Boer goat farming is a way that many South Africans make a living of. If you are thinking of starting your very own farming business, we have some important information available in this post. We will be discussing the different goat breeds, prices and most importantly, the need for a goat shed. We will also be providing some goat shed plans and diy tips on how to properly build the shed with the proper materials.
Additionally, it is important to be aware of the fact that there are different types of farming in South Africa, each of them with their own challenges and processes. Therefore, you need to make sure you are prepared for what type of farming business you want to start.
Without further ado, here is all the basics you need to know on goat farming in South Africa:
Types of Goat Breeds in South Africa
As many other species, goats have a wide variety of breeds and each one of these are ideal for different farming practices: Milking, meat, cultural significance, skin etc.
Let’s briefly list the different types of goats in South Africa with their most common use.
Meat
Goat meat is often called Chevon when from adults and Cabrito when from young animals.
- Boer Goat -Meat Production
- Savanna Goat – Meat Production
- Kalahari Red Goat – Meat Production
- Tankwa Goat – Meat & Milk Production
Cultural Value
- Indigenous Veld Goat – Cultural Value
Milk
- Tankwa Goat – Meat & Milk Production
- Saanen Goat – Milk
- Toggenburg Goat – Milk
- Alpine Goats – Milk
- Anglo-Nubian Goat – Milk
- Bunte Deutsche Edelziege (BDE) Goat – Milk
Fibre
- Mbuzi indigenous goat Goat – Fibre (Cashmere)
- Gorno Altai Goat – Fibre (Cashmere)
- Saffer Goat – Fibre (Cashmere)
- Angora Goat – Fibre (Mohair)
Above-mentioned information are adapted from SouthAfrica.co.za.
It is important to know what your end-goal is when going into goat farming. Are you looking to produce milk, fibre, meat or culturally valued goats to be sold. Once you know this, you can narrow it down to which goat breed you will need.
Goat Prices in South Africa
Goat prices vary depending on breed, location and age. We will focus on Boer Goats in South Africa.
The price for a single goat can vary from R2200 – R12 000. (As at time of writing this post.)
A few things to consider when purchasing a goat are:
- Is the goat Vaccinated?
A vaccinated goat will be healthier and more likely to survive. Therefore, a vaccinated goat can hike up the price. There are also other health concerns to be aware of. We highly recommend you read the informative article on Farmer’s Weekly regarding Basic Goat Health. Make sure you inspect the goat before buying.
- What gender is the goat?
Male goats (Bucks) are more expensive. This is due to the fact that they have a greater influence on flock numbers. The male goats are able to impregnate many females, while the females are only able to produce offspring once in a certain amount of time.
A buck is ready to be sold as a breeding buck at the age of plus minus 12 – 14 months.
A buck of this age can range from R2 800.00 – R3 500.00
If you are looking for higher quality bucks, called studs, you are looking at anything from R4 000.00 – R15 000.00
Female goats range from R2 200.00 – R3 000.00.
Higher quality female goats can range from R3 200.00 – R15 000.00
Important Note on Buying Livestock online
Livestock and backyard farming is booming in South Africa. But we urge new farmers not to be conned by online scammers. We spoke to the owner of the Patriot Boer Goat Farm. He has been in the industry for over 25 years and has offered some insight into the cost of goats and why farmers that are starting out need to be wary of buying online.
Many online shopping sites where people can list their livestock has opened a lot of avenues to fraud. Many of the advertisers selling on these sites, are selling the goats at significantly lower prices than the rest of the industry. These goats can range from R500.00 – R1200.00.
While it seems like a good deal, we caution you to make sure that you are buying from a reputable farmer and not someone trying to scam money from you.
Many of these operations will provide photos and information, and upon payment they disappear with your money.
*Note: We are not claiming that all advertisements on these sites are scams. We only want to alert potential buyers to do their due diligent when buying on these sites.
Explaining Boer Goat Standard Pricing
Johan Steyn from Patrior Boer Goats explained it quite simply:
Breed goats (Male) should be more expensive than flock goats for slaughter as they will produce more offspring and increase your flock number.
To give you an idea of the price for slaughter, at the moment market related prices for goats meat ranges between R35.00- R42.00 per live kg. (Goat’s weight while still alive). An average goat can weight between 30-40kg. If you take the mid point at 35kg, multiply it by it’s average value (R38.50.) you get an average price of R1 347,50
Therefore, your average goat for slaughter has a value of R1347.50. The breeding goat (male) adds more value to the flock, and therefore, it will be more expensive than R1347.50.
This is an easy way to determine whether or not these ads are trustworthy. If you have ads that advertise breeding goats way below this price, we suggest that you follow the following guidelines to ensure the ad is legitimate:
- Request additional photos
- If at all possible, request to see the livestock in person
- Never hand over a deposit before confirming that the listing was indeed legitimate.
For new farmers, it is safer to buy from reputable farmers and breeders. You are able to purchase high quality boer goats from Patriot Boer Goats here: http://patriotboergoats.co.za
DIY Boer Goat Shed
It is important to remember that animals need sufficiency space to be comfortable. Therefore, you need to plan out your shed and pen before you buy any boer goats. Plan how many goats you are planning to buy initially, make a prediction on how much your flock will grow in a year, and then build your goat shed/pen for the estimated size of your flock in a year. This will ensure that you have more than enough space for the goats to live comfortably, and will prevent you from having to rebuild the shed in a few months.
On average, a single boer goat needs at least 2 square meter. To be safe, you can work on 2.5 square meter. Therefore, if you are planning to start out with 5 goats, your shed/pen will have to be at least 10 square meters.
Do not try and make the shed smaller than these recommendations as that can lead to anxious, stressed and unhappy goats.
Free Boer Goat / Boerbok shed plans
Goats are happy when they have a lot of space, and a small shelter to protect them from direct sun and/or rain and cold weather. That’s why it is always a good idea to buld a small goat shed for them inside their pen.
The pen can be build with CCA Treated Poles and Laths, a simple fencing system will do.
When looking at building a shed, there are many options available on the internet, here are some links to free goat shed plans:
While some of these plans encourage the use of “scrap wood”. We do not advise it. Building these shelters out of wood that is not water and insect resistant or repellent can lead to it collapsing from mold and decay. This can potentially lead to goats getting hurt, and you having to spend extra money for repairs.
Boer Goat Shed Materials
As mentioned above, it is always good to use high quality wood for your goat shed. Therefor, we highly recommend CCA Treated Timber. Treated Timber has all of the following benefits:
- Non-Toxic
- Preserves Wood Against Biological Deterioration
- 15 Year Gaurantee
- Protects against Insect Attacks
- Protects against Water Damage
At Sabie Poles, we have just the right timber construction materials for your goat shed and your fence to create the perfect enclosure for your goats:
If you are looking for additional CCA Treated Timber products, you can head over to our Online Quotation System which showcases all of our available products at Sabie Poles.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us via our Facebook Page or leave an email below and we will get back to you.
