The Boer goat is a native South African breed, it was developed in South Africa in the early 1900s and was probably bred from the indigenous goats of the Bushmen with some crossing of Indian and European bloodlines being possible. They were selected for meat rather than milk production. With a spotted goat in their history, it is not uncommon that goats with various colours and markings are born. Some people reject anything other than white, whereas in other countries the coloured Boer goat is very fashionable. The Boer is a very friendly docile goat which enjoys human company. These animals are slow maturing. A male will reach his mature size of between 90 and 120 kg in three to four years, a female goat will reach her adult weight of 65 - 75 kg with two to three years of age. Nevertheless for meat production the Boer goat is ideal because of the fleshier conformation compared to the bony dairy breeds. The killing-out percentage is 50% which is 10 - 20 % better than the milk types. Boer goats were first introduced into Britain in 1987, and several importations have since taken place. From 1987 numbers have multiplied, and a breed society, the British Boer Goat Society, has been firmly established the 14th herd book was published in 2003 when more than 50 herd prefixes were registered with the BBGS. The fast growing British Boer goat has been specially selected for healthy, low cholesterol lean meat production. It has several unmistakable visual qualities, being a short legged, stocky animal compared with traditional dairy breeds of goat. A perfectly marked Boer has a mainly chestnut / chocolate coloured head and neck and an all white short coated body. The Boer is naturally horned but many breeders prefer to disbud kids within the first week. The breed has a very docile temperament so disbudding is very much an optional exercise. Mature does weigh 80 -100Kg whilst adult bucks tip the scales at well over 100Kg Due to selective breeding and improvement, the Boer goat has a fast growth rate and excellent carcass qualities, making it one of the most popular breeds of meat goat in the world. Boer goats have a high resistance to disease and adapt well to various conditions.
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