The Costs of Boer Goats (Purchase Price, Feed, Care, and More)

Have you ever wondered about how much it costs to raise and keep Boer goats? As a Boer breeder myself, I understand better than most what goes into keeping a Boer goat. Of course, this is crucial to consider regardless of whether or not you intend to manage your beloved Boers as a business; as such, we’ve outlined some key things you should know to help inform this decision. But, while asking “how much does a Boer goat cost” is an important question to keep in mind, there are several crucial things you should still think about, and our friendly experts will be here to help.

How Much Does a Boer Goat Cost? 

The cost of a Boer goat generally falls into two distinct categories: how much does a Boer goat cost to buy and how much does a Boer goat cost to keep? Before purchasing your brand new Boer goats, you should consider this carefully to find the most effective solutions for your own herd. Luckily, we’ve outlined everything you need to know in this regard as follows to help.

How Much Does a Boer Goat Cost to Buy? 

First of all, it’s crucial to consider how much a Boer goat costs to buy. The purchase price of a Boer goat will vary significantly, but if you’re looking at a purebred pedigree Boer goat, you can usually expect to pay around £300-£500 (or around $350 to $600) for your goat. However, there are numerous factors that will influence this.

What Factors Influence How Much a Boer Goat Costs to Buy? 

Age is one of the biggest influences regarding the cost of your new Boer goat. Indeed, a ten year old Boer doe will rarely sell for more than one hundred or so, considering that her time as a breeding doe is limited. Meanwhile, kids may be slightly less as the buyer will still need to rear them before they are ready. As such, the highest prices for Boer goats are usually seen at around one to two years. However, there will (of course) be exceptions to this.

In addition, the goat’s conformation will greatly influence the purchase price for your Boer goat. A goat that isn’t overly well put together likely won’t achieve as high a price as a goat that shows perfect conformation and markings with strong muscularity overall. As such, when purchasing a Boer goat, you should take care to ensure that your goat shows good conformation overall.

Health is another major influence on how much you pay for your goat. A goat that is health tested may cost a little more to buy than an untested goat, which is worth considering; if your goat is not tested, it may have a higher chance of bringing disease into your new herd, which could cause a lot of pain for you and your goats accordingly.

How Much Does a Boer Goat Cost to Keep? 

So, we’ve clarified how much a Boer Goat costs to buy. But how much does a Boer goat cost to keep? The cost of keeping a Boer goat is important since it’s not neglibile. In fact, numerous costs go into keeping any goat, which can make it expensive to keep more than a handful without breeding them.

Of course, rent or mortgage repayments are among the biggest costs you’ll experience if applicable. This is less of an issue if you own your own land outright. However, when we consider that most people will keep fewer than ten goats per acre, and rental prices can easily be around one hundred per year. So, this is definitely a high cost before even considering fencing, housing, and the like.

But what other costs are there? The second cost to keep a Boer Goat is usually to feed (as with most livestock). A large-framed Boer goat can eat around 2kg of food per day – over a year, that’s more than two large round bales of hay. As such, many people will end up paying around £60 or around $70 to feed their goat on hay alone – and that’s the most basic, affordable feed type going. Concentrate feeds can jump this even higher, so this is well worth considering.

How to Buy a Boer Goat

If you think that you can comfortably afford to keep a Boer goat, you may now be wondering: how do I go about this? Well, this decision depends on so many different factors, but you’ll need to consider a few key points.

Firstly, consider the location and distance – how will you pick your new Boer goat up? You’ll also need to ensure you have trailer access for this to keep your Boer goats safe during the journey home.

Next, you should consider the health and condition of the goats you’re buying. If you have any doubts about health, leave the goat behind; it’s a long process to heal a goat if it has been neglected, and you may need to keep this in mind to help you find the perfect solutions.

Moreover, we strongly recommend that you consider how your chosen breeder keeps their goats and if this aligns with your management style. It’s much easier to transition goats to a new home with the same management style than give them a complete overhaul in life. Don’t worry – your chosen breeder should be happy to share this sort of information, in most cases! 

Final Thoughts 

If you’ve been looking to buy a Boer goat, there are numerous things you’ll need to consider as part of this decision. However, buying a Boer goat is often an exciting process, so try not to get swept away in the moment; always do your research to ensure you’re getting a fair price on your new Boer goat, and don’t leave things to chance. Be sure to consider our  Boer Goat buying guide if you need further support with buying your perfect new Boer goats; they’re a truly amazing breed, if I may say so myself!