Breeding functional Boergoats to improve your profitability

Since 1994, Patriot Boergoat Stud, Potchefstroom, South Africa, has been breeding functional Boergoats that increase the profitability of your commercial flock.

Fertility and outstanding mothering abilities are very important in our stud objectives. As a commercial breeder, you need to wean healthy, heavy kids rapidly and at a low cost to generate income.

Patriot Boergoats deliver this requirement; consistently and profitably for your commercial operation.

Fact: If your ewe is not kidding, she has contributed zero income to your farming operation; she has in fact cost you money.

One of Patriot Boergoat Stud's breeding rams PAT8-99. Note his good muscling and very correct head.

Background

This group of young show ewes illustrate the the good build and uniformity that we strive toward. These four ewes took 4 of the 7 places in the 20kg - 35kg Class at the 2009 Lichtenburg Show. As a group, three of them also won a third place in the Group of Three Ewes Class. Ewe 1240-08-09 won Reserve Junior Champion too.

Our goats are raised on natural veld grazing with mineral lick supplements. We farm in an area that is a mixture of natural open grassveld that is very rocky in areas, riverine thickets and vleis (wetlands). The climate ranges from hot (average daytime temperatures of 30 - 36°C) in summer when our rainfall occurs, to cold (-8°C - 20°C) with frost in winter. This environment provides our Boergoats with the ideal conditions that develop functional and fertile veld-adapted animals that perform consistently in your flock. We do not subscribe to the practice of supplementary feeding in pens to produce animals that may superficially appear to be well-grown and rounded.

Fertility is the single most important aspect in our stud. Triplets like this newly-born group are common.

Conformation

Your initial impression of Patriot Boergoats is their size, uniformity and excellent good health obtained only from well-managed natural veld grazing. Bloodlines from Izak Vorster, Francois Maritz and Albert van Zyl have been used in the past to establish the stud. As part of our breeding improvement program we do buy in good, proven rams from breeders who strive for the same qualities we do. However, more recently, our own rams are playing an ever greater role in achieving our long-term objectives.

This group of our breeding rams clearly illustrates the excellent muscling, correct conformation and build and the size of our Boergoats. Above all though, we strive to breed practical animals that can be run on natural veld grazing.

Bloodlines

In 2008 we made extensive use of laproscopic Artificial Insemination (AI) with semen from the 2007 World Champion Magnum and 8 times Grand Champion Noster to further develop the quality and standard of the stud. Ramsem, world renowned specialists in this arena, assisted in this procedure. The first of these excellent young rams were sold to satisfied breeders during 2009 and we now have these genetics established in our flocks. In 2011 semen from top ram Cheetah (Oom Izak Vorster, Middelbrg, Eastern Cape) was used to inseminate some of my top ewes. Their kids are expected around May 2012 and we are looking forward to their arrival.

Patriot Boergoat Stud is registered with SA Studbook and we participate in the National Animal Improvement Scheme. Within the next few months, once we have completed submission of our flock records, performance indices for our flocks will be available to all buyers. This is just a further assurance that they are buying outstanding breeding material that will assist them to achieve their own objectives.

Breeding Objectives

Our breeding objectives here at Patriot Boergoat Stud are:

To breed Boergoats with high fertility and good mothering abilities that deliver weaning averages in the region of 180%.
To breed Boergoats that are hardy and display above average disease resistance with minimal animal health inputs.
To breed Boergoats that do not need supplementary feeding (as opposed to strategically supplied mineral supplements).
To use our livestock, including our Boergoats, to improve the condition of our natural veld through a holistic farming approach and controlled intensive grazing practices, thereby making our farming enterprise sustainable.
To supply Boergoats that are functional, adaptable and that are an economic asset for the flocks of our buyers.