The Boer goat
has received considerable attention in the world and has become the main
component in many goat improvement programs in
less developed countries. This interest stems from the increase in the
worldwide demand for goat meat and from the adaptability, productivity and carcass quality of the Boer Goat.
The South African Boer
Goat Breeders' Association was founded in 1959 to establish standards for
the emerging breed. Since 1970 the Boer goat has been incorporated into
the National Mutton Sheep and Goat Performance testing scheme,
which makes the Boer goat the only known goat breed involved in a
performance test for meat production.
The Boer goat is a large,
framed animal with mature weights between 260-380 lbs. for males and
210-265 lbs. for females. The potential for growth is outstanding. Under
intensive performance tested conditions, males averaged 80 lbs. at 3
months of age; 160 Lbs. at 8 months; 222 Lbs. at 12 months; 257 Lbs. at
18 months; and 313 Lbs. at 25 months. Females averaged 63 Lbs. at 3
months; 139 Lbs. at 12 months; 165 Lbs. at 18 months; 220 Lbs. at 24
months.
The Boer goat is capable
of attaining an average daily gain of over 400 gr. or 0.88 Lbs. daily in
feed lot situations. The Boers average daily gain potential on pasture or
rangeland is outstanding and offers great possibilities for selecting to
improve growth rates.
The Boer goats dressing
weight percentage is over 50%. Compared to South African sheep, the Boer
goat had the higher dressing percentage with carcasses having more total
tissue in the forearm, neck and ventral trunk, and less tissue in the
hind limb.
Boer goats seem to yield
a carcass superior to Angora, dairy and over meat goats and that fat
content and muscling of Boer goat carcasses compared favourably with
those of specialized mutton producing breeds.
Thus, it is not
surprising that with their excellent growth and carcass qualities many well-known
goat specialists listed the Boer goat as one breed that could make a
major contribution to increasing productivity of meat goats worldwide.
A good meat goat should
also be fecund and prolific. More kids born per doe will result in
greater profit margins for the producer. The ovulation rate for Boer goat’s
ranges from 1 to 4 eggs per doe with a mean of 1.7 (plus or minus .9). A
normal kidding rate of 200% is common for the Boer goat. This is higher
than most other goat breeds, thus the Boer goat can be considered a
prolific breed. This conclusion was also reached in New Zealand and
Australia, based on the number of super ovulated embryos (9) harvested
from the Boer goat donor program.
The Boer goat reaches
puberty early, usually about 6 months of age for males and 10-12 months
for first-mating females. The Boer goat has an extended breeding season,
and it is possible to achieve 3 kidding every 2 years.
Boer goats give good
milk, which enables them to successfully raise their multiple offspring
with excellent weight gains and with little pre-weaning mortality. A
South African study indicated that lactation length was 120-140 days for
Boer goats and their yield was about half that of South African, which
had a lactation length of 278 days. Boer goats had a higher butterfat
(5.6%), total solids (15.7%), and lactose (61) than any other goat breeds
in South Africa. It has been postulated that for the Boer goat to attain
its high pre-weaning average daily gain, the doe must produce up to 5.5
Lbs./day. Actual milk production of Boer goat does under extensive
management systems is actually less, ranging
from 3.3 to 5.5 Lbs./day, depending on age of doe and lactation number.
These milk yields are not impressive by dairy goat standards but for a
goat that has not been selected for milk yield, it is considered
excellent. This demonstrates the superior maternal capabilities and the
ability to rear multiple young of the Boer goat doe.
Boer goats have been
developed for over 40 years through intensive breeding and selection as a
meat type animal and have also benefited from over 20 years of
performance testing. This excellent breed of meat goat has the necessary
characteristics
Lacking in Spanish meat
type goats. These characteristics are large size, uniform carcass, fast
growth rate, fecund and prolific, long breeding season, good browser,
good milk and excellent mothers for profitable
meat goat production. Because of its large frame and faster growth rate,
it will need more nutrients to maintain and support optimum growth rates.
Therefore, while Boer goats may not be suitable for all ecosystems or
affordable by all producers, there is a need to match type of goat with
feed resources a producer has available.
Goat Keeping in India:
Suresh
Bharwad, a traditional goat keeper, is feeding
his goat with Greenfield's Hydroponics Fodder in Pimplej
Village, Ahmedabad District, Gujarat State, India
Goat
Keeping is followed in arid and semi-arid regions where rainfall is less
and uncertain and hence incomes from Crop Production are low and also uncertain. The goat keeping is mainly carried
out as subsidiary activity (enterprise) to supplement incomes from crops.
In such areas, goat keeping is an almost fully free-range type i.e. allowing goat to graze in open fields and
wastelands. In addition, they are also fed some by-products of crops,
which otherwise go waste.
Breeds;
There
are nearly 102 breeds of goats in the world, of which 20 breeds are in
India. Goats are reared for two purposes i.e.
meat & milk. But meat production is the main objective. According to
the purpose, following are the important breeds.
1. Milk and Meat
(dual purpose) – Osmanabadi, Barberi, Jamnapari (U.P.) Sangamneri, Mehasa & Zalwadi (Gujarat) Beetal
(Punjab), Ajmeri & Kachhi (Rajasthan).
2. Meat – Assam,
Kali Bengali, Brown Bengali and Marwari.
3. Wool – Angora, Gaddhi (HP) and Pashmina (Kashmir)
Foreign
Breeds :
1. Sannen
2. Anglonubian
3. Tonanburg
4. Alpine.
