How to Raise a Nubian Boer Goat

Find a source of goat breeder within your range who crosses Boer goats with Nubian goats. One way to do that is through the American Boer Goat Association, which has a member locator section on its website. Discuss with the breeder when he might have a kid he would be willing to sell. If you want goat's milk from your goat, plan to get a female, which you will have to breed and allow to have kids to get milk. If you simply want a pet, plan to get either a female or a male that has already been neutered, called a "wether."

Plan your goat's housing. Goats do not require fancy housing. However, they do need a covered structure providing a dry place to sleep, which you can build, or simply buy a pre-built small shed. Spread a layer of straw on the floor to catch manure and urine and put extra in the corners away from the doorway for bedding. Erect sturdy fencing around the shed. A yard approximately 40-by-40 feet or larger can provide sufficient exercise space for a goat, especially if it contains a large rock and other things to climb on (although do not place these close enough to the fence for the goat to climb out). Goats do like company, so if you acquire two goats, they will also get exercise playing together. If the goat yard is not very large, goats are easily trained to take walks either loose or on a long leash.

Purchase food for your goat. One goat will eat approximately 50 bales, averaging 40 pounds per bale, of hay per year. Buy the highest quality grass hay you can find in whatever quantity you can afford at a time and have room to store under cover. If you are planning to breed and milk your goat, you may also want to buy a few bales of nutritious alfalfa hay to mix in. To keep hay off the ground, buy a ready-made steel rack or build one of wood inside the goat's shelter; it only needs to be large enough to hold a couple sections (also called "flakes"), or a day's worth of hay. Many goats may require a small amount of goat-specific grain each day as a supplement to provide the proper nutrients.

Mount a bucket hanger in the goat shed so you can hang a bucket of fresh water to hang off the ground so it is less likely to get manure and dirty hay in it. All animals, and especially hay-eating livestock, need fresh water available at all times every season of the year. For one goat, a 2-gallon bucket kept clean and filled once or twice a day will be sufficient. In climates with a cold winter, buy two buckets and trade a frozen bucket for one filled with warm water twice a day; this will encourage your goat to drink in the wintertime, which is important to maintain body temperature.

Erect fencing that works best for your area and home landscape. One of the best choices for goats can be stock panel, which typically comes in 16-foot lengths. Stock panel is relatively inexpensive and very sturdy. It can be attached to posts, either wood or metal. However, if you have a goat with horns, stock panels may not be the best choice, since many goats can get their heads through the square spaces in the stock panel but often aren't able to figure out how to turn their heads to get them back out. In that case, you may want wood fencing, which allows you to create narrow spacing between boards.

Locate a large animal veterinarian. This is a good thing to do before you get your goat home. Goats are typically very healthy, but it is best to know who to call in the case of an emergency. Also, goats need annual care such as a couple of vaccinations, deworming and hoof trimming in order to help them remain healthy. You will likely learn to do most of this yourself, but it is good to have a large animal veterinarian teach you how.