# Questions about Boer goat sizes...



## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Hey, so I got a pure boer and a boer/nubian cross.Both are intact. One is a year old, other is 7 months. I saw the sire to the cross and he was small and stocky. They both seem so short and small compared to my dairy goats. Is this typical? I once had a boer wether and he was twice the size of these guys. Both boys are from different places/genetics. Everything I read online says they are the biggest breed...but not around here it seems. They seem stocky but short. Not as impressive as I had hoped. 
My question is....do they vary so radically in size? Are there really poor genes out there? Just thought they would be bigger by this age...please feel free to leave comments on them too. Always willing to learn...


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Pound wise they are going to be much larger then Nubians. For some reason boers are being bred now more to be short and stocky then taller. It’s one thing that drives me nuts but I want my goats to help me clear brush so taller they are the better in my books. But I guess you really can’t eat legs. I remember drooling over this one buck once, in every picture he just looked like a huge buck, well he was but he was also a midget! 
There still are boers that are more on the taller side. 3 out of 4 of my bucks are pretty huge but still people are swaying more towards short and stocky. 
By any chance do you know how old their sires were? What I have noticed, with mine anyways, is they grow so fast the first probably 5-6 months, then usually kinda stall out, probably because they realize there’s more to life then their stomach lol (ladies!!) and then they go threw another huge growth spree about 1 1/2 and start to come into their own at 2. But that might also be my management. I use them when I need them no matter the age and I don’t pour feed to them so maybe I’m wrong


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Well, I don't know the age of the sires. Bummer. But....they are supposed to both be butcher sized now. If that's how big they get, I may as well do the dairy and keep purebreds is what I'm thinking.I agree, taller is better. 
That's what I mean! In the photos online they look so big and all, but the ones I have are short! The bigger one, he can get his head over the top of the 4 foot gate by standing on his hind legs but the other one barely gets his mouth to the top lol...meanwhile my sable buck is so big and tall, he could hop over it lol

Just wondering if it's because they aren't registered so they are lesser quality. I didn't pay too much for either, the smaller one was 100? The larger was 250. I saw one I was drooling over but he was over a thousand so no go there...


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Do you have any way to get weights on them? They would likely still produce a higher percent meat to live weight ratio than a dairy animal.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I only have a weight tape. I will try tomorrow and post so maybe you guys can give me ideas? Will the same tape work for meat goats as I use for dairy?


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

IMO dairy tape isn't a good way to estimate a meat goat. I used to use that and it was way off. 

That's interesting about them being so short. Can you measure how tall they are from ground to top of shoulder? That would give us an idea of how tall they are. 
I do agree, they do tend to grow at different times. I notice our goats don't grow much in the winter, but usually once spring weather hits, they start gaining and growing. 
But... it's hard to say how big your boys will be if they are cross bred, and how those genetics play into it. 
I agree with Jessica about them not always being huge as in tall, but wide. However, I've heard about people breeding for shorter, stockier goats. 
The bucks we've used in the past have been mature or usually under 1yo and they were good size IMO. The one we have now is decently tall and he's right at 2yo.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

But basically a shorter boer is the same body just shorter legs. My half Nubian, even though he is taller is much lighter then a full boer the same age. Maybe tomorrow I will go out and get weights to show you what I mean. Even with the legs being short they are just solid.
And I don’t think I made myself clear on the buck and age thing. Yes my bucks grow well, they are able to cover mature does at 6 months old but but there seems to be a timeline that they don’t grow/ pack on the weight like when younger and older. I’m sure they are still growing just doesn’t seem as fast. 
But a tape on how tall they are is a great idea! But yes there is a huge difference in quality when it comes to boers too, as I’m sure any breed.


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## spidy1 (Jan 9, 2014)

when I had an Alpine buck he dwarfed my FB Boer for height, standing about 4-5 inches taller, but my Boer weighed (at that time he was under 1 year) about 150lbs and the Alpine weighed about 85-90, now Diesel (Boer) is about 5 and weighs 300lbs + - he is short but big...I am not a tall girl, just over 5 feet he looks bigger in this pic because he is closer to the camera...( the dog stands about 12inches tall and is 10lbs)


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All great advice.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

spidy1 said:


> when I had an Alpine buck he dwarfed my FB Boer for height, standing about 4-5 inches taller, but my Boer weighed (at that time he was under 1 year) about 150lbs and the Alpine weighed about 85-90, now Diesel (Boer) is about 5 and weighs 300lbs + - he is short but big...I am not a tall girl, just over 5 feet he looks bigger in this pic because he is closer to the camera...( the dog stands about 12inches tall and is 10lbs)
> View attachment 130151


Yes, he looks like a beefy guy! My question is more about weight at butcher though. I have been busy with bottle baby and kidding but will try to get heights today.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

HoosierShadow said:


> IMO dairy tape isn't a good way to estimate a meat goat. I used to use that and it was way off.
> 
> That's interesting about them being so short. Can you measure how tall they are from ground to top of shoulder? That would give us an idea of how tall they are.
> I do agree, they do tend to grow at different times. I notice our goats don't grow much in the winter, but usually once spring weather hits, they start gaining and growing.
> ...


I will try to get measurements today and maybe some more pics. Just surprised at the height! I am so used to dairy boys...


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