Goats, sheep, pigs and poultry will be on display at the Bathurst Agricultural Show, March 22-24, 2024. Leading the flock when it comes to small livestock will be Boer goats.
What’s special about Boer goats?
A lot, it turns out, as Talk of the Town discovered, speaking to coordinator of the small livestock section, Pieter Fouche. They have white bodies and red heads – but that’s just the start, says Fouche.
Boer goats are an indigenous breed that is bred to a very specific standard. “They are a meat breed, so they’re bred to be as big as possible but still functional,” Fouche said. “The judges will be looking at length, depth and breadth of the animals.”
There are also a number of cosmetic factors that judges take into account. “The shape of a ram’s head can be broad; a ewe’s head should be narrower, with a neck that is relatively slender,” Fouche says. “Judges like a ewe to wedge towards the back – in other words, to have bigger hips. A ram is expected to be broader in the chest.”
On Friday March 22, at around 9am, there will be judging of the Boer goats. Once the judges – who by the way have to study extensively and pass stringent exams – have determined which goats meet the standard, they will be tabled for auction the next day, Saturday March 23 at 11am. This will be a production sale – and Fouche explains that unlike a fat-stock (ie ready for slaughter) auction, these are animals that farmers will want to take home and use for breeding. The South African Boer Goat Breeders Association regulates Boer goats, as well as Savannah and Kalahari red goats, which will also be represented at this year’s Bathurst Agricultural Show.
On display and on auction*, will also be sheep. “We’re just dipping our toes into sheep at the moment,” Fouche said. Visitors to the show can expect to see Dorpers (a meat breed, white with a black head); Meatmasters which are unusual in that they browse instead of graze; Dohne merinos (small bodies with lots of good-quality wool); and Persians – whose broad tails have the fat that is sought after for boerewors and dry wors.
There won’t be auctions for pigs or poultry, but they will be on display and there will be judging of these showgoers’ favourites.
The pigs will be entered in various categories, coordinator Rod Tyson said. These include a pen of 6 weaners; a pen of 4 porkers (45kg upwards); gilts (sows with no litters); and the showgoers’ favourite – sows with complete litters.
Again, looks are everything when it comes to judging pigs.
“Boars should have good conformation,” Tyson said. For example, “The judges will be looking for strong back legs. Sows should have even nipples and good strong legs.”
The call for entries for the poultry section will go out at the beginning of March and among the things that the extensively qualified judges (“a massive manual and a six-hour exam” according to coordinator Tommy Webster) will be looking at are the sizes and proportions of head, neck and body; legs; keel (chest); colour and carriage.
Webster expects around 300 birds to be on show this year. They will be judged in the categories of soft feathers; hard feathers; bantams; fancy bantams; and hard-feather bantams.
*An earlier version of this article indicated that sheep would be on display only; in fact they will also be on auction.
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