# For those who like to see spots...our new Boer buck



## Roll farms (Feb 14, 2014)

This is Copper's Joker Is Wild, his sire is the awesome red spotted buck Coppertox and his dam is a dapple-headed traditional.   We got him back in March but life's been crazy (adult child moved back home in April, then left again in November, then kidding started, then we've had 400 inches of snow and it's been 80 degrees below zero all winter...or seems like it....).

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get any good pics of him lately, these are his baby pics - 6 mos. old pics, and one I snapped in between snowstorms last month.


 
 
 


We're expecting his first babies in 3 weeks, from our old paint doe, Patch. 

You can see his sire here: http://jrfarmboergoats.webs.com/bucks
We also have a half sister sired by Coppertox named Bratty Child.


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## Pioneer Chicken (Feb 14, 2014)

Wow, he's a stunner! : )


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## Southern by choice (Feb 14, 2014)

I get sooooo happy seeing your goats Rolls!!!!

  

Can't wait to see the kids!!!

I don't even have boers but their was a young buck listed recently and the whole family had to talk me out of getting him! 

You start with those too flippin cute pictures of your babies and then we lose our minds!


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## jodief100 (Feb 15, 2014)

I am so happy you finally got the spotted buck you have been wanting for forever!!!!!


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## Goat Whisperer (Feb 15, 2014)

Oh gosh he is cute! About a week or two ago I was on your website, and absolutely LOVED him! His sire is handsome!

Really like your boy! Beautiful goats!  

Hope he gives you LOTS of spots! Can't wait to see his babies!


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## Roll farms (Feb 15, 2014)

Thanks, guys. 
I'm not loving his head (Bullitt spoiled me for big old South African looking buck heads) but will keep some of his daughter's to breed to Mathis, the Bullitt son we're keeping.


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## bonbean01 (Feb 15, 2014)

He looks awesome!!!!    And I'm not even a goat person!


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## Southern by choice (Feb 15, 2014)

bonbean01 said:


> He looks awesome!!!!    And I'm not even a goat person!



Yes you are @bonbean01  ... you're a closet goatie... we will keep your secret.  

Such a shame Boers do so poorly here. Such cool looking goats!


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## babsbag (Feb 15, 2014)

Can't wait to see babies.     I tell everyone that I got my spot addiction from you. I have a purebred spotted bottle baby buckling in the barn and 2 spotted doelings in the field with their dam. I am thrilled. My current herd sire is spotted as well, but I am keeping too many daughters so time to move him on out. I am still trying for that black/white spotted one though. Just hasn't happened.

Coppertox is a really NICE buck, hope your buck and his offspring grow to be as nice.


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## Roll farms (Feb 16, 2014)

Southern, we have wet, swampy, mucky summers where parasites can be an issue...A lot of boers do poorly here as well.  I just won't tolerate the weak ones, we rarely deworm and I give all the credit to culling hard for puny, wormy, non-thriving animals.  I don't care how pretty they are, if I'm going broke medicating them, they won't stay around.  
In other words...You just don't have the "right" boers there.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 16, 2014)

Rolls you are so right... lots of old timers here just won't cull or change up how things "have been done" .... funny too how when we talk to some around here and say we have Kiko's they say Ky-ko Whats a Kyko? Ain't never heard a no Kyko goat. 

Rolls- I am secretly trying to get Babsbag's spotted baby...I have a plan... 

And I agree... you started all this spot obsession!


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## jodief100 (Feb 16, 2014)

I agree with Rolls- there are good Boers and there are bad Boers.  

I have a theory- when they first came here they were so valuable people did everything to save every kid.  Not an issue if you send those weak ones to market but they didn't!  Every female that hit the ground was sold as breeding stock and the rest we say is history.  

Then this issue was compounded by the show industry.  Goats were raised in lot feed operations, never exposed to parasites and again, the registration made them valuable.  Problem compounded.  

I have been to Rolls' place, her goats are well cared for and wisely bred.  I have seen her make those very difficult culling decisions.  I respect her and would recommend her goats to anyone.


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## babsbag (Feb 16, 2014)

Roll farms said:


> Southern, we have wet, swampy, mucky summers where parasites can be an issue...A lot of boers do poorly here as well.  I just won't tolerate the weak ones, we rarely deworm and I give all the credit to culling hard for puny, wormy, non-thriving animals.  I don't care how pretty they are, if I'm going broke medicating them, they won't stay around.
> In other words...You just don't have the "right" boers there.



I agree Rolls, I think she could do boers there if they were chosen and raised correctly. She IS NOT getting my buckling, but I might send her a doe


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## babsbag (Feb 16, 2014)

Here is my new buckling that Southern CAN NOT have.   And my two doelings.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 16, 2014)

Well put Jodie and yes very high esteem for Rolls!

Babs I'll take the doe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Payment arrangements possible? I really do love her! 
We could do some Boki's ... she could be MY baby as my DD hoards all the goats!


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## babsbag (Feb 16, 2014)

Can I ship her in a dog crate?


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## ragdollcatlady (Feb 16, 2014)

OMG!

I love those colors! Beautiful Coppertox!

Those kids are too cute Babs! I'll take a doeling ......pick me! pick me!


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## Roll farms (Feb 16, 2014)

Thanks for the kind words!
Pretty, pretty babies!  Congrats!

I just took these pics of our Bullitt x Valentine kids @ 6wks of age....we need more drool on this page!


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## Roll farms (Feb 16, 2014)

And...I *do not* dump show feed in these guys, nor do I hook them up to any fancy pants equipment to build muscle.  If they can't look like that from genetics alone...I don't want them.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 16, 2014)

So cool Rolls! I love it. Great work you've done.

Always such a joy to see your kids.


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## babsbag (Feb 16, 2014)

I NEED that black and white one, and I mean NEED. And seriously, what are you feeding them and how much are they eating? We do NOT see kids like that out here, no matter how much food is pushed and how much the dams and sires cost. They are amazing. And by the way, are they doelings or bucklings?

I really NEED that black and white one.


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## kinder (Feb 16, 2014)

Really nice Rolls, if I may...And yours also Babs...BEAUTIFUL BABY'S


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## Roll farms (Feb 16, 2014)

They're bottle babies, getting 3 - 24 oz bottles....and alfalfa hay.  At 6 wks just starting to play with their feed but not really eating it.  Noble Goat.
Technically they're both black and white...but the loudly dappled one is a doe, named Hilton....the mostly black is a buck named Mathis.  Their mama is my avi pic, Valentine.  And you cannot have her.  Sorry.


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## babsbag (Feb 16, 2014)

Shoot...a doe even. She is what I was hoping for from my black doe and spotted buck but it didn't happen. I got a solid black and a really cool colored one, but not black and white, and both boys. The good thing though is that my friend liked him well enough that she wanted him for a pack goat and traded me the purebred buckling for this commercial buckling. I got the deal, IMO.


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## babsbag (Feb 16, 2014)

And again, they are really big kids, nice genetics behind them. How much do you think they weigh at 6 weeks. And only 24 oz bottles? My buckling is 2 weeks today and already taking 24 ox 3x a day and acts like he is starving.


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## Roll farms (Feb 17, 2014)

Last time I put the tape to them (early last week) they were at 27 and 32#.  Not real accurate but Santa didn't bring me my platform scale I've been wanting.

Everyone seems to have a favorite color pattern they are after....I want red or black spotted paints.  Haven't had any.  Patch (being paint, bred to Joker) is my best shot at it.  Her doe kids from July are absolute monsters....88 and 84#.

I'm giving all the credit to Bullitt, I loved every kid he made but...we kept some daughters (when he finally blessed me with some) so he had to go.  He produced 3 different county heavyweight wethers last year.  Fast growth and good muscling is real big on my list.

That kid above is pretty...very pretty.  Had it been a girl, I mighta come stole it.

Maybe you should reserve Valentine's next babies and plan a trip to IN...She's being bred to a Coppertox grandson named Chase, a big old hoss of a boy who's black headed next, sired by Copper's Domino....Then she'll be bred to Joker....her dance card is so full...ha ha.

This is Chase...just here for a few select breedings b/c he has horns.  He's ours but I'm looking for his next home already.  This pic was taken when he was 5 mos. old.


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## babsbag (Feb 17, 2014)

Rolls, your goats are amazing, I don't understand why we don't see that here. I have rubbed elbows with some of the area's best and don't see stuff like that.  I am sure there is a picture of Bullitt on here somewhere but if you have one easily accessible I would love to see it.

The 4H wethers being shown at June fairs are being born in Nov or they don't make weight, and I think weight is like 65 lbs or so. There is a real scramble to find those kids as Boers out here where it is 100+ in the summer do not want to breed until Fall.

What is the price range for a market wether?  And what would a buck of Chase's quality sell for?  Is he registered?  Is Valentine?

I have 2 or 3 soon to be wethers right now but they will be for Sept. fairs. But I think if they were from your goats they would have been ready for June.


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## Roll farms (Feb 17, 2014)

Show off Bullitt?  Nah, not me.  *halo*  I still think he's one of the best red bucks I've ever seen.  Look at his head!  (I'm half in love w/ this goat...lol).
His 1 yr old pic
 

almost 2 yr old 
 
almost 3 yr old
 

I traded Chase for a bred doe - he's "Just" a purebred, but his breeder and I (who both love Coppertox / Lazy S-T genetics) think he's just too nice to wether.  I think he was asking $300.00 for him before we worked out the trade.

Wether prices range from cheap to ridiculous...Really good ones are hundreds and even thousands of dollars.  Personally, I think that's ridiculous, esp. for a terminal / non breeding animal.
Our wethers are $150.00.  If I think they're worth more than that, by golly they stay a buck and contribute to the gene pool.
I've had people insist that the 'premiums' paid at the big shows make up for the $$ spent on good wethers but still...it's a terminal / non-breeding animal!


Valentine is a FB registered doe, I paid $900.00 for her.  Once I've gotten doelings from Chase and Joker out of her, I'll probably sell her as she's a bit lacking in length...but I wanted to get something going with that color pattern and she was the best I could find.

(I paid $1700.00 for a bred doe 3 yrs ago, that was supposed to be bred to Valentine's dad, Kung Fu Panda....long story short, she spit out 2 "mediocre" solid-red boys and half of her udder was dead.
So next time I went right to KF's new owner and bought the kid I wanted!)


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## babsbag (Feb 17, 2014)

She's a FULLBLOOD ? I never would have guessed in a million years.

I can see why you like Bullitt, he is a very nice buck, not to mention the red part, and yes his head is impressive.  

The market wethers around here for 4h sell for 200-300 but the kids sell them at the fair for as much as 1600, which is absolutely insane. Let's not give these kids a reality check while they are growing up. I understand profit and hard work and all of that but 20.00 a lb, really???

And 300.00 for your purebred boy up there would have been a steal. We have some breeders here that frown on PB but the FB stock is not any better and you NEVER see spots in a FB.

I am supposed to be concentrating on building a dairy but when I see quality Boers like yours it makes me want to continue to raise both. I just have a zoning issue with the number of does I need for the dairy if I keep Boers too. But darn, they are nice. I have never been to Indiana...


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## Roll farms (Feb 17, 2014)

There are some really good spotted genetics in TX.  

But you're welcome to come all the way to IN if you want...


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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 17, 2014)

I'm not allowed to come over anymore...I have a yard full of Rolls babies and a husband who's eyes have "rolled" back into his head so far at my shopping sprees that they may never come back down.


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## Roll farms (Feb 17, 2014)

How you gonna get HIS new bunny if you don't come back...?


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## Southern by choice (Feb 17, 2014)




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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 17, 2014)

Well, see I have to take a drive to go get my new pup and MAYBE there is gonna be a road closure and detour that just happens to go by your place...and gee it would be rude if I didn't stop by being so close.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 17, 2014)

Pearce I am worried... thinking you may be an addict... LGD's... goats, rabbits....


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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 17, 2014)

Hey, if you have to have a problem, there are worse ones out there.  Problem is really that Rolls has such nice critters.  I mean LOOK at that buck!  Spots galore and a butt that would make Jennifer Lopez jealous!


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## Southern by choice (Feb 17, 2014)

I want a Rolls rabbit! I have to remember I am Dairy dairy dairy ... yes dairy...


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## Riverside Fainters (Feb 17, 2014)

Southern, perhaps you are a dairy with a rolls bunny? Lol.. I live on a dairy farm with 100 head of dairy, even we have barn bunnies!


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## babsbag (Feb 17, 2014)

My DH is an enabler. I "jokingly" mentioned driving to IN for a Valentine baby someday and he immediately looks it up on his phone to see how far it is. My goodness if he can't control me how am I supposed to control myself? He says that Southern could meet us there, it is only 10 hours for her to get there, and we could swap all kinds of animals.   He would LOVE to raise rabbits, but that has to be his hobby, not mine. I have too many already.  Don't let him know what nice rabbits you have.


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## Roll farms (Feb 18, 2014)

The rabbit's are my hubby's 'thang'....They have a heated / air conditioned barn w/ a better floor (when you can see it) than my kitchen has...I told him, "I have enough to do, they are ALL YOURS, pal."  Of course, when he's working 16 hr days in summer I somehow end up taking care of them.  And typing all the pedigrees.  And doing his advertising...*sigh*

Have I told y'all how pretty my silkies are?

Then there's the flowers...I sell plant starts, too...

And fresh veggies and eggs and.....


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## babsbag (Feb 18, 2014)

Didn't you used to work at TSC too?   My DH is gone during the week so the rabbits would be mine and until he finds a cool in the summer...safe at night... spot for them no rabbits. We have coyotes and the place he wants to put them in just cages under the tree they would last maybe a week, if lucky. I could put them in my goat pen, but then they are MINE...not gonna go there. His family raised rabbits as a kid so he knows how, he just doesn't remember the work.

Would love to see your silkies and your plants. Someday I will have  greenhouse and do all those things too, but I am seriously focusing on a dairy and a cheese plant. I have already gotten the blessing from the state and county and in California that is a huge deal. I also make soap and lotion and sell it, and I sell eggs and honey too, just to people where I work. Right now the flowers and veggies are just for me and my bees but hoping someday to sell blueberries and other produce at the local farmer's market. The blueberries are just babies right now so have a few years to go on that.  

I will be retiring from my "job" in June so I can start my new "job" building and running a 15 goat dairy and making cheese, and secretly raising spotted Boers from Valentine on the side.


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## Roll farms (Feb 18, 2014)

I only work at TSC 2 days a week (feed discount adds up, though!)...and the plants only net about 250$ per year...but it's enough to pay for my next round at the greenhouse.    I'm a flower nut.   I blame my mom.  I could sell more plants but then I'd have to deal w/ more people and goat people and chicken people and rabbit people are about all I can handle...lol.

If I lived near a main road I'd consider selling more plants / started seedlings....but our road barely exists on maps, and gets no traffic.  You have to WANT to be here to be here, ha ha.

Congrats on the dairy...That's a big deal here, too....Probably not as big as CA but still tons of hoops and inspections and approvals...We sort of pondered it -but only briefly- after seeing all the USDA regulations we'd have to meet and how much $$ it'd cost.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 18, 2014)




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## babsbag (Feb 18, 2014)

I guess I should say that it is a grade B dairy when I first start. I can't sell fluid milk, only turn it into cheese. It is a much easier license to get and we are building it to meet the grade A standards eventually, but it will cost more money. I would like to be a raw milk dairy but the insurance must be out of the world, can't even imagine so for now it is cheese all the way. And goat cheese truffles. 

I love flowers too, and the nursery is a dangerous place for me. I was looking in magazines last night at all the things I could grow if I had a nice landscaped yard again. Maybe one day. My biggest problem is no shade in the summer, at all. Our house sits just right so that every side gets sun, and hot sun at that. Couldn't have placed the house like this if I had tried.

 But I was picking out cucumber, squash, corn, and bean seeds. Going to try some new ones this year. I have my standard tomatoes, I gave up on heritage ones for now and just grow that good old standby, early girl, and a good Italian paste one. And of course Sun Gold cherry tomatoes...to die for. I am going to plant row after row of pickling cucumbers and I WILL get enough minis at one time to make mini sweet pickles. I WILL  I WILL  I WILL. Been after this for years. I think about 60' of cucumbers should do it.  Just happens that I have a nice new fence for then to grow on if needed. 

The other thing I can't seem to grow is watermelon. I don't get it at all. This year I am digging a BIG hole and filling it with scrapings from the barn and coop, maybe that will work. I could garden all day every day, in case you can't tell.

Feed discount...have to remember then if I need a part time job.


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## Roll farms (Feb 19, 2014)

We harvested about 25 watermelons and 40 cantaloupe last year.  I don't have a big garden area (4 - 10x10 raised beds) so I started putting the melons in a separate bed area.  I laid down 50x10' of 6 mil black plastic on an area w/ a slight grade so it drains well.  I dug several holes and put empty plastic Folgers coffee cans in the holes, then filled w/ compost.  I plant the melons in the cans, and the cans hold water in around the roots well when I water them (every other day when it's really dry) because melons are thirsty plants.   I plant the pumpkins and gourds in that area as well.  The melons do a lot better than the pumpkins, but I get enough to decorate my yard.  I finally learned some tricks to picking melons at the right time last year and we enjoyed all of them instead of picking too early (green) or too late (pithy).

I put in a goldfish pond 1.5 yrs ago and use the 'poo water' from cleaning the filter to water almost everything now....my houseplants have never overwintered so well as they do w/ fish poo water.  I also use surplus milk or any that's had a foot in the bucket on my tomatoes.  OH MY do they take off.  They love the extra calcium.  We tend to grow several varieties and the indeterminate ones have to be cut back 6 times or they start to scare my DH when he mows around them.  Like Little Shop of Horrors plants.

I cannot, no matter how hard I try, grow / keep alive 2 things - tuberous begonias and Fuschia.  

Our yard was once ALL shade, the only are open was where our house sat....but between storms, my dh getting rid of dead / dying trees, Emerald Ash borers, and an F1 tornado, I'm now able to grow sunny plants.


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## babsbag (Feb 19, 2014)

When I lived near San Francisco I could grow Fuschias and Begonias outside, year round. Only had to protect them a few times. Where I am at now they die, too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, and both of those plants are my favorites. I give up.

When you put the coffee cans in the ground do you put any holes in the cans?  And the milk idea on the tomatoes is awesome, last year my pigs got most of mine but no pigs this year. I always put the whey on the blueberries but I through a lot of milk away; thanks for the idea. Little Shop of Horrors...

You must clean you filter often...I don't, but when I do that water goes into my little barrel composter.  We do have a much bigger pond that normally fills when it rains and then we keep it full all summer until the frogs leave. We have talked about sealing the pond and then putting some fish in in and using the water as irrigation for the orchard, we should probably get a move on that project some day.

Well we have moved from spotted Boers to gardening


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Feb 19, 2014)

Beautiful boer!!!!


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## ThreeBoysChicks (Feb 19, 2014)

Many of you remember in Dec 2012, I drove to Roll Farms to bring home "Roll Farms Ally's Chaotic Trip", Our wonderful Nubian herd sire.  His first kids were born last weekend.  Well March 14, 2014, we are making another road trip.  This time to bring home both of Sugar's doelings (one for us and one for another person here in Maryland) and if Patch is good and produces a buckling out of Roll's beautiful buck, he is coming home also.  I have been saying Baby Boy, Baby Boy, Baby Boy morning, noon and night.


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## babsbag (Feb 19, 2014)

I have my eye on Chase. Not that I need another buck, but boy he is a nice looking buck, with a black head no less. Probably a good thing that she lives 2200 miles away.


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## ThreeBoysChicks (Feb 19, 2014)

Corrections - Baby Boy, Baby Girl, Baby Girl.


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## hilarie (Mar 3, 2014)

What an absolutely drop dead gorgeous boy.
I'm wearing a chin mitten now, to mop up the drool.


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## Onyx (Apr 13, 2015)

I really love the look of boers and especially the spotted ones!  I think I will have to have one as a pet to go with my dairy goats


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