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05/12/10, 09:20 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Northern Ontario
Posts: 1,713
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Are Boers a slow growing breed?
Suzie was born late Aug/09. Her Mom was 3/4 Boer and her Dad was a full blood Boer. Suzie has the right body type, looks like a Boer but is very very short. My 3mth old Boer/Nubian are the same height as Suzie. Her Mom was pregnant why I bought her, skinny and on really poor hay, no browse nor minerals. She was bred just before I bought her. Could this be the cause of Suzie being small? Not enough good food soon enough or is she just growing slow? I am thinking of culling her because of her size but am wondering if I should give her more time. I'm worried that her kids will be too big for her come breeding time.
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05/12/10, 11:52 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: S.E. Iowa
Posts: 2,530
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I don't have any Boers, myself. Just observations. Around here it seems Boers come in all different sizes. I have even seen a wether the size of a pony! All the way down to about 60 lbs does.
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05/12/10, 04:14 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 3,414
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Boers should grow fast.
I had a Boer doe that often gave me kids that didnt grow. Small and/or slow growing boers, IMO, are useless since they are a meat goat.
I culled that doe so I wouldn't be wasting my time.
She was a big doe and my buck was huge. He made nice Boer kids with other does. Just this one doe tossed kids that just didnt grow for a darn.
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"We spend money we don't have on things we don't need to create impressions that won't last on people we don't care about."
~T.Jackson
My site.
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05/12/10, 05:00 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 9,208
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Boers are not any slower growing than other goats. They are not a tall goat though and even big Boers are usually shorter than most dairy goats.
Poor nutrition, poor breeding, poor cocci/worm management.......All can and will contribute to making a goat smaller than it should be. May be nothing you can do about it, it may be that she will need just a lot more time.
There are culls born even in the best of lines. Not everything should be kept for breeding. Its why goats are made of meat. 
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Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Nubians & Lamanchas
www.ozarkjewels.net
"Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends" -Clarence
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05/12/10, 05:31 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Northern Ontario
Posts: 1,713
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Her Mom was small when I bought her as a yearling, I sold her last Nov and saw her just the other week, nice big girl now and a much better Mother that she was to Suzie.
I'll give her until the fall to see how much more she grows before I decide wether wot cull her not. Maybe she is a late bloomer, she has had everything she needs since she was born. Could lack of when she was forming be the cause ro would she have drawn what she needed from her mom?
Her daddy was suppose to be Tony who is Daddy to all my kids this year. There was another buck that came with my herd who was sent to aution. He was small for his age, maybe I was lied to about the Daddy.
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05/12/10, 05:50 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 9,208
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Poor nutrition of the pregnant doe can certainly contribute to problems with kids.
If its not an emergency decision, I sure would give her a little more time. With me its one year poor kids, the doe gets a second chance. Two years poor kids.....I cull the line.
__________________
Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Nubians & Lamanchas
www.ozarkjewels.net
"Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends" -Clarence
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05/12/10, 06:36 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Northern Ontario
Posts: 1,713
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Should I be concerned about her size when breeding her, my buck is a Sannen/boer (75% boer) Suzie is not a puny doe by any means, likeI said she is very stocky just very short.
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05/12/10, 06:40 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 9,208
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Height shouldn't be a concern as much as width and depth. Does she have a nice wide rump or is she narrow? Does she have a good barrel on her??
Also, the size of the buck is not the concern, its the size of the kids he tends to throw. Both Boer and Saanens can have quite large kids. Do you have a kidding history with him?? What size kids does he tend to throw?
__________________
Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Nubians & Lamanchas
www.ozarkjewels.net
"Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends" -Clarence
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05/12/10, 07:08 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: True Northern California
Posts: 13,298
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My boer does, who weigh about 150 lbs, are shorter than the average nubian, although I admit that given the age difference, it seems shorter than normal.
How tall she? Morte importantly, how much does she weigh?
Nubians have really long legs compared to my Boers.
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05/12/10, 08:24 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Northern Ontario
Posts: 1,713
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My buck is one of the kids I'm keeping back, his Daddy was big and also Suzie's dad (sire?) All the kids that are 2 or 3 mths are as tall or almost as tall as Suzie expect one, he is small compared to his brother and sister but wasn't born the smallest. I will look at her width and depth and try to get some pics so you all can see her and the others.
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05/12/10, 11:59 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,377
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Emily made some great points about proper nutrition.
Its like you can have top of the line ingredients for a fantastic meal but if
it's not cooked right you are disappointed.
Boers are not slow growers at all in general.
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Bob and Nancy Dickey
Laughing Stock Boer Goats
"Seriously Great Bloodlines"
and the meat goes on....
Near Seattle
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