Australian Meat Goats

 

 At Red Ridge we are establishing a herd of breeder does best suited to Australian conditions.  Using a base of Boer X does we are cross breeding with Kalahari Red bucks and have included some Australian Feral genetics. 

 

The Kalahari Red

• Height, this increases the foraging ability of the animal.  A Kalahari can reach heigher for forage and travel greater distances for food.
• Length of carcass, improves the meat carrying capacity of the animal.
• Weight gain for age
• Mothering ability, in the Australian bush the ability of a doe to raise a kid in the open paddock, keeping them safe from predators is a neccessity.
• Colour, like the Droughtmaster cattle the Kalahari’s red colouring and dark pigment allows it to cope best with prolonged periods of high temperature.  Brown or black pigmented animals actually require more Vitamin D (sunlight), so you will not see Kalahari’s seeking a shady spot on a hot day.
• Resistance to parasites, after periods of high rainfall and subsequent worm activity the Kalahari appears to cope better than other breeds.

 

The Boer,

Boer X does have been chosen as foundation does for the following reasons

• Meat characteristics, like the Kalahari – weight gain for age
• availability, Boer X does are available in numbers at a reasonable cost
• pigment, Boer X does carry the black pigment genetics

 

Australian Feral

• The Australian Feral, like the Kalahari has undergone a long period of natural selection, creating a strong genetic base.
• Predator wary, the Feral will be aware of a nearby predator long before other breeds and will often sound the warning for the rest of the herd.  This instinct is passed from doe to kid and feral X kids strongly exhibit this characteristic.
• Depth and length of carcass, our feral does are chosen for their deep long carcasses.
• Parasite resistance, even when bought to areas of higher rainfall, like this property, the feral appears to have high parasite resistance.
• Ability to do well, in poor conditions the feral is the last of the herd to lose condition.

 

All of our animals are paddock reared, Red Ridge is a combination of gently undulating hills and steep gullies.  The gullies provide a wide variety of forage from native grasses and legumes to wattle and ironbark, while other paddocks are being planted with selected pasture legumes and forage trees to improve weight gains and protein for kidding.  The rich volcanic and granite soils guarantee abundant forage even in the dry.  Embedded volcanic rocks and deep drainage minimise foot problems and ensure animals get plenty of climbing and healthy muscle development.