The name Boer, which means “farmer” in South Africa, was most probably used to distinguish imported Angora goats from the native goat. This breed of goat appeared in the early 1900s when selection for meat-type goats started in South Africa. On July 4, 1959, the South African Boer Goat Breeders Association was formed and breed standards were formulated. The South African Boer goat is considered to have a white body with a red head and a blaze. The skin where bare, should be fully pigmented and should have a robust, well-muscled conformation with strong jaws and a roman nose.

The Boer goat has relatively short, well fleshed legs with well developed hindquarters. This breed produces kids that are slaughtered at the young age of 5 to 9 months with a carcass weight over 40 lbs. (over 90-100 lbs. of live weight). Since 1970, the Boer goat has been incorporated in meat production performance testing making it the first goat breed involved in this kind of testing scheme (Campbell, 2003). This breed can be easily used in mixed grazing with cattle due to its browsing skills and little impact on grass cover. The Boer goat is a horned breed with lopped ears and a variety of colors; however, U.S. goat farmers prefer red heads and light body color. Adult bucks usually weigh 240-300 lbs. Adult does weigh 200-225 lbs. with an average daily gain of 0.44 lbs. in feedlots and 0.3- 0.4 lbs. on a standard farm. Puberty is reached at 6 months of age for males and longer in females, 10-12 months. This breed has an extended breeding season and may produce three kid crops every two years. A kidding rate of 200% and weaning rate of 160% is common for this breed

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