Jean and I have been in the Boer Goat business for nine years. We started producing show wethers, five years ago as our top priority. We strive to make changes to breed better wethers each year. Due to time and jobs we spend limited time in the show rings, but have done well in the shows in which we have entered our fullbloods.
I started out in the goat business fifty years ago. I was seven years old at the time helping with angora muttons on the ranch. We drenched with phenothiazine, hand held 2 ounce drench guns that always leaked causing the skin to blister, glass gallon drench jugs, breakable, the old 66 screw worm dope, screw worms and wire gates. If you are new in the goat business you cannot believe what you missed. Because of mohair prices, shearing, and extra labor we changed to spanish goats for brush control. Later came the boers, which created a new life style in the goat business. Before the boer goats arrival wethers were muttons, bucks were billies, doe were nannies and trucks were pickups. If you visit our ranch you may still hear these terms used. We ranch 600 acres of brush country, great for goats. All our goats are pasture raised and know how to be goats. They make a living off the land. They seem to work better for producing kids if we breed em up instead of feed em up.
A group of good goat producers put their heads together and formed the Mills County Meatgoat Association. Jean was elected sectetary and served on the board of directors and later I became the president of the association. With the help of many hard working members the association helped pave the way for goat shows, production sales, workshops, embryo programs and a lot of beneficial ideas for the world of goat raising. We had many hours and days of hard work, successes, failures, disappointments, and good times. During the time I served as president, after countless hours and phone calls to Austin with the Buisness of Livestock Markets and Statistical Surveys, it was determined that Mills County, of Texas produces and markets more meatgoats than any other county or state. This established the fact that Mills County is the meatgoat capital of the United States Several top breeders and goat producing ranches are located in Mills County. If you are looking for a place to spend a little time looking at goats or just a place to come and talk goats maybe Goldthwaite might just be a good place to show up for a day or two.
Let us hear from you and get to know you. If you are needing a project for the kids or grandkids to show in 4-H or FFA go to our wether page and sales page. Thanks for taking the time to view our web page. We hope you enjoy it and please check back again
Thanks, Wayne and Jean Ables
