Are you looking for a goat breed that can produce quality nutritious meat? Look no further because Savanna goats may be the ones for you.
If you still have doubts about our recommendation, read our article below to know detailed information about the Savanna meat goats.
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What are Savanna goats?
The Savanna goats are a meat-producing breed with a big frame and well-muscled body. Their coats are typically white because that color is more dominant than others. Nevertheless, there is black pigmentation on some of their body parts including skin, horns, as well as hooves.
Where are Savanna goats from?
The exact Savanna goat origin is unknown. However, it’s generally believed that in 1957, the first goats of this breed appeared in Ciliers and Sons which is a ranch located near the Vaal River, South Africa. Savanna goats were developed by crossing Boer goats and local landrace goats.
They are a recent addition to America, having arrived in the late 1990s.
What are Savanna goats used for?
Savanna goats produce a lot of high-quality meat.
Despite their close similarity to their Boer parent breed except for coloration, the Savanna goats are tougher. This feature makes them suitable for low-maintenance input operations as well as for crossbreeding with Boer goats or other goat breeds to improve their kids’ hardiness and meatiness.
Savanna goat characteristics
Savanna goats’ height ranges between 19 and 25 inches. Over Savanna goat size is medium.
Similar to their Boer parent breed, Savanna bucks have supple, loose wrinkles on their chests and necks, plus strong, thick, moderately long horns curving back from their head crowns before gradually becoming a symmetrical curve.
Savanna goats have short coats which are entirely white but sometimes with a little sprinkling of black, red, or blue ticking. Only the nose, skin, hooves, horns, sexual organs are black.
A female Savanna goat can have four or only two teats.
What do Savanna goats eat?
Similar to other meat goats, each Savanna goat requires pasture space of approximately 250 feet for exercise as well as social needs. You should provide them with high-quality food & mineral supplements and control their breeding.
Goats require a little copper, so formulated food & supplements for sheep and horses can be given to them.
Keep in mind that the digestive system of a goat is shorter than that of a cow. In addition, the nutrition according to bodyweight required by meat goats is almost as twice as much as that required by cows.
Notices on making fences for Savanna goats
Savanna goats, which have a large build, have a high level of energy and activeness. Therefore, you should build a solid fence for these goats in order to encircle the goats as well as to keep the predators at bay.
The fence should be a minimum of 6 feet tall, and its posts are buried no less than 2 feet and placed at most 8-foot intervals.
If the farm landscape allows the goats to climb or jump over the fence, you need to install an electric wire both above and below the fence to help contain these overactive goats.
Notices on breeding Savanna goats
Female goats can give birth as soon as they reach 6 months old. However, their breeding success will be greater if they reach no less than ¾ of their grown size & weight, so their mature size won’t be impacted by early breeding.
A couple of weeks before breed, you should group Savanna goats, specifically male goats together and does & wethers together. As social animals, the goats will fight to create an order within the pack. Therefore, you should separate them by sex long before breeding to help them avoid stress as well as breeding performance.
You should also have the Savanna goats’ health checked up before breeding seasons. Common practices are vaccinations or deworming. In addition, you will need to get their hooves, feet, and legs trimmed and checked.
A mixed herd of both male and female goats should last between 40 and 45 days. One buck will live with about 20-30 does.
After the appearance of the buck from 2 to 3 days, the does’ entrust will start. If you leave them to live together for more than 40 days, the does are ensured to experience 2 estrus cycles, which raises the probability that they will be pregnant.
How much do Savanna goats cost?
In America, the purebred goats are rare, so Savanna goats’ price varies between $750 and $2,000.
However, the crossbred kids between Savanna and Boer goats are significantly more common, and their price is around half as much.
How to choose good Savanna goats?
You can directly go to the farms of Savanna goat breeders to look around and choose your goats. During your visit, you should check out whether their living environment is clean and well-kept.
Another buying option is through 3rd party sellers such as Amazon and Alibaba. However, it’s not worth taking the risk of buying costly goats without seeing them yourself.
Regardless of where you choose to buy the goats, there are some aspects that you should pay attention to.
- Health history
You should ask the breeders for records of vaccinations and working medications as well as supplements, etc. that the goats have received.
Remember to check that not only your goat but also their goat parents and herd are also healthy.
- Healthy appearance
You can tell if your potential goat is healthy or not through its appearance. A healthy meat goat’s build should be sturdy and muscular and have strong legs. You should check to see if the goat’s eyes, teeth, and hooves have any visible issues.
Savanna goats should have a white coat with black pigmentation on some of their body parts including skin, horns, as well as hooves or ears. Moreover, Savanna does’ udders should develop well and be symmetrical.
- Parenting habits
Besides your individual goat, you should also check their parents.
For example, if you buy a young buck, you should examine whether his goat father can breed several does per breeding season. If you buy a young doe, you should examine whether her goat mother takes good care of her kids.
Other Facts about Savanna Goats
1. How big do Savanna goats get?
Savanna goat weight varies from 125 to 200 pounds for does, and from 200 to 250 pounds for bucks. Their kids can reach between 55 and 66 pounds within 100 days.
2. Are Savanna goats friendly?
It depends. Savanna goat bucks are characterized by aggressiveness, while their female counterparts have traits of protectiveness and fertility.
3. Are Savanna goats easy to keep?
Yes, they are. Savanna goats are an independent and low-maintenance breed. Moreover, they are great foragers and they can grow fast without the requirement for lots of food or nutrition.
Additionally, Savanna goats have strong resistance to parasites and high tolerance to both heat and cold. So they can grow in climates characterized by a wide range of temperature and rainfall and they will breed all year if food is plentiful.
Female goats deliver their kids in the open space and prove to be excellent mothers.
Regardless of their independence, the Savanna breed has a mellow personality and you have an easier time managing these goats than lots of other goat breeds.
4. When do Savanna goats mate?
There is no specific period because they breed all year round.
Final words
High-quality meat, great physique, and easy-to-raise are among desirable qualities that explain why you should choose Savanna goats.
Besides their general characteristics, I also provide you with additional information about how to make a suitable for them as well as how to choose good Savanna goats.