If you’re considering starting a herd of Boer goats, one of the first things you’ll have to consider is the cost of individual goats.
There are many other expenses to consider, which I will get into, but the first question on your mind will often simply be the cost of each goat itself.
Boer goats are a great breed and a great option as a pet, so let’s look at the cost of buying a Boer goat.
How much does a Boer goat cost?
So, you could expect to get a pet Boer goat for somewhere in the region of $200 USD.
This is just the initial cost of purchase, of course, and there are many other expenses to consider over its reasonably long lifetime.
So, let’s take a closer look at how much it will cost you to raise and care for your goat properly over its lifetime.
How much does it cost to raise a Boer goat?
Goats, simply put, are not house pets.
They need a great deal of space to roam around and will eat no small amount of food.
They will also need a shelter of their own.
Finally, goats will not be happy on their own—you need to have at least two or three for them to be happy and healthy.
Goats are herd animals and ruminants like deer, meaning they are highly social animals.
Even if you were spending all your time with them, they’ll still need a couple of other goats to keep them happy.
Keep that in mind, then—an individual Boer goat might cost around $200, but you will need more than one no matter what you do.
Then, you’ll have to consider the cost of their shelter and enclosure.
Boer goats will need both individual sleeping space and at least some kind of communal indoor shelter—goats do not like rain!
They will each need about 20 square feet of space.
This is likely to be a big, initial expense, and how much this will cost will depend on a lot of things, like availability of materials.
Do some research in your area, but this is absolutely one of the biggest initial expenses you will encounter.
Then, you’ll have to consider the cost of raising the goat over its lifetime.
Goats, as I mentioned, are browsers, which means they like to look around a large pasture for food.
So, you’ll need to have a lot of space that you’re willing to essentially dedicate to your goats.
If they have a good pasture with a large variety of foods like plants, shrubs and leaves, the cost of feed will be slightly less.
That said, you’ll have to provide each goat with around 2-4 pounds of hay per day.
If you have a big enough pasture with good variety of foods available, they’ll typically be fine with just regular grass hay.
However, milking and kidding does might need a bit more calcium, which you can provide with alfalfa hay—which, unsurprisingly, is a bit more expensive: somewhere in the region of $100 per 50 pounds.
Whatever hay they’re getting, they’ll need around 2-4 pounds of hay per day.
You can also supplement their grass hay with alfalfa pellets.
Pellets are a good supplement for a goat’s diet, though not strictly necessary for all goats.
Like I said, milking does and kids just have a slightly higher requirement for protein and calcium.
How many acres do you need for a Boer goat?
As I touched on, goats are browsers and need a large amount of space with good forage for them.
You might even be thinking of moving somewhere to accommodate your goats, so it’s best to know how much land you’re going to need.
Goats, being highly sociable herd animals, need at least one other goat to keep them company—preferably 3-4 for a happy herd.
So, for 3 goats, you’re going to need about half an acre of pasture for them to roam.
The general advice is that 1 acre is enough to support 6-8 goats, depending on size and breed.
Related Post: Are Boer Goats Seasonal Breeders? (Answered!)
Boer goats are among the largest of all domestic breeds, so for 3 goats to keep them as happy as possible, you’d want between half an acre and a full acre.
So, a garden, even a reasonably large one, is not going to be enough for your goats.
Aside from the fact that your goats would likely eat anything you tried to plant in a garden they shared, they just need a lot of space.
This is a big cost to consider if you don’t already live on a large amount of land.
You’ll also have to consider what is growing on that pasture.
It’s no good to just have a grassy field.
It will have to be populated with plants, bushes and small trees to provide forage.
Preferably, you’d also have a variety of toys and things for them to play with—goats often have a lot of energy, and will get restless if they don’t have things to do.
This isn’t a big expense, but you will need to update their toys and what they have available.
So, keeping any goat is not exactly a cheap endeavor, but you will ultimately find it is well worth it.
When it comes to a living creature, you really should not cut any corners.
If you provide your Boer goat with the best possible life, you will be paying a fair amount.
But you’ll have a very happy, long term friend to share your life with, and what price can be put on that?
More in Boer
- Are Boer Goats Seasonal Breeders?
- How Big Do Boer Goats Get?
- How Much Does A Boer Goat Cost?
- How Long Do Boer Goats Live?