The Physiology of the Boer Goat
The South African Boer Goat is acknowledged as the yardstick against which all other meat producing goats globally are measured. While there surely are other goat breeds that display some of the characteristics which the South African Boer Goat exhibits, it is the combination of five economically important characteristics into one goat breed that sets the Boer Goat apart and which form the core strengths of the breed.
The Boer Goat breed has been developed in South Africa over almost seven decades by commercial farmers through selective breeding practices. It has been specifically bred for extensive farming conditions in hot dry and arid regions of the world. It has the phenomenal ability to convert low quality forage into meat, while maintaining and improving its condition. It is able to walk long distances, utilises a very wide range of vegetation and delivers multiple kids per kidding season. The Boer Goat performs exceptionally well in regions where other small stock struggle to maintain condition and deliver commercial production levels. It requires minimal inputs, a significant contributing factor to the profitability of the producer.
The South African Boer Goat is in high demand in many countries across the world where these animals are used either in crossbreeding programs with the indigenous goats in their host country or farmed in purebred Boer Goat flocks that improve agricultural production.
In this course we will discuss the conformation, visual characteristics and other physiological aspects of the Boer Goat and why these all play a role in determining the functional efficiency of these animals. It may seem that these visual characteristics have been arbitrarily set, yet each of these has an important role to play in the functional efficiency, adaptability, hardiness and ultimately, the profitability of the Boer Goat for the farmer.
