Boer - A breed created by God and selected by nature

Jacobus Roux, Veterinary student and breeder - The indigenous livestock represent a cost effective, environmentally friendly means of producing quality products. Indigenous goats of Southern Africa are valuable as they convert low quality plant materials into high quality proteins. The importance of these indigenous goats lie in their unique qualities which they possess such as high disease resistance, low maintenance requirements, good reproductive ability and high survival rate (Soyinka et al., 1997). With the development of the Boergoat, the indigenous goat nearly became extinct. These goats are bred under natural circumstances for functional efficiency. They can walk long distances; browsing trees and shrubs and grazing on grasslands and utilising wide spectrum of plants and grasses. They are very fertile from an early age, with a long breeding season, lambing throughout the year and have a long productive life expectancy.Dr Laurie Hammond (1995), director of the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organisation, stated that 40% of the world’s 4 000 domesticated livestock breeds are in danger of becoming extinct. The worldwide trend for super breeds could be wiping out thousands of indigenous breeds with their unique abilities to perform in harsh environments. Breeds of cattle, pigs, poultry, goats and sheep, once the backbone of farming economics in many countries, were being replaced by a few super breeds which only perform in ideal conditions. Irreplaceable genetic resources are being lost. Many of these native breeds have maintained humans for more than 10 000 years. Their loss is not just a matter of heritage it is very much about our future. Commonly found among the goats in the pens is the Indigenous chicken. They are excellent in controlling external parasites, dual purpose, very broody, free roaming in nature and well adapted to the environment, especially to heat tolerance.Often roaming on the outskirts of the goat pens are the Indigenous pigs. They are mostly mottled brown, black and white but solid colours do also occur. They are smaller, with lower maintenance requirements and utilise a high fibre, low protein/energy diet. Their meat is darker and tastier than that of commercial breeds. They deposit fat very quickly as a survival mechanism during food scarcities.The human race does not have much influence on the development of the Indigenous Goats and it should stay that way. Dr Herbert Atkinson already commented during the 18th century that the human race constantly wants to change and improve animals. ” Please do not spoil, transform or improve them out of existence. The basis for every breeder should be the natural selection, not improved, unchanged animals; not selecting for ‘fancy points’ only. “For these reasons the Namibian Government and several private farmers obtain several herds of the top breeding material from their regions of origin to start breeding them and to protect these valuable bloodlines from going extinct. In 2008 the Indigenous Goat Breeders Society of Namibia was founded with the goal of breeding unchanged Indigenous Goats through natural selection.Several ecotypes in NamibiaIn Namibia several ecotypes of indigenous goats occur and it is extremely important that these differences are recognized and the ecotypes are kept pure and not allowed to cross breed. There are four naturally occurring ecotypes namely the Kunene, Ovambo, Caprivi and Kavango and introduced originally from South Africa are the Cape Skilder and the Xhosa Lobear. Each of these ecotypes has the same basic indigenous characteristics but also differ considerably from one another. Following are some basic descriptions to distinguish them apart. The Kunene goat is a multi-coloured breed. The ears are large and droopy, similar to those of the Boer goat, with a flat to slightly convex profile. The horns curve backwards and outwards and are medium to long in length and in females tend to be two thirds the length of the head. The Kunene goat can be described as a hardy, lanky, large framed breed with slender, fine boned legs, well adapted to the harsh climate of the Kunene Region. The breed is originally found in the North Western Areas of Namibia, known as the Kunene Region (Kaokoland).The Ovambo goat is a multi-coloured breed, but with lighter shades of colours predominantly found. The profile of the face tends to be flat or slightly concave. The ears are small to medium in size and have a lateral and slightly forward orientation. In males the horns are of medium length and curve backwards and outwards. In females the horns are short. The Ovambo goat is a small framed, well-proportioned breed. It is the smallest of the Indigenous goat breeds in Namibia. Sexual dimorphism is a characteristic of the breed; small females with much larger males. The breed is well adapted to the grassland and Mopani veld of the area found in the North Central Areas of Namibia, known as the Oshikoto, Oshana, Omusati and Ohangwena Regions.The Kavango goat is a multi-coloured breed with different combinations of brown often occurring. The face profile is flat. The ears are medium in size and forward and laterally orientated. The horns are oval in cross- section and scimitar shaped, growing backwards and of medium length. The Kavango goat is a medium framed breed and a little more robust in build. In general the colour of the goats is darker than that of the indigenous breeds. The breed is found in the North Eastern areas of Namibia, known as the Kavango Region.The Caprivi goat is a multi-coloured breed. The face profile is flat but some mature males do exhibit a slight Roman nose. The ears are of medium size which either point forward-and-down, or are semi-droopy, first pointing lateral and then starts drooping. The horns are oval in cross-section and scimitar shaped, pointing backwards and outwards, and are of medium length, lighter in the females and heavier in the males. The Caprivi goat is a medium framed, well-proportioned breed with good body conformation. The breed is found in the far North Eastern Area of Namibia, known as the Caprivi Region.Cape Skiller goats came to Namibia early in the previous century, just after the German occupation, around World War 1. They were brought to Namibia by the pioneer farmers from Gordonia and the Karoo in the old Cape Colony. Among these farmers were Mr. Christofel Johannes Oberholzer and his family whom moved from Strydenburg to Namibia in 1920. In 1945 he imported 14 Cape Skiller Goats ewes and 2 rams, from Mr. Robby Blake in Strydenburg district. In 1946 Mr. Jan Oberholzer took the goats over from his father and settled in the Nina district.The Cape Skiller Goat’s body is covered with dark brown spots and a white spot on the forehead. The head and legs are almost solid brown with a brown stripe occurring on the back. It has slightly longer hair in comparison to other indigenous breeds due to its origin in the colder parts of the Karoo. The face is straight and wide between the eyes. Both sexes have horns that grow upwards with female horns about equal length to that of the head or slightly longer. The Skiller goat can be described as a medium framed breed The Xhosa Lobear is a medium to large frame goat, rather well-muscled, with large lob (hanging) ears. The horns on this ecotype are exceptionally long especially in males and in females the horns tend to be longer than the head. Dapple and marble patterns of various color combinations occurs generally among this strain of indigenous goats, although single colors and combinations thereof, do occur. This strain originally occurred in medium to lower rainfall area of the Eastern Cape. According to history the modern improved Boer Goat was developed by breeders of the Eastern Cape; by using Xhosa lob eared goats, including a specific big, robust dapple colored male, which formed the basis of the well-known Buffelsfontein Boer Goat Stud. This stud influenced the development of the Boer Goat in South Africa to a marked extend.Characteristics of indigenous goatsIn general the indigenous goats can be described as follows. They have a multi-coloured colour pattern, with a wide variety of uniform colours: white, grey, black, fawn, brown and red-brown, and pied (dappled) or speckled (roan) combinations of these colours. They are well camouflaged because of their different colours, which helps that predators do not spot them easily. They move over large areas because they are antelope-like with long legs, which have a tendency towards cow and sickle hocks. They have excellent herd instinct. The face is straight and wide between the eyes. The ears vary with no specific ear forms; milk goat type ears are not accepted. Long or shorter ears that goes upward, is acceptable. They are well adapted to harsh environments in Southern Africa and have slightly longer hair to adapt in colder climates. Some grow cashmere for protection in the winter months. They have excellent pigmentation due to a dark brown skin.They are highly heat and sunlight tolerant. Due to their hard pigmented hoofs there is almost no sign of outgrowing hoofs. They are highly tick and parasite tolerant. Naturally polled goats occur occasionally. Rams are masculine with prominent hair on the neck and shoulder. Horns tend to grow upwards. Testes are of functional size and shape, equal in size and situated near the body. Ewes are feminine with long thin necks and must be good proportioned and larger in the hindquarters. They have well developed udders with only two teats and udders must not droop. Ewes have enough milk for their offspring, are very good mothers and very protective of their young. Ewes have characteristically upright horns to protect their offspring from predators.The indigenous goat is a breed that is extremely well adapted to the environment. They can be found from Cape to Cairo. The also do well in intensive farming practices. They will utilize each and every food source, from carton boxes to the best concentrated feed and everything in between. They are extremely adaptable to various climates, being able to grow a thick under coat during extreme cold.Nowadays the indigenous animals are in the lime light. Namibia’s indigenous animals also attract great interest from the commercial sectors of several countries. The question is “why?” Is it just a-money-making-craze or is it perhaps long hidden potential that is coming to the surface now. Why do the Nguni Breeders refer to the breed as the “Breed of the past for the future?” The answer centers on the words adaptability and drought tolerance which may in the end be very much the same thing. Indigenous animals have the ability to cope with the harsh conditions of forage scarcity, limited water and a hot, dry climate. Natural selection has trimmed these breeds down in size and conformation, lining it up with the environment. In the commercial sectors the environment can be manipulated to a large extent and one can get along with a bigger and less hardy animal. In the communal areas this is not possible (Hugo, 1998).The question is often asked: “What is the ideal size for meat producing goats?” There is no straight answer, for breeds differ in size. Within breeds, animals of different sizes are also found. It is also known that under intensive conditions, larger framed animals produce better and in the tropics, smaller animals do better. Namibia is an extensive meat producing country with a low and variable annual rainfall which influences the amount of grazing available for animal production. Smaller animals, due to their lower maintenance requirements, will maintain body weight and production easier during times of shortages. The ideal is to have ewes which conceive as often as possible, give birth to healthy lambs, and wean a weight 40% or more of the ewe’s weight.ParametersCapriviKavangoOvamboKuneneBoer GoatMature body weight male (kg)41.8340.5040.0051.1458.00Mature body weight female (kg)29.2731.4229.9536.8245.71Birth Weight (kg)2.122.011.982.382.92Weaning Weight (kg)11.7311.8713.5015.2917.76Aver. Grams per day gained100100120130150Percentage of ewe’s body Weight weaned (%)40.0737.7745.0741.5238.85The average gain per day of age (ADA) as seen in table 1 (above) from birth to wean ranged from 100 to 130 g/day in comparison with the commercial Boer goat at 150 g/day. Although the Boer goat has the highest growth rate per day almost every indigenous ecotype beats the Boer goat with the percentage of ewe’s body weight weaned (Soyinka et al., 1997).The uninformed will often refer to the indigenous as the “unimproved” breeds. Scientific data indicate that the indigenous can even sometimes outperform the so-called “improved breeds” in an optimum environment. The size of the indigenous animals should therefore not necessarily be linked to lower production and inferior animals (Hugo, 1998).The Indigenous goats are excellent for terminal cross-breeding because of the incredible mother characteristics, the imprinted herd instincts and their cunning adaptability. Almost all offspring of indigenous ewes with a Boer goat ram will look like Boer goats. Seen in this photo is a Ovambo ewe bred to a Boer goat ram. Table 2 below shows the average reproduction and production parameters of the indigenous goats of northern Namibia over a period of 6 years (from 2003 to 2008)ParameterKavangoKuneneOvamboCapriviBirth mass, kg2.502.662.352.50Weaning mass, kg10.6010.079.049.06Kidding %79768380Weaning %112101115103Fecundity %152154154142Kid %122125116114Mortality %119918Litter size1.51.51.51.4ADG, g up to weaning67726260Sources:1.ELS, J.F. – National Coordinator for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources.2.ELS, J.F. 1998. Spotlight on Agriculture, vol. 13 3.ELS, J.F., 2000. Spotlight on Agriculture, vol. 37, ISSN 1562-5192 4.HUGO, P.H. & Tolmay T. 1998. Spotlight on Agriculture, vol. 145.SOYINKA, A., Cronje, P.B. & Kotze, A., 1997. Genetic relationship between indigenous goat population of Southern Africa. ARC (RSA)

Boer - A breed created by God and selected by nature

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Boer - A breed created by God and selected by nature

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