How to Buy Boer Goats – Things to Consider
So, you’ve been looking to buy Boer goats, but you’re not quite sure where to start. Starting a new Boer goat endeavor can be a hugely exciting process. However, to get the most from this, you need to ensure you’ve started with the right Boer goats for your needs. Fortunately, our friendly experts are here today to help you find out more about how to buy Boer goats in our Boer goat buying guide. Hopefully, this will help you find the perfect new goats to start your Boer herd.
Boer Goat Buying Guide: Everything You Need to Know
Buying Boer goats is easy. Buying the right Boer goats for your needs, however, is much less so. Indeed, many people get into Boer goats, only to buy the wrong type of goats for their system – and this can leave you missing out on excellent opportunities accordingly. Luckily, our friendly experts are on hand to help you learn more about buying Boer goats; you might just find it’s the ideal new venture for your farm.
Are Boer Goats Right for Me?
Before we go any further, we need to briefly consider whether or not Boer goats might be the right choice for you. Of course, as with anything, there’s a lot that influences this decision. Indeed, Boer goats may not be the right option for everyone.
Boer goats, by their nature, are meat goats. This means that they are primarily bred for meat production purposes. Comparatively, the majority of goat breeds are dairy goats; for example, Saanens, Nubians, Golden Guernseys, Toggenburgs, Oberhaslis, and La Manchas are all common examples of dairy goat breeds.
As such, if you’re looking to buy a goat for breeding, it’s important to consider whether that’s the sort of path you want to go down. If you’re looking for a milking goat, you will still be able to get some milk off of a purebred Boer, but it will be lacking.
However, if you are happy with the meat production side of things, Boer goats might be just what you need. Boer goats are incredibly friendly, gentle, inquisitive, fun-loving, and sweet, making them popular goat breeds for people who want a family pet or a commercial animal. It’s also worth considering that Boer goats are (typically) lower-maintenance than other breeds and tend to be a little calmer and less prone to escaping or jumping, owing to their heavier builds.
With all the above being said, it’s still important to remember that Boer goats may have their challenges. Notably, Boers are large goats, so they’ll usually eat much more than a smaller goat. Additionally, Boers are usually left-horned; so you’ll need to decide whether or not that’s something you want.
How to Find the Right Boer Goats
At this point, we’ve clarified whether Boers are the right goats for you. If you’re still confident that a Boer goat is your dream goat, the following tips may help you find the right animals.
Choosing the Right Boer Goat Breeder
One of the first things you’ll need to do when buying Boer goats is to choose the right breeder. Indeed, every breeder has different goals, and ideally, you should look for a breeder who shares similar goals as you.
For example, taking my herd as an example, I class myself as a “pedigree commercial” breeder – I breed pedigree goats that are hardy and suited to commercial production. However, my goats may not have quite the same ennoblement (etc.) as a show goat, nor will all of them be as friendly as a pet goat.
As such, it’s generally advisable to choose the type of system you’re looking to manage and look for a Boer goat breeder who keeps their goats in a similar way. This ensures you’re starting out on the right foot without having to try and adjust your new goats to a new system. Similarly, if your region tends to experience significant fluctuations in temperature and weather, you may want to try and buy a goat from a region that is similar. This helps you ensure that your new goats don’t suffer while trying to adjust to the new weather conditions.
What to Look For When Buying Boer Goats
At this point, we should clarify what you should look for from your new Boer goats. While everyone will want slightly different things from their Boer goats, there are several factors you should check before buying:
- The goat’s health: You should never buy a goat that’s unhealthy, even if you feel sorry for it. This is especially true if you have other goats at home already, as the unhealthy goat could potentially spread the illness with other goats. Always look for a goat that’s healthy and – ideally – that has health tests or preventative treatments to prove it.
- Conformation: There’s no point in buying a meat goat if it still looks like it has the frame of a dairy goat! Before buying your new Boer goat, brush up a little on what makes a good Boer goat conformation in your region. This is even more influential when buying a buck; as they say, “the buck is half the herd.”
- History: When you buy a goat, it’s always worthwhile to check its history with the breeder. Have they bred before? How often have they been ill (if ever)? How does the goat get on with other members of the herd? These are all valuable questions to check.
- Budget: There’s no point in bankrupting yourself over the right goat! As such, when shopping for Boer goats, always take a little time to consider the budget that you can afford first. This will allow you to buy the right goat for your system without having to worry about affording additional costs down the line as much.
The Cost of Buying Boer Goats
The last point leads us nicely here: what is the cost of buying Boer goats? Well, at the end of the day, that depends on the price the breeder asks and the type of goats you want. However, most Boer crossbreds will usually be around $100-$200, while a pure Boer may be anywhere from $300 to $3000 in price. However, these are only estimates, and Boer prices often fluctuate outside of these too.
Final Thoughts
Buying Boer goats shouldn’t be a major challenge, but fortunately, there are numerous ways you can work out how to get started. Hopefully, today’s Boer Goat buying guide will allow you to find the most effective solutions for your buying needs – allowing you to start your herd in the right way. Hopefully, this will increase your chances of success with your new Boer goat venture.
But remember! Whether you’ve kept goats before or not, keeping Boer goats and breeding them is always a learning curve. With this thought in mind, you should always reach out to other breeders or professionals in the goat industry for support if you need any further ideas or guidance.