The Ideal Boer Goat

Topics for Seminar Discussion
may include the following:

Hoof trimming • Tips on administering injections • Nutrition • Herd sire selection
Breed standards • Judges score card • Show stock selection • Wether meat goat selection
Tips on fitting for the show • Transporting your goats by land and air
International marketing • Advertising and promotion
Newborn kid care • Care and feeding of kids • Care of kids at weaning

Dewormers – where and when
Tattooing • Identification: tagging and microchipping
Systems for identification- colors and shapes
Contagious diseases – soremouth, CL, etc. • Respiratory diseases and treatment
Diagnosis of health problems
Fencing: electric vs. wire • Calming a wild buck
Corrals: stationary and portable • Goat working stand
Parasites – internal and external • Maintenance of clean facilities
Value of hot water in goat areas • Tubing weak kids • Reviving cold kids
Problems with goats off feed
Listeriosis and polio – identification and therapy
Vaccinations: when, where and how often • Vaccinations: toxoids vs. antitoxins
Bloat in goats • Floppy kid syndrome
Pinkeye and soremouth
Buying goats at public auctions • Buying goats: private treaty, public auction, production sales
Goat reproduction: natural cover vs AI
Embryo transfer • C-section births
Identifying the barren doe
Hermaphrodites: pros and cons • How to get lazy bucks to breed
Dangers of the rutting buck
Health protocol and preparation for travel
Difficult births: dystocias • Grafting newborns: surrogates
Importance of vitamins and minerals (iodine & copper) • Free choice vs. mineral and salt blocks
Funk- legs, testicles, mouth, eyes, ears
Fly control in barns
Special birthing pens and safety boxes
Disbudding and de-balling (castration) • Banding, burdizzo and knives
Risk and rewards of international marketing
Record keeping • Building a library
Sources of goat information
Mean bucks are made not born • The KOS Method

Learn what the Ideal Boer Goat should look like in order to more wisely spend your money

Learn how to develop an analytical eye for systematic evaluation of Boer goats

Identify characteristics of potential herd sires at a very young age

Review many photos of Boer goats with good and bad traits

A hands-on evaluation of Boer goats (you can bring your goats for evaluation)

Review South African Boer Goat Breed Standards