Raising Goats -- Resistance to Internal Parasites (Worms) in Boer Meat Goats

     Goats are more vulnerable to internal parasites (worms in the intestinal tract) than other species of livestock. Internal parasites are a major problem when raising goats in warm wet climates. In these warm wet climates internal parasites are the primary cause of death in goats. My wife Candy and I have been raising goats in Arkansas since 1967. We have been breeding full blood Boer meat goats since 1999. We have found a large degree of variation for parasite resistance among individual goats within the Boer breed.

In the United States, Boer goats have a much broader and more diverse genetic base than other meat goat breeds. Several thousand full blood Boer goats were imported into the United States, while fewer than fifty animals each were imported for the Kiko and Savanna breeds. Full blood Boer goats were brought into the United States from New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Canada. This broad genetic base makes it easier to improve the Boer breed.

Our experience in breeding full blood Boers has shown us that the heritability of resistance to internal parasites in Boer goats is much greater than we originally thought it would be. We have made great progress in improving our herd for this trait. When we first started breeding Boer goats, we had to worm at least three times per year. Since then we have achieved enough genetic improvement for parasite resistance to worm our doe herd only once per year. Individual Boer goats which require more frequent worming are culled. If one worms too often, one is breeding superior worms, not superior goats.

A show goat industry within the Boer breed has made great progress in improving the conformation of this breed for meat production. The competition in the show ring is fierce and the financial stakes are very high. In breeding livestock, one can make the fastest progress in improving a trait by selecting only for that trait and completely ignoring all other traits. This is what Boer show goat breeders are doing. They are only selecting for the traits that are measured in the show ring. Show goats are pampered and fed very expensive, high-powered, feeds. Many show goats are wormed every 30 days. One could not use goats produced under these conditions for commercial goat meat production. Show goats do have valuable genetics which can be combined with genetics from hardier lines of Boer goats to produce superior meat goats. So there is a valuable niche for the show goat within the Boer breed, but they can not be used for commercial goat meat production without crossing breeding with hardier lines of Boer goats or with other breeds of meat goats.

Because the Kiko breed of goat originated in New Zealand which has a warm, wet climate many Kiko breeders insist that Kikos are more resistant to internal parasites than Boers. This is probably true, but some of the research done trying to prove this is flawed. No person who has a basic understanding of population genetics, biometrics, and the history of these two breeds would even try to prove such a thing. Both of these breeds were developed very recently by crossing very diverse types of goats. Very little line breeding has been done within either breed to fix certain traits. Thus the differences between individual goats within these breeds for resistance to parasites are much greater than the differences between the breeds. It would be impossible to assemble a group of goats for research purposes that truly represented an entire breed of goats. Most of the Kiko breeders in our area are worming their Kikos more often than we worm our full blood Boer goats. We do believe that Kikos are great meat goats, and the breed is playing a very important role in our meat goat industry.

Ken Ziemer has a bachelor's degree in agriculture. He started breeding dairy goats in 1962. His wife Candy was raised on a dairy goat farm and has worked with goats all her life. They have raised goats in Arkansas since 1967. They started breeding full blood Boer goats in 1999. For more information on breeding and raising Boer goats and other breeds of meat goats check out Critter Ridge Boers

Ken Ziemer, has a bachelor's degree in agriculture. He started breeding dairy goats in 1962, and full blood Boer meat goats in 1999. For more information on breeding and raising Boer goats and other breeds of meat goats check out his website at http://www.critterridge.net.