Fail

Well, our foray into raising Boer goats was pretty much a fail.  We were warned in the beginning that goats have a problem with intestinal parasites in east Texas.  I think what we are finding out it that BOER goats have a problem with intestinal parasites in east Texas.  I don't know why they are so popular here - Boers and Boer crosses everywhere.  They can be seen out in numerous fields as one drives along and that is the goat of choice for FFA students to show.

We bought three fullblood Boers last year and we traded our spring Nubian doeling for a fullblood boer doeling this spring.  So we had four fullbloods and three of them died from worms.  Buttercup, the only surviving fullblood, is doing well.  I'm not sure why she has survived unless it's because she kidded back in December so her system wasn't stressed this spring and summer.

Someone told us the other day that if you cross a Boer with just about any other goat, they will have a much better chance of resisting death by worms.  So far, we have found that to be true (knock on wood).  Pansy is a Boer cross (we don't know what with) and she has been fine.  All of the babies that are either fullblood Nubians or Nubian/Boer crosses are also thriving.  Our fullblood Nubians, Hyacinth and Daisy, seem to be unaffected by worms so far.

Even though our intention was to raise Boer/Nubian crosses, we can't keep our Boer nannies alive, so we are officially out of the Boer business.  We're going to try Kikos, which are a meat goat from New Zealand.  They are supposed to be very hardy and parasite resistant. 

We went to see some yesterday.  They look rather scrawny compared to the Boer.

But we bought two doelings, brought them home, and are hoping for the best.

We put them in with Buttercup, the surviving Boer, and her little herd of orphaned girls.