Arrival, identity and settling-in records
Records for a Boer goat start with the arrival facts while they are still verifiable. File movement paperwork, seller and source holding details, arrival date, age as given, and ear tag numbers checked against the goat in front of you. Photograph both sides, the brown head and ears against the white body that typify the breed, and any individual marks or horn shape. Record arrival weight and body condition scored by feeling the spine and ribs, not by eye alone. Note the quarantine or settling arrangement you use, which animals he can see, and his first eating, drinking and droppings observations over the opening days. First-week behaviour notes, such as calling, fence-testing or hiding, give later keepers a baseline for what settling stress looked like in this goat.
Feed, browse and weight tracking
Feeding records for a Boer goat should separate what is offered from what he actually thrives on. Log hay type and rough amount, concentrate feed by the scoop or handful measure you use, mineral access, and browsing time on hedges, yards or pasture. Boers are meat goats with fast growth potential, so weigh at regular intervals, ideally on the same day pattern, and record condition alongside weight so a heavy but poorly covered goat is not misread. Note feed changes, refusals and competition at the trough if he lives with other goats. Record water checks and any salt or mineral supplement as placed. Over a season, that log explains growth spurts and stalls with evidence instead of hunches, and it travels usefully if he is sold, shown or lent for breeding.
Hooves, coat and routine care log
Routine care records for a Boer goat fill quickly, and dates are the point. Enter hoof trims or checks, since fast-growing hooves on soft ground are a common Boer management issue, plus any foot scald or lameness notes with the foot affected. Log coat and skin observations, lice or mite concerns as seen, and treatments only as advised and recorded. Note castration, disbudding history for kids where relevant, and shearing or clipping if you do any for showing. Record fencing and housing repairs prompted by this goat, because a strong, curious Boer buck or wether teaches you where the weak rails are. A dated care log turns 'he is due sometime soon' into a schedule you can plan around work and weather.
Health entries and vet registration
Health records for a Boer goat from day one should pair registration with observation. Register with a goat-experienced farm vet, record the practice and out-of-hours details, and enter vaccinations, worming and fluke or parasite control exactly as advised, with dates and the animals treated. Keep a signs log for scouring, coughing, weight loss, pale inner eyelids where you are trained to check, reduced browsing or standing apart, each dated with action taken. Note faecal egg count results if you use testing, in the vet's own reported wording. Never record a suspicion as a diagnosis; record what you saw and what the vet said. That discipline makes the file trustworthy to any professional who reads it later.
Breeding, companions and contacts file
Breeding and social records round out a Boer goat file begun on day one. If he is or may become a breeding buck, keep registration or registration papers, service records and kid outcomes as they arise; if he is a wether or companion, record that status and date so future keepers are not guessing. List companions and hierarchy notes, because goat groups shift and a record of who he settles with explains feeding and shelter behaviour. Add contacts for vet, feed merchant, haulier and a goat-keeping neighbour for emergencies. Review the file each season and add a brief summary line. Held in KinsLe, Pet Passport keeps this Boer's identity, weight and health records as one growing packet from the first entry.