Meat Goat Breeds Part 2 Jean-Marie Luginbuhl NC STATE UNIVERSITY

Crossbred Boer kids (NCSU, 1995)

Crossbred does with horn shape typical of “Spanish” goats Does from NCSU breeding herd. Three of these does have horns typical of Spanish goats Crossbred does with horn shape typical of “Spanish” goats

Purebred and crossbred does from the NCSU breeding herd in 2004

“Spanish”-Boer crossbred buck (700 head herd in Southern Georgia).

Muscular Boer buck: large space between front legs for lungs and heart, and good set of hams in the back-end.

Boer bucks: Lucas Burger’s farm, South Africa

Savanna goat herd: picture taken in South Africa July 2004 According to South African scientists, Savanna are white Boer goats selected over time for absence of color

Boer goats in South Africa Strikingly different environments Boer in South Africa live in an dry environment drastically different from that of North Carolina (hot and humid). Therefore, Boer goats did not have to develop resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes, the biggest health problem we encounter in Boer goats in the hot and humid southeast US Boer goats imported to humid southeast US

Production Traits Adaptability Reproductive rate Growth rate affects profitability of enterprise Reproductive rate single most important factor conception rate, kidding rate Growth rate Pre-weaning, post-weaning Carcass characteristics dressing percent (~45 to 48%), distribution of muscle, lean to fat to bone ratio

“Resistant” Breeds Myotonic Kiko Spanish Some breeds are more resistant than the Boer as far as gastrointestinal nematodes are concerned due to natural selection Spanish