Black boers

burfer · #1 02/25/05, 01:08 PM

Hi,
I am thinking of adding a black boer buck to my girls. Has anyone done this? They are extremely hard to find here (NC), and I personally LOVE the black! I have tried to find something about the color genes, you know, what percentage will be black, red, paint, and I can't seem to find much. The debate is between a black paint and a solid black. Any suggestions?

shorty'smom · #2 02/25/05, 05:28 PM

There must be some black in the boer herds of my friend and myself. We've both gotten a black headed kid when we cross with a black nubian doe. So far these kids have died when we have them. I don't know if it is coincidence or a lethal allele, but I don't like to see one in my herd. My full bloods are red headed with white bodies. That's what we select for, though some here like the full red body. They are large, and pretty looking though. I believe that the breed standard is white with red head with some appearance of a white blaze on the face.

Dee · #3 02/26/05, 12:16 PM

I know someone who breeds blacks on a regular basis. Too bad we live in NJ, I could have seen if she got a nice buckling this year.

JR05 · #4 02/26/05, 08:07 PM

I get at least one or two black boer kids a year and they usually are the healthest ones! i would look into genics if they are dying.Mine also have a little nubbie in them so look to the parents. I don't keep any for breeding purposes but people like them as pets (wethers) The locals around here are just getting used to goats and the benifits of having them in with the cows to clean up an overgrown pasture. I have an order for 10 wethers this breeding so far for this purpose. But the black is just a color, I would think there wouldn't be any blood problems if both parents are healthy.
jr05

shorty'smom · #5 02/26/05, 11:04 PM

It must just be a coincidence. The paren't look fine, especially the buck. I get a little black sometimes in the red head of my kids. Their skin is supposed to be black. My buck has strong genes for coloring. His kids all come out looking pretty much like him, even from nubian moms. I do have some that I call a "calicoe" pattern. I think they are colorful and like them just to have on the place. Plus, with the nubian blood lines, I may get milk from them. I'll just have to wait and see what kind of udders they develop. At any rate, when I cross them with my up and coming buck I hope to get back to a pleasing boer coloration with the muscling and growth of a boer. These kids will be for the meat market.