# Boer goat doe too small?



## cjensen63 (Feb 26, 2011)

Hello,
We purchased a Boer goat doe last summer. She was born April 2010. She is 10 months old now and only weighs about 55 pounds. She is short. Her height is 19 inch's to top of shoulder from ground. Shouldn't she be bigger? She looks healthy and very good. She is registered as 100% Boer. We planned on breeding her. Our buck is pretty large. What shoud we do?
Thanks,
Carolyn


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Gosh that does sound small, she should weigh twice that by 10 months. Do you know if she had cocci for her to be stunted like that?
There are lines with short legs you know, but her weight isnt up to par.
I'd wait let her grow before breeding her. :wink:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Welcome... :thumb: 

Oh boy...she is super small for her age... being boer....usually.. it is pretty safe... to breed them at minimum of at least 75 lbs..... :shocked: she is way to small... I believe to breed..... with your large Boer buck.... that would be a big risk...


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## Perfect7 (Apr 19, 2010)

I agree with the others. I have three yearling boer/kiko cross girls (lighter boned than full boer) and they were 80-85 lbs at that age. If it was me, I would see how she grows out the rest of the year and then possibly breed her in the fall.


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

Just a couple of questions for you:
You say the doeling is 100% boer. Is she a fullblood or purebred or %, what does it say exactly on her papaerwork?
Did you see the sire and the dam when you bought her? Did they seem to be "good sized" for a boer? Is she a single or a twin or a triplet? Do you know if she had any serious health issues when she was a kid?
...I have a strict set of cull standards for my "potential" breeding stock. SOme are eliminated at birth, some are marketed at 100 days, weaning age, and some are sold at 6 months, because they simply Do Not meet my Ideal Standard for what I want to see in my Breeding does. This little girl would not have met my 6 month goal and would have then been sold. I wonder if this is the case with the breeder you bought her from? I would NEVER breed a doe that does not meet my standards because their kids would be of little interest to me, frankly they might end up costing me money and weakening my herd. Not to say she couldn't be the best mother in the world but more correctly to say In My Book she wouldn't fit. Just for a referrence from My standards...100 days a kid should be between 55 and 75#...I make very few exceptions.
If you are looking for a breeding type animal to improve your herd, this little girl may not be the place to start...Just My Opinion...Have to remember boers are meat goats. There isn't alot of meat on a small goat. She may be the prettiest little girl in the state and you might even think she has a shot to win a show somewhere BUT if she doesn't have the body capacity she Will Not Win...unfortunately Boer goats are judged based on slaughter or the ability to produce slaughter animals...not beauty...Per Se


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## cjensen63 (Feb 26, 2011)

Her paper says 100% Purebred. She was born April 28, 2010. We brought her to our farm that following July. When we saw her at two months of age, we saw her parents and they looked to be normal boer goat size. I think they said she was either a triplet or twin. I'll have to check on that. I know she wasn't a single. We have emailed the farm we purchased her from to see if they've had any "runts" llike this before. We hope to hear from him soon. If she doesn't grow, we'll still keep her and just keep her away from the male. She's such a sweetie. 

Carolyn


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

agree with the opinions here.

and If you really cannot part with her.. start with Corid 1cc per 10 lbs ( i think!) and do it for 5 days every other week for three weeks.
this should solve any cocci problems she has. 
Last season I had cocci problems, is was extremely wet, mine were a little slow to grow then, but after the treatment theyre picking up incredibly well.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

My LaMancha bred buck was quite tiny when I got him and he was over a year old. I got him on all kinds of supplements, made sure he had enough copper, treated him for worms and cocci (even though he didn't show any signs of cocci problems) and he shot up like a weed! I haven't measured him ever, but he was barely over knee high at a year old and was looking up at my does, and now he is tall enough for me to scratch his shoulders without bending over.


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

cjensen63 said:


> Her paper says 100% Purebred. She was born April 28, 2010. We brought her to our farm that following July. When we saw her at two months of age, we saw her parents and they looked to be normal boer goat size. I think they said she was either a triplet or twin. I'll have to check on that.


Purebred does not = Fullblood...Although you would think that by the time the line reached PB status they would have "sized up" but I guess it isn't a guarentee....Her paperwork should tell if she was a single/twin/etc. She may just be from a small line too. If you were going to keep her and didn't care that she may throw small kids then you could breed her anytime...If she is 10 months old she is mature enough. Did you say she is a traditional or a solid colored boer? That may be the variable in this equasion. Some lines, other than trads, are Just Smaller. Why? Because they were.....read up on boer goat history if you are interested in the answer.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Sometimes ....things happen when kids are growing... cocci ...worms...illness.. vitamin deficiencies...ect ...that can ..stunt growth ...the thing is ...this boer doeling... may have great lines behind her...with that potential... of great growth rates....if her Sire and Dam are of accurate size..... the potential that she can throw normal and great kids are there...... she does have to grow more...in order to safety carry and deliver babies..... have a fecal done on her .... see if... there are worms or cocci present......... feed her properly...make sure... she gets loose salts and minerals for goats.... Boers grow up to 4 years..... so she may have a chance to someday ...be bred.... she may surprise you... and produce a show animal ... :thumb: 
All boers to me ...are beautiful...big or small.... :wink:

Purebreds are classified as high percentage boers....they started out with say....Nubian/bred to a FB registered boer buck... then worked there way up to Purebred status... 
Are you sure ...her papers don't say.....100% FB boer.... instead of 100% Purebred?



> Did you say she is a traditional or a solid colored boer? That may be the variable in this equasion. Some lines, other than trads, are Just Smaller. Why? Because they were.....read up on boer goat history if you are interested in the answer.


 I have paints...solids ... traditionals and never ....had any of them be smaller....they all ..are of the same size...."big"


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## Perfect7 (Apr 19, 2010)

()relics said:


> ...unfortunately Boer goats are judged based on slaughter or the ability to produce slaughter animals...not beauty...Per Se


I don't know...have you seen those new tubular goats? Very pretty but where's the beef? :laugh:

CJensen, we were going to cull one of the kiko/boer girls too because she was smaller than the others, delicate bone structure and very narrow bodied. I think she knew it, too, because she nuzzled her way right into my heart. She wont increase the size of our herd for sure, but she brings extremely worm resistant genetics. Your girl may have something else to offer, too, and like the others have said, with treatment she may shoot up. :hug:


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