# Boer Goats



## neener92 (Jul 9, 2011)

What do you think of my boer doe and buck, at on year old? I know I posted one a while back but they have lost their winter coat and gotten larger.

Doe, Gabrielle...

















Buck, Jackson...


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## crazyland (Jul 9, 2011)

Nice and shiney coats. They are looking gorgeous to me.  Love those ears!


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## terrilhb (Jul 9, 2011)

Beautiful. Your doe looks kind of like my Patches.


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## neener92 (Jul 12, 2011)

Thank you both! :]


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## neener92 (Aug 29, 2011)

Are they too small for their age, born last July. They are grained once a day, pastured and given grass hay, loose minerals, and they have fresh water all the time. I'll get some current pictures, but looking back at these pictures they look rough now. They are getting dewormed tomorrow in hopes that will help. You can kind of see the does size compared to a standard woven wire fence...she just looks small to me. I may hold off on breeding her and giving her some lut tomorrow when dewormed. And my animals are usually known as the "fat" ones.  Any helpful advise would be appreciated!


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## RPC (Aug 29, 2011)

I can't really judge how big they are but remember most of the time they don't get as tall as a standard goat so if you are comparing her to that they it isn't an accurate way to determine is she is too small you breed. Is there any way you can weigh her? If she is 100 pounds then she will be fine. Just my 2 cents.


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## neener92 (Aug 29, 2011)

What are you meaning by standard?


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## kstaven (Aug 29, 2011)

neener92 said:
			
		

> What are you meaning by standard?


Nubian, Togg, Alpine etc....


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## neener92 (Aug 29, 2011)

Aren't boers standard size? ...the ones I saw at the fair were big like nubian sized.


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## kstaven (Aug 29, 2011)

neener92 said:
			
		

> Aren't boers standard size? ...the ones I saw at the fair were big like nubian sized.


Deeper in the body and shorter in the leg than standard dairy breeds.


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## RPC (Aug 30, 2011)

Well as kstaven said yes they are "standard" size but Nubian's and all the other standard dairy breeds are taller and look bigger but boers are normally shorter legged but bigger bodied. They normally end up weighing more because of their big stocky bodies but look smaller then Nubian's, Alpines ect. That's why I was saying you might want to weigh her and see how big she is that way instead of maybe comparing her to a standard Nubian  or alpine for size.


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## SheepGirl (Aug 30, 2011)

I like the buck's conformation much better than the doe's.


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## neener92 (Aug 30, 2011)

Here are some more pictures of Gabrielle and Jackson that I took today. Sorry for all the pictures, I got a little carried away. 

Bottom view of Jackson, are his testicles too long?






Front view.





Another butt view.





Butt view of Gabrielle.





Side view.





Another.


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## Ms. Research (Aug 30, 2011)

Look like they are both growing well to me.  But no expert at all about goats. 

And loved all the photos.  Thanks for sharing.


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## neener92 (Aug 31, 2011)

Thank you


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 1, 2011)

from those pictures it looks like the doe is older than the buck or out growing the buck.  I like her better in those pictures than the older pictures you had of her, And I like him a little less.  You have loose minerals out for the goats?  Can't remember.  

The buck looks like he is going through a thin stage or he needs more calories or worming. for some reason if I remember correctly you said the buck has a little dairy in him. Or am I remembering wrong?   The reason I ask is because he will go through thinner stages having a little dairy in him. but I wouldn't want to see him any thinner than he is right now.


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## jodief100 (Sep 1, 2011)

She is nice.  The topline isn't a smooth as I would like to see but she has some length.  Her coat is great; you are taking very good care of them.  She has nice hindquarters and from what I can see of the side view a decent brisket.  Not as wide through the hindquarters as she could be.  She has a beautiful, feminine face and good Boer nose.  

He is a little thin.  Not as deep in the chest or wide in the hindquarters as I would like.  He is a bit gangly legged for a Boer, but still has good length.  Nice topline, nice smooth rump, though it could be more solid.  And testicles can never be too big.  He has a great neck and shoulders and a wonderful head.  Essentially his front half is great, his hind end could be better.  Except his package, that is really good.  He could just be in a thin, teenage phase.  

Overall, decent goats.


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## neener92 (Sep 1, 2011)

I'm trying to remember if she's older or he is, I know he's taller than she is, but she's thicker. The goats have free choice minerals and baking soda.

The two of them are getting wormed today. I may have figured out why he's lost some weight, we have a borrowed buck in with him, along with my older doe "April". I was watching them eat their grain the other day and noticed the borrowed buck "Waylon" was being a grain hog and apparently he hogs all the grain and hay from poor Jackson. I started feeding Jackson in the barn this week by himself so he can actually eat some grain. He seems to be gaining a little weight. He is purebred Boer. If he is fed this way will he get any thicker? I really like the thick Boers and am afraid they both aren't going to be thick. Should I try to get a new buck or see how he grows out?


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 1, 2011)

they aren't perfect, I guess it depends how much money you want to dish out for better onse, or if you get lucky and find some a little better overall structure for a good price. 

They would be what I would discribe as not very smooth structured. That is what is giving them the overall kind of boring look that you are worried about. As far as putting weight on, they will just need more feed and probably a good worming.   But I don't think the buck will ever have tons of muscle across his rump and down his legs, just doesn't look like he has the potential for it. More weight on him may help alot. 

the doe looks to me to have more potential.


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## Roll farms (Sep 1, 2011)

I'd up the protein he's getting and see how he grows out.  He shows the frame, just need to bulk him up.  If he's been getting less than his share of the food, I'd give him time to see how he looks, at least til he's 1 yr old.  Keep up the gravy train.

She seems to have a good wedge shape going, again, you'll just have to see how she matures.  I see potential.

Something I don't think a lot of new-to-boer people realize is that the huge, wide bucks you see in pictures aren't usually just something that just happens, they're fed massive amounts of high-dollar feed and exercised and worked with to the Nth degree to 'create' that look.  There's a lot of genetics to them, yes...but you can't throw a goat out into a grass pasture and expect him to turn into a show buck w/out lots of added feed, time and $.

I'm betting it was a hot day when you took that pic, that's why his testicles are 'long'.  When it's been 100 degrees here for several days, Bullitt's look like they're going to drag the ground.  It's the body's way of cooling the swimmers down, just like when it's cold the testes will ride high.


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 1, 2011)

http://harrisonburg.craigslist.org/grd/2514128333.html

This buckling for sale is what you want to be looking for.  Love his sire and the little buckling.  Looks to have lots of potential. See how his tail flips up. that is from having a nice top-line over his rump. The less of a drop on his top-line the more their tail looks like it flips up.


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## neener92 (Sep 1, 2011)

They are both 1year old, born in July.


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 1, 2011)

even in the first picture were he looks shiney and smooth, he has way more front-end than back end, I don't think no matter how much feed you give him he is ever going to have the rear-end you are hopeing for. But a couple lbs of feed a day for a couple months would help get him back to where he was in the earlier pictures. . 6 measuring cups 16% protein, with ammonia chloride. 

He doesn't appear to be very big for a year old, I would have guessed that he was around 7 months old.  Maybe it is just hard to tell on the pictures. 

And Roll is right, those goats you are seeing at the shows or on the internet are fed pretty much as much as they can get them to eat a day in high-end show quaility feeds, and all sorts of expensive show quality feed additives. 

we were feedig our show whethers 4 lbs (12 cups) each a day of feed that cost $19 a 50lb bag, plus a top dress feed that cost $65 for a 25 lb tub.   YOu aren't going to go into the show rink with a pasture raised boer goat. Well you can, but don't expect to do very well. 

I am still amazed at what peoples goats will look like on line in pictures on their web-sites and then go to the farm and the goats look so much more ordinary to me.  they use that one picture from the goats showing days, all clipped and fed out for the show.  Go to the farm and they will always say, well these goats aren't being shown right now, so they aren't on show feed rations. It is amazing how ordinary they look.


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## neener92 (Sep 1, 2011)

So I can never expect him to look like one of the bucks on this website http://www.3mboergoats.com/Pages/Co...&fbid=&fsid=&ShowThese=Current&AnimalStart=60, he is the black buck named Sugar Daddy. I know it says he is 14 months old, but will Jackson ever look like that even full grown? He looks to have a little butt, maybe that's just me.


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 1, 2011)

neener92 said:
			
		

> So I can never expect him to look like one of the bucks on this website http://www.3mboergoats.com/Pages/Co...&fbid=&fsid=&ShowThese=Current&AnimalStart=60, he is the black buck named Sugar Daddy. I know it says he is 14 months old, but will Jackson ever look like that even full grown? He looks to have a little butt, maybe that's just me.


he doesn't have much of a rearend, He is also all front, and I would guess on a quit a bit of grain.


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## neener92 (Sep 1, 2011)

My boy get a small scoop of feed once a day, its an aluminum feed scoop. Not sure how many cups is in it, I'm thinking about 3 cups. This a mixed feed we make here. It's got corn, green hay, soy bean meal, and molasses in it, and I've upped the soy bean meal and molasses in his feed compared to the others. Do you think this will help put some weight on him? Sorry for all the questions and what not. :/


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 1, 2011)

more feed should help, compared to just plain hay or pasture, As far as your mixed feed compared to store purchased feed, I am by no means a nutritionist so I would not care to comment on wether or not the mix will work for your goat. 
I will say if you aren't familiar with UC in male goats, you may want to look this up. Can't remember if we have discussed this already.  Male goats should really have Ammonia chloride added to their grain on a daily basis.

You can get it by the pound at some feed stores, I just purchased a couple lbs at our feed store this summer, it was 72 cents.  You can add 1 teaspoon to the daily grain per 150lbs of body weight.   It looks like grainy salt. It can be overdosed, so you would want to make sure that one animal isn't eating all the other animals feed. 



http://fiascofarm.com/goats/stones.htm

male goats should have atleast twice as much calcium in their diet as phosphorus to help prevent Urinary Calculi.


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## neener92 (Sep 1, 2011)

I'll try to get some right away!


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## neener92 (Sep 1, 2011)

Good timing, dad was just getting ready to go to the feed store! He thought I was crazy when I told him to get it.



Edit: I got a half a 5 gallon bucket of it, was too bad and it should last me forever! Should I give this to the does as well or just Jackson?


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 10, 2011)

Does can on rare occasion get Urinary calculi, but it is really  a problem mostly with bucks.  It wont hurt to give it to the does.


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## RPC (Sep 10, 2011)

All of my feed has the AC in it so my does eat it too and it does not hurt them.


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## that's*satyrical (Sep 10, 2011)

I think they are gorgeous!! And their coats are super shiny & pretty too....


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## Jen4 (Sep 11, 2011)

I think they are very pretty   I just got into the goat thing this summer a friend brought me a days old boer bottle baby, we had her about 3 days, she didnt make it, he then gave me a 1 month old boer doeling kid & acouple days later I bought another one from him.  They are 3 & 4 months old now & doing great, I just love them.


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## neener92 (Oct 3, 2011)

They are starting to look big and fat!  I'll get some pics tomorrow. Jackson seems to be getting "thicker", he's growing like a weed now! Gabrielle is getting wider and chunkier.....I love fat goats! 

They were very happy today, they got their barn cleaned out and rearranged....they just love when I change things for the better. Silly "doats"!


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## neener92 (Oct 5, 2011)

April, Waylon, and Gabrielle.


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## 20kidsonhill (Oct 5, 2011)

they look happy.


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## neener92 (Oct 5, 2011)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> they look happy.


They should be, clean barn, and my aunt has been here visiting for a week, and they get spoiled with fruit and veggie peelings.  They look like piggies now!


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