was SOOOOO much taller and longer than his peer group. If I ever win the lottery, I will buy more land then raid Leaning Tree and Capriole herds for their stock-incredible stuff. Until then, I've got 5 goats, a preggo Dexter, and two horses on less than two acres...a bit snug and not fair to the critters to have any more (the horses are moving off property to rented pasture over winter break, thank goodness)

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

The biggest goat in a photo I have ever seen was Sydney Chinsucker, the largest in person was Smooth Operator. Vicki