| Breeders of Kiko, Savanna, Myotonic, and Spanish | | | | goats every 30 days. While one could not use goats |
| meat goats all claim their breed to be hardier than | | | | produced under these conditions for commercial goat |
| Boer meat goats. They use hardiness, resistance to | | | | meat production, these show goats do have valuable |
| internal parasites, fertility, and mothering ability as | | | | genetics which can be combined with genetics from |
| their primary selling points when promoting their | | | | hardier lines of Boer goats to produce superior meat |
| breeds. There is no doubt that these are the most | | | | goats. So there is a valuable niche for the Boer show |
| important characteristics for determining the | | | | goat within the breed. |
| profitability of commercial meat goats. Do Boers fall | | | | Because of the genetic diversity within the Boer |
| short in these four very important traits? The | | | | bred, breeders who are selecting and breeding Boer |
| answer is some do. In fact many probably do, but | | | | goats for the very important traits of hardiness, |
| they do not have to! | | | | resistance to internal parasites, fertility, and mothering |
| With the possible exception of Spanish goats, Boers | | | | ability are making faster progress than expected. The |
| have a much broader and more diverse genetic base | | | | heritability of these traits in full blood Boers is high. |
| than any of the other meat goat breeds. Several | | | | The Boer breed can, and probably will, surpass the |
| thousand full blood Boer goats were imported into | | | | other breeds of meat goats for these traits in the |
| the United States, while fewer than fifty animals | | | | near future. Breeders may even develop lines of Boer |
| each were imported for the Kiko and Savanna | | | | goats that never need to be wormed. This is a goal |
| breeds. This broad genetic base makes it easier for | | | | that can be accomplished if Boer breeders work |
| breeders to change and improve the Boer breed. | | | | together to do it. |
| Boer breeders have developed a show goat industry | | | | Financial rewards for breeding meat goats for |
| that has made tremendous progress in improving the | | | | hardiness are not as high as they are for breeding |
| conformation of the breed for meat production. The | | | | winning show goats. Boer breeders, who are breeding |
| competition among show goat breeders is fierce and | | | | for hardiness, can not afford to advertise the way |
| the financial stakes are very high. In breeding | | | | the show goat breeders do. Thus it is more difficult |
| livestock, to make the fastest progress in improving | | | | for persons wanting to buy hardy Boer goats to find |
| one trait, one must select only for that trait and | | | | good breeding stock. These traits are also harder to |
| completely ignore all other traits. This is exactly what | | | | measure in breeding stock. One often has to buy |
| show goat breeders have been doing. They select | | | | goats, take them home, and test them under |
| only for the traits that are measured in the show | | | | pasture conditions to determine how good they are. |
| ring, ignoring all other traits. To make faster | | | | Then one can cull the ones that are not good |
| improvements in their goats they use embryo | | | | enough. When buying breeding stock be careful not |
| transplant programs with kids being raised by | | | | to pay too much for them. The great cattle breeder, |
| surrogate mothers, usually dairy goats. Fertility and | | | | Tom Lasater once wrote: "One can not make |
| mothering ability can not be measured or selected for | | | | progress breeding livestock by purchasing expensive |
| under these conditions. These show goats are | | | | animals. One does not have the heart to knock a ten |
| pampered and fed very expensive, high powered, | | | | thousand dollar lemon in the head." Remember, culling |
| feeds. These conditions are nothing like conditions | | | | is the most important tool one can use in breeding |
| found in a viable, pasture-based, commercial, meat | | | | livestock. |
| goat operation. Many show goat breeders worm their | | | | |