Boer goat appeared in the early 1900’s when ranchers in the Eastern Cape Province started selecting for a goat that can be farmed for meat purpose.
The improved South African Boer goat is the most prevalent breed of all goats across the world because of their high fertility, fecundity and capacity to breed in harsh conditions with minimal supplementation feeding. Boer goats are horned breed with lop ears, with a colour pattern of white and brown/red. The mature Boer Goat bucks weighs between 110-135 kg and does between 90 and 100 kg.
Today, many of the farms and ranches in Uganda have mixed breeds and poise as pure breed. Below and some tips to consider when buying a buck…
- The Buck must be judged starting from the head; which should be large and strong with a nose that is slightly curved.
- The horns should be round, solid, dark in colour and curved backwards; without injuring the goat when it lifts up its head or when leaning backwards.
- The eyes should be soft and brown in colour.
- The ears should be broad, smooth and of medium size hanging downwards from the head.
- The permanent teeth should be strong and in their correct anatomical position.
- The neck should have skin folds, which is more desirable in bucks than in does.
- The front legs should be of medium length and in proportion to the depth of the body.
- The front and hind legs should be strong and straight, with well-formed hooves that are dark in colour.
- The rump should be broad, long and should not be sloping too much.
- The scrotal circumference should not be less than 25 cm and if there is a split present it should not be more than 5 cm.
- The tail must be straight, growing out of the dock and swing to either side of the buck.
- The skin under the tail should have a pigmentation of 75%.