THE GOAT FARM

Boers are most commonly recognized by their white body and red head. Much like Nubians, Boers have long floppy ears. The breed was developed for their docile nature, high fertility and fast growth rate. One of the biggest pros about the breed is their high resistance to disease and parasites making Boers one of the hardiest livestock breeds across the board. One can only believe that their resistance comes from the fact that Boers can not only survive but also thrive in climates that are not suited for all types of livestock. Boers, like most breeds of goat are browsers, meaning they prefer woody shrubs and broad-leaf weeds to grass, making them perfect for homesteaders who don’t have lots of open land, but more wooded land.

One of the biggest things you look for in a breeding animal is sturdy and strong legs. A doe who has bad feet/legs will not want to stand and will not stand when her kids have to nurse. Boers have strong legs, sturdy enough to trek rocky terrain. With all that muscle on their legs and other parts of their body, Boer does (female goats) can weigh anywhere between 190-230lbs and the Boer bucks (male goats) weighing between 200-340lbs! Although they are huge Boers have a docile temperament. Some of the friendlist bucks I have ever met have been Boers!

With Boers being one of the best breeds of goat in the chevon industry in the US there aren’t many here in NH. New Hampshire is a large hot spot for goat dairy farming, where most farms raise Nubians or Nigerian Dwarfs. That being said Boers are becoming increasingly popular here!