We have concerns with the standards and how much weight some judges give to a specific look in the head and neck when judging a show. We are not asking for any change in the standards or how judges weight those features in the overall quality of the animal. We are just stating our opinion on these features and how they fit into our breeding program. The picture below and to the left is “Classic”, a world champion Boer Goat in South Africa. We will use the picture of his head to discuss the standards and why we don't follow them. There are two features that make up the Boer Ennobled Head. They are:
The Horns (see Classic)
The Roman Nose (see Classic)
Click the pictures below to see more detail.
The Horns
The Boer standards are "Horns should be dark, round, strong, of moderate length, positioned well apart and have a gradual backward curve before turning outward symmetrically". Our problems with the horn standards and judging are listed below.If you look at the above picture of the buck on the left, you will see that the horns curve backwards near the neck and then curve outward. In many animals, the horns will come back so close to the neck that, at an older age, the horns start rubbing on the neck. It will rub off all of the hair and can start rubbing on the skin enough to cause sores and infections. A picture above and in the middle is an example of such a set of horns. The horns are set wide apart at the base but because they curve back towards the body, they are continuously rubbing the neck causing problems. We know of many "Ennobled" bucks that eventually had to have their horns cut off because of the problems it was causing to the neck.
The standards want the horns positioned well apart at the base to minimize the chance of another animal's leg getting caught between the horns and break or injure the leg. The same thing can occur if the horns come back close to the neck and another animal's leg gets caught between the horn and the neck. There is much less chance of any of that occurring if the horns come out of the head in a more upward direction and quickly spread out. That keeps the horns wide and far away from the neck. However some judges will call this a "wild set of horns" and dramatically move the animal down.
The Roman Nose
Look at how strong of a Roman Nose this world champion Boer has. Remember back to shows and production sales when the judge talked about how nice of a head the animal had and the beautiful Roman nose. The show breeders put too much emphasis on how the head looks and the value some judges give it.
There is NO justification for a Roman nose in the standards. When I questioned an ABGA director giving a Boer Goats 101 lecture, they finally admitted that there is no justification for the nose other than it makes the head look strong.
In the same lecture, they were talking about a bad mouth. The speaker stated that breeders did not see bad mouths before the Boer breed came to the US. Many breeders believe the Roman nose may be the cause of Boers getting a bad mouth. The bottom jaw is straight and will grow out straight. However, with the Roman nose, part of the upper mouth will be growing straight out similar to the lower jaw but some of the growth must grow up to give the Roman nose curve. That means the lower jaw may have more growth outward than the upper part of the mouth.
This may cause the animal to have a bad bite as it grows older. Also, the Roman nose is a cull factor in the Kiko standards. It is a cull for the very reason discussed above. Also consider if you take a small piece of hose and start to bend it. The hose will start to pinch as the hose is curved more and more. That means an animal with a strong Roman nose may have problems with air moving through the nostrils. We do not have any focus on having strong Roman nose genetics in our breeding herd.