News in brief:

[Mustang Sally Farm]

May 2011 is suppose to be the month that the country gets her FMD status free certification.This will open the door to allow the movement of livestock from the north to the south.The added advantage of new bloodlines for those in the southern region will help produce even better breeds than what is available now.Selection of better quality breeding stocks is one of the keys for success taking into account other factors like environment,climate,management and feeds.This will also help the northern breeders to unload surplus breeding stocks.For all livestocks,the added advantage of possible exports,is attractive.Look at the Japan crisis.the country is in need of food related products to help rebuild the country and feed her people.Due to the fact the FMD ban is still in place makes exports for some livestock products much more difficult.The Japanese crisis could have been a real shot in the arm for Philippine agriculture.The lifting of the ban will help agriculture in the country for many,many years to come.The problems in Japan and South Korea might be the Philippines gain,lets hope so and try to take advantage of this opportunity.

[nemo]

Pray that there would be no reported FMD cases in the near future so the certification will not be jeopardize

[alaminos_goatfarm]

It looks like its a go for the lifting of FMD Tag for Luzon after so many years. Had a short talk with LDC Director Manuel Jarmin and he said LDC is funding the documentation to be presented to the OIE meeting in May, 2011. After so many years and the FMD tag for Luzon is lifted by OIE in May  would be big for breeders of ruminants and swine. Ths would create a smooth flow of breeders from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao. Alaminos Goat Farm is excited for the possibilities it would create in helping develop the goat industry in the Philippines. We hope the Bureau of Animal Industry would come out with a guideline for the seamless shipment of breeder goats from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao.

This would be great for AGF breeder operation and would pave the way for us to invest more in better genetics. Next year we are looking at  the possibility of importing frozen semen from quality breeders of dairy goats from the United Staes.

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Ontario Develops
Goat Research Center

By Alan Harman 

A Center of Excellence for Goat Research and Innovation has begun work in Ontario, Canada, aimed at fostering new opportunities for growth and development in the sector. The center is backed by the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster, Ontario Goat Breeders Association (Ontario Goat), the Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative, Trent University, and the University of Guelph. It will use input from researchers and industry stakeholders to identify key issues to focus on. So far these include industry sustainability, market responsiveness, animal health, product development, basic research and genetics.


Ontario Goat executive director Jennifer Haley.
 

According to a printed statement from the innovation cluster, the vision of the center is to promote the growth and competitiveness of the goat and small ruminant sectors by servicing consumer demands for consistent, quality products in the market place. The center will facilitate the co-ordination of research activities in the goat sector and will enable economics research to support the industry's competitiveness and sustainability.

Research will be undertaken by Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, and the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, while activities will be coordinated at the innovation cluster.

It is anticipated that, as partnerships are established, additional research locations will become involved.

Ontario Goat executive director Jennifer Haley said the center doesn't have a physical location and is more a collaboration between the partners.

"The industry has grown to the point where it needs these types of resources," she said. "We need to get ourselves together, unite and come together with common goals."

Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster president & CEO Andy Mitchell said creation of the center, which will be coordinated between the two universities, made it an exciting day for the goat industry.

"The impacts of the research that will be conducted through the centre are expected to have global implications," Mitchell said. "Through leading edge research in key areas of activity the center will support the industry's competitiveness and sustainability."

Haley said the Canadian goat industry views the incorporation of the center as a huge step in the right direction.

"There is so much potential for all involved in the goat industry and this type of initiative is another important milestone in building a solid foundation towards realizing the full potential of goat milk, meat and other related products," she said.

The center will launch the Ontario and Canadian industry into several very significant opportunities.

Production-driven research will help producers and processors to become more competitive in home and export markets.


Canadian goat farms will be supported by new research and profitability studies, made feasible by the new center. Photos by Kendra Keels
 

The market for milk, meat and food products is becoming better served through raw material quality and finished product positioning. As the special properties of goat milk and meat are exploited for positive human health benefits, the contributions made by genetics to these breakthroughs will provide the foundation for a worldwide export market for breeding stock and genetic materials.

Trent University manager of corporate research partnerships John Knight said he was surprised by how little formal study was being done on the goat in Canada.

"The raising of these animals is all by art as opposed to science and there's very little research being done on the products that goats produce," he said.

Knight told reporters the university would use its DNA and genetics laboratories to analyze goat milk and a new masters program in sustainability studies to assist the goat center.

"There are a lot of issues that require some research on how to create better farming practices," he said. "Goat milk has a lot of health benefits."

Trent and the University of Guelph are developing a research collaboration agreement.

Haley said the center would take advantage of the different laboratories and researchers at the two universities.

"It's using existing resources and it's focusing them into the research priorities," she said. "They're already looking at the properties of goat milk, they're already looking at the different animal diseases that impact goats."

There are about 2,000 goat farmers in Ontario that produce milk, meat and fiber.

Chantelle Held of the Centre of Excellence said the aim is to promote the growth and competitiveness of the goat and small ruminant sectors by servicing consumer demands for consistent, quality products in the marketplace.

She said with the industry growing significantly in Ontario, the time was right to launch a center.

"We need that research to stand behind," she said.

Lloyd Wicks of Ontario Goat called creation of the center a great first step for the industry.

"With more than 800 million goats worldwide, that's 800 million reasons for us to get on with the business of research in this industry," he said.

New opportunities for national and international collaboration will only move that industry forward.

"We have a great product and we're going to make it a lot greater," he said.

That's where Trent and Guelph can play a valuable role, he said.

Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative official Lisa Thompson said the center would help drive the dairy, meat and fiber industry forward in Ontario.

"We need this in terms of the research and the news that will garner more awareness and profile for Ontario's goat industry and throughout Canada," she said.

Creation of the center follows a report released in 2009 that said such an initiative was both timely and feasible.

 
 

The report said there are an estimated 270 dairy herds in Ontario with farm gate sales of C$25 million annually. Central Ontario accounts for about 25 percent of the milk produced.

It said opportunities to develop the industry are growing as Ontario's population expands with recent immigrants who are predisposed to consuming goat products, such as milk and meat.

Owen Roberts, who teaches agricultural communications at the University of Guelph, wrote in the local newspaper there is no doubt in Ontario agriculture, 2010 was the Year of the Goat.

"Ontario farmers are catching up with the rest of the world by discovering the virtues of goats as livestock," he said.

"Goats don't require as much land, feed or water. They can produce meat and milk; the latter makes superb high-protein, low-fat chévre cheese that's become trendy and highly sought by well-heeled North Americans. In fact, some of the best goat milk cheese is made locally."

Meantime, in another announcement during Ontario Goat's 5th annual international goat symposium in Stratford, Ont., federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz approved about C$700,000 (US$676,375) in program funding to get an integrated dairy goat genetic improvement program under way.

The GoGen pilot project, to be overseen by Guelph-based Ontario Goat, will help the industry make genetic improvements to increase milk production and improve meat quality through superior genetics.

The funds will also be used to update, modify and bring efficiencies to goat genetic tools that are already provided to the dairy cattle industry.

The three-year program will involve 15 pilot goat farms. They'll work on developing superior genetics, production and management activities that can be adopted by goat milk producers.

Member of Parliament Gary Schellenberger said the goat industry represents one of the largest growth opportunities in Ontario agriculture today.

"This project has great potential to help goat producers become more profitable, increase sales and access new milk and meat markets," he said.

The pilot project will help determine the value and benefits of a domestic genetic improvement program specifically geared to the goat industry.

"By implementing an integrated pilot program, the Ontario goat industry can demonstrate the value that these combined programs and services can have to the entire goat industry and to the individual goat producer," Haley said.

"The GoGen project will provide a toolbox full of production management tools that will ultimately help producers become more efficient and return more dollars to their operations."

Agricultural Adaptation Council chairman Jim Rickard said the project would allow producers to learn the value of implementing goat genetic improvement programs from their peers through the use of pilot herds.

"These programs can help position the Ontario goat industry to capture future growth opportunities, both domestic and export, and remain competitive."

Haley said the project would work with several existing programs, including CanWest DHI for milk testing, www.goatgenetics.ca for goat evaluations, and Genetic Corp. (Gencor), a leader in the cow genetics industry, on genetic evaluation and assessment of artificial insemination tools.
 
note:Canada now has taken this livestock, the goat very serious and is about to pump lots of money into this program to promote this livestock for both domestic and international markets.Goats have finally found their way into worldwide acceptance for the value they hold.Goats the new wave livestock for the future.The Philippines is right along with the rest of the world with their own goat programs.

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Commercial meat production or operation-produce crossbreeds and percentage grade stock with no documented heritiage but may also house purebreed breeding stock to improve your herds quality.

The four genetic traits for improved meat goat production are identified as:
-adaptability to environment
-reproductive rate
-growth rate
-carcass value

there appears to be no real set standard for meat goat production as of yet in the Philippines so Mustang Sally will adapt the Canadian standard as it guidelines.
-meat is produced from prime young stock between the ages of 6 and 18 months of age.

Canadian liveweight classes for meat goats-30lbs.(13.63 kg)-60lbs.(27.27kg)-90lbs.(40.90kg) and 150lbs.(68.18kg)
-30lbs or 13.63kgs. kids-35-49lbs. or 22.27kgs.
-60lbs. or 27.27kgs,kids-50-75lbs. or 34.09kgs.
-90lbs,or 40.90kgs.young goats
-150lbs,or 68.18kgs.

some producers will move 30lbs.or 13.63kgs. kids into the fattening setting and raise them to the 70-100lbs range for meat production while the meat is still prime and the stock still young.

There appears to be a standard for goat meat cuts but not for live goats which also needs to be addressed.Standards will need to be borrowed from countries that already have standards and tweeked to fit the Philippine goat market.I am not here to suggest to others to follow our examples but standards gives the producer a guideline to follow and an idea of what weight class to raise and a standard for livehead classes will help any produce identify prime,choice,good and fair.Better quality stocks should be recognized for the producers hard work over stocks of poorer quality and adds creditability for the consumers who support our industry.

The boer breed today is the backbone for the meat industry and the driving force behind some of the upgrades that is taking place.

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Backyard farmers to benefit in P167B program for ruminant industry

Posted on March 1, 2011 by KatarHol5

0

BY PAUL ICAMINA
WHAT may look like obstacles are opportunities.

All that’s needed is a well-coordinated push for the ruminant animal industry to be a vibrant agribusiness, according to the Ruminant Animal Industry Road Map 2010-2034.

The government will spend P167 billion starting last year until 2034, or P7 billion annually, to kick-start the country’s moribund dairy and ruminant industry.

The aim is to increase the 3.9 million ruminants in 2010 to 6.9 million by 2034.

The output: increase in breeding stocks every generation of about five years, with corresponding increase in the production of milking animals for distribution to small farmers.

One of the perceived opportunities – instead of obstacles – is the ever-increasing demand for milk and meat due to the high population growth rate, urbanization and rising income.

Ruminants – dairy cattle, carabaos, goats and sheep – can produce high-value products such as milk.

But each year, the country imports 99 percent of milk and dairy products worth $712 million (in 2008). About 84 percent of that is in powdered form.

While it is rising ever so slowly, domestic milk production is only about 35 percent of total liquid milk supply.

With meat, local ruminants contribute only about half of the carabeef and beef.

All these because of the small local herd: less than 30,000 heads of dairy buffaloes, cattle and goats.

Ruminants are also raised basically in smallholdings; nearly all of beef cattle are raised in backyards – 98 percent of the beef cattle and 99.9 percent of buffaloes, cattle and goats.

The formula to correct the dire situation, as charted by the road map, is simple enough: raise more ruminants by using crop by-products and idle lands.

The added attraction is that ruminants also play key roles in improving health, nutrition and poverty; most poor households are in rural areas with large tracts of idle land.

The idea is to invigorate the rural economy by promoting enterprises along the value chain; develop high-value dairy and meat products, including those for exports; and improve nutrition at the same time.

The Ruminant Animal Industry Road Map is built upon key strategies: increasing the number of ruminants; genetic improvement; and investment in support services and infrastructure like dairy processing facilities.

The government will retain ownership of breeding animals; pricing will be market-driven where transfer price of offspring includes amortization of breeders cost and financing charges; and livestock leasing instead of doling it out through dispersals.

The road map envisions self-sufficiency in ready-to-drink milk, increase red meat consumption per person by half in the long term; and increase animal productivity for the first six years by 5 percent and 10 percent for the succeeding six years.

Targets include increasing cattle and carabao heads by 2 percent, goat by 5 percent and sheep by 10 percent.

An initial massive importation of breeding animals is expected to produce succeeding generations of breeding animals.

All to increase the average daily family income of smallholders at least twice the minimum wage, with 10 percent of them evolving into entrepreneurs.

Enterprise development – which gets half of the budget over 24 years – involves making available to about 104,000 smallholders the milking animals produced from the contract breeding of imported ruminants.

Each beneficiary will receive at least one pregnant buffalo or cattle heifer or 10 pregnant goats. Recipients should have prior experience in raising livestock, reliable source of forage and potable water and willing to put up an animal shed.

They are expected to retain the female offspring as replacement and as expansion of the milking herd; only the male offspring shall be sold for meat.

As soon as the herd reaches the maximum carrying capacity of available forage, the smallholders can engage neighbors as contract growers, herders or forage suppliers.

Interested livestock farmers with enough backyard herds will be supported to become private artificial insemination technicians.

Successful smallholders can then expand into commercial production of milk and meat and employ other workers.

Ultimately, the share of local milk production will reach 73 percent; that of meat will be 22 percent.

The immediate benefits are increased income or employment; some 1.3 million farm workers are expected to gain employment over 24 years. About 632,000 farm families will benefit from livestock distribution, including milking animals.

Another 625,000 rural folks will have additional employment as artificial insemination technicians, calf and kid rearers, forage producers, contract caretakers and milkers.

The expected increase in dairy herd will utilize at least 600,000 hectares under coconut – or 20 percent of the 3 million hectares planted to coconuts.

The road map was drawn in consultation with academe and major stakeholders that included the Dairy Confederation of the Philippines, Federation of Cattle Raisers of the Philippines, Large Animal Raisers of Mindanao, Federation of Goat and Sheep Producers Association of the Philippines, United Small Ruminant Raisers Association, Philippine Association of Meat Processors and the Meat Importers and Traders Association.

The government was represented by the Department of Agriculture, Philippine Carabao Center, National Daily Authority, Livestock Development Council, Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Service.

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Milk produced from high quality land will have higher mineral content.At the same time,it is known if the water supply is high in iron this can interfere with the calcium absorption of dairy animals.Magnesium is added to help the absorption of calcium in dairy animals along with humans.Dairy goats in general need, 1000 units of vitamin A,500 units of vitamin D and 3 units of vitamin E, per pound or 454 grams of grain or concentrates to remain in good health.

Something called Rumen Buffers are sometimes given to dairy animals to improve feed efficiency and increase milk production usually by about 3.5% for reasons of
-hot weather or heat stress
-fat depression occurs
-feeding high grain rations
-feeding predominantly corn silage as forage
-rations high in moisture
Temperature also plays an important role in milk production.Generally speaking,comfort zone for dairy goats is between 55 and 70 degress fahrenhert.Non sweating animals are much less sensitive to declining temperatures than to rising temperatures.Milk production,feed consumption and comfort are not  affected by temperatures between 0 and 55 degrees fahrenhert,but temperatures over 80 degrees fahrenhert can seriously reduce feed intake and milk output.It is not how to keep your goats warm in the rainy season but how to keep them cool in the dry season.

Most pneumonia problems with dairy goats can be traced to poor ventilation.Proper ventilation during the dry season may require moving 150-200 cubic feet of air per minute per animals to keep them comfortable and productive.

The producer is most likely to be concerned about milk quantity or availability while the consumer is more likely to be concerned about the taste or flavor.Your  customers, need to be aware that taste is often a result of feed changes as well as speed of cooling and does not necessarily indicate contamination.

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Commercial Meat Production:Lessons Learned

-55 doe head level requires a barn of 1,100 sq.ft. or a barn of 20x55
-consider the size of the goats.Larger goats require more floor space and feeder space and more food
-make sure you have adequate feeder space for all he goats in the pen to eat at the same time.this can greatly reduce the chance of injuriies and miscarriage
-making use of pasture and browse will cut down on your feed bill.Soil quality is in direct relationship to the quality of forages grown,better soil equals better forages with higher protein and mineral content
-the average doe will eat approx. 1 ton of forages per year.Concentrates and minerals will help keep them healthier and produce better.Fat goats require less concentrates while thin does require more.
-show quality goats in general do poorly as pasture goats
-start cheap,better to make mistakes on less expensive goats than your high dollar breeding stock
-do not buy on pedigree alone,its the performance of the goat that counts,not the papers that come with it
-capital,are the goats going to be the sole support of the family,or will there be off farm income.Regardless,your goat enterprise should be sustainable within 3-5 years.Finances are individual,one cannot give much advice here.One needs to carefully evaluate your financial resources before starting a goat enterprise.Much more difficult to market your goats if you do not have a profitable outlet for them.One needs to have a business plan,commercial slaughter goats,breeding stocks either commercial or registered or show goats.
-rememver,do you realize that raising livestock is a 24/7/365 commitment,no matter the weather,time of day or other family,social or work obligations.Is your family supportive of your decision to raise goats
-all goats are amazingly adaptable.Using different breeds and systems you can set and meet your production goals.The goals you set will depend on your resources,management abilities,the ability of the goats and the products you hope to produce
-in order to make profits,your does need to get pregnant on their exposure to the buck(s),give birth to twins at least,raise the kids to weaning

Welcome to commercial meat goat production 101

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Ruminant Mineral
Management Thoughts
Presented at OSU Workshop

By Rory Lewandowski
Extension Educator, AG/NR
Athens County And Buckeye Hills EERA
Ohio State University Newsletter March 2011 

At our recent Athens Beef School, Francis Fluharty gave an in-depth presentation on management approaches to mineral supplementation. Francis is an OSU ruminant nutritionist and researcher located at OARDC in Wooster. Even though his presentation was geared towards beef cattle, the principles he covered apply to all ruminant livestock, sheep and goats included. Important points that I took away from the presentation include mineral absorption, effects of mineral deficiencies, and some common mismanagement errors associated with mineral feeding. Let's look at each of these in a little more detail.

There are several important factors that affect mineral absorption. One of the most important is the source of the mineral. Oxide forms of minerals tend to be the cheapest minerals on the market. Francis said that with the exception of magnesium oxide, there is no other mineral that should ever be fed in the oxide form because of the low absorption of oxide minerals. Organic mineral forms, sometimes called chelated minerals have the highest absorption followed by sulfate (SO4) or carbonate (CO3) forms. Another factor that affects mineral absorption is interactions with other minerals. For example, high potassium reduces magnesium absorption, high levels of zinc reduce copper absorption and low copper levels reduce iron absorption. Grinding can help to increase mineral absorption. Finally, age and nutritional status of the animal will influence absorption. Young animals absorb minerals better than adults.

What happens if we do not provide minerals for our animals and/or minerals are deficient in the diet? Well, probably nothing as drastic as death of the animal. Hopefully it doesn't take something so drastic to get the attention of a livestock owner, but what is known is that sub clinical trace mineral deficiencies occur more frequently than what is actually recognized by livestock owners. A mineral deficiency or inadequate intake of minerals can result in such things as: reduced forage intake, lower reproductive efficiency, poor disease immunity, slower daily gains, and poorer feed conversion. Unless you are keeping records and tracking trends, none of these production factors may be obvious, and yet each one affects the profitability of your operation.

Francis went over some common mismanagement approaches to mineral feeding that I thought offered some excellent insight. He asked a series of questions that all began with: "Have you ever..." and included:

• "Cut" mineral with salt?

• Switched to a cheaper mineral because cattle (or read sheep or goats) "rushed" high-priced mineral?

• Claimed deer don't need minerals (as a rationale for why farm livestock doesn't need minerals).

• Blamed a bull for not breeding your cows (buck not servicing does properly)?

• Switched to salt blocks because they last longer?

• Wondered why feedlots don't have mineral deficiencies?

Francis spent some time describing the management error in each of these approaches and a thorough summary of all his comments is beyond the scope of this article, so I will highlight a couple of key points that struck me that are centered around the salt and amount of mineral consumed issues.

Anyone who has ever played around with adding salt to a mineral mix knows that the amount of salt has a significant impact on mineral intake. Francis said that salt is the only mineral that cattle (again think also sheep and goats) will try to control their intake of. The reason for adding salt, or switching to a cheaper mineral or switching to salt blocks is because the livestock owner thinks that his animals are over consuming minerals and increasing production costs excessively. Adding salt will decrease consumption. Francis said this is a management error. First and foremost, the goal of providing minerals is to get animals to consume the mineral. Consumption is a good thing. Second, Francis said that mineral consumption can vary not only daily but also seasonally. He advised regularly monitoring and recording mineral consumption plus recording the total number of animals over a year period of time before making statements about over consumption.

There are a couple of reasons for this monitoring and record keeping. If animals are being switched to a higher quality, more available or more readily absorbed mineral following a low quality mineral program, or possibly no mineral program, then the livestock owner must recognize that it can take up to nine months for an animal to "catch up" from the deficiency created by that type of former mineral program. Secondly, take into account the fact that when a high quality mineral is offered, not only the adult, but also the young animals are consuming. Francis said that he had consulted with many cattlemen who complained about over consumption of mineral because they only figured in the number of adult cows when they did their calculations. Young stock (calves, kids, lambs) must be taken into account based on their percentage of the adult's weight. Multiply that additional weight by the expected mineral intake. You may very well find that there is not an over consumption issue.

Francis concluded his presentation by reminding livestock owners that often mineral deficiencies go undetected, resulting in decreased livestock performance. Mineral requirements change with the stage of production and environmental conditions. Minerals have complex interactions and mineral antagonisms exist, so that an unbalanced mineral program may also result in mineral deficiency. Finally, Francis said to remember that a mineral program is just one part of an overall farm management program.
 

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Toplines Hold a Lot of Weight

By Shelene Costello 

 
Dairy goats are usually, though not always, bred once a year to bring them into milk. They are then expected to hold that milk production for 10 months of the year. The weight of the full rumen and a pregnant body for several months of the year, which may get pretty heavy with multiple kids, needs a good strong topline to support it. Put on the expected capacious milky udder, and several more pounds are added to the body each day during lactation. Any weakness of the topline, especially in the loin area, may lead to break-down over time, leading to the conclusion that strength over the topline is a very, very important point of structure in the dairy goat. Breeders who expect any kind of longevity in their herds must understand how the components of the topline work, in order to evaluate their strength in each breeding program.

When I consider the topline, I usually look at the neck as the first point of topline consideration. How the neck is set and carried affects the way the whole back works. Necks in dairy goats are a necessary part of function. A good dairy goat needs a neck long enough to reach down to graze (no matter how tall or short the goat), and stretchy enough to reach up to higher set leaves and browse. A neck that is long, straight, somewhat elegant, set on and carried high is desirable as it adds to dairy character. A short thick neck usually comes with a shorter thicker body that lacks refinement and often is found on a goat that is putting more food into her body fat rather than into making milk. The length in the neck often carries back to the length of the topline, which in turn affects overall balance.

The next three parts to the topline can be memorized in descending order: the chine, the loin, and the rump. Each of these sections should be approximately one third of the length of the total topline, excluding the neck. The whole topline should be relatively level from shoulders to hips with a slight incline on the rump from hips to tail.

The chine is the area from behind the top of the shoulders, also known as the withers, to the end of the ribcage. The loin is the area from the end of the ribcage to the hips. The rump is the pelvic area, sometimes referred to as from hooks to pins (bones).

Ideally, the chine is level and strong, though in the interest of functionality, a chine with a bit of a dip behind the shoulders can still be functional in a long-lived and productive doe. The chine has a bit of support from the ribcage, because even though it adds weight, it also adds stability. Too tightly set shoulder blades or shoulder blades that are too far angled back can cause a dip in the chine, as can a neck which is set a bit low, when it is lifted up. Strength or weakness in this area is mostly genetically influenced, but condition of the goat can also be a factor.

The loin must be strong and well held up, with good lean muscling to help support it. I consider the loin to be rather like a suspension bridge holding up that wide barrel bridging from the chine and ribcage and connecting to the pelvis.

There will be variations from levelness that will stay sound, but the farther it deviates from ideal, the more weakness may show up over time. If the loin is weak and dips as a young kid, it tends to get worse as the goat ages and matures.

I have found that a roached topline, a rising up over the loin area, is stronger than one that sags. It is not as pretty as a level loin, but it can be functional and the main goal of breeding dairy goats, for me, is function first.

The rump should be long, wide, level from side to side with a slight slope from hips to tail to facilitate natural drainage of the body. Width through the rump is indicative of easy kidding, as discussed in the previous issue of Dairy Goat Journal in this structure series.

When considering what makes a goat strong and healthy, be sure to evaluate the neck, chine, loin, and rump, as putting all of these components together creates a topline that will hold up to rigors of eating plenty of food in order to produce lots of great tasting milk. Strong toplines are imperative in order for a dairy goat to be able to carry a lot of kids over time and stay sound doing it for at least 10 or more years.
 

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Doe replacement strategies
for working goat herds
Exploring hidden costs and various replacement strategies with emphasis on replacing dairy does in small commercial herds

By David Heininger 

While sitting out with our goats, watching the doe kids frolic and thinking about how they would soon be earning their keep as full-fledged members of our small commercial dairy herd, I began to think about the whole process of herd growth and doe replacements and wanted to learn more.

Most of this article applies to all small goat herds, though it is written primarily with production dairy herds in mind.

Why replace?
Everyone who has goats on more than a completely casual basis and who keeps them for more than a few years will have to deal with the reality of having to replace their animals periodically. There are dozens of reasons for needing, or wanting, to replace the goats in a herd and scores of considerations the well-informed herd manager will want to address along the way.

It doesn't matter if a breeder runs strings of pack goats, keeps goats primarily for showing and breeding, maintains a herd for their fine hair, or maybe (like us) has a small commercial dairy-from time to time those hard working goats will need to be replaced or augmented.

As much as many of us would like to simply keep each and every one of our goats forever, that is not a practical possibility. Even if possible, it probably would not be a wise move as we all certainly look to improve our herds in one way or another. Even in herds primarily geared towards a high rate of turnover-those where most of the herd is sold off soon after every breeding season (think meat goats), there will be a central or core main herd group that will need to be maintained and improved.

Goats leave the average herd under a variety of circumstances. If overall herd improvement is a goal, goats may be sold in order to upgrade genetics, or productivity. Animals may also leave the herd as the result of other culling criteria or death. To maintain the herd's strength and depth, suitable replacements will have to be sought out.

Herd-building is another good example of where new, fresh goats will need to be brought into a herd. While these aren't technically "replacement" does (they are usually called "expansion does") the processes and costs for bringing them into the herd is the same.

Herd replacement standards
I was unable to find any published statistics for goat dairy doe replacements but there is a lot of this type of data available for cow dairies and some for sheep as well. The published numbers, especially the culling rates and projected mortality figures, surprised me in being so high. In researching this article, I spoke with a number of other dairy goat farmers, none of whose mortality or goat replacement rates were anywhere near as severe as the ones published for cows. Despite their elevated values, the cow figures were still interesting in how they clearly showed the relationships between the major factors for replacement planning.

The cow dairy model
As David Mackenzie put it in his book Goat Husbandry (5th edition, ? Mrs. Josephine Gardner, Faber and Faber London, 1993) "...Providence has decreed that goats are very far from being miniature cows." In spite of that, here is how cow dairy people look at their replacement costs (adapted as best as possible for dairy goats).

In order to quantify the replacement needs of a particular herd, a number of factors have to be identified and examined.

Herd size
This is the basic building block to which all of the other factors relate. This is the number of milking does (or desired number in herd-building situations) one is trying to maintain.

Replacement ratio
How many does need to be replaced on an annual basis? All normal culls or deaths should be factored in.

This ties in directly to the overall condition of the herd, how long one keeps does in production, general health and productivity of the goats and their ages. An older herd will, naturally, have more expected deaths and retirements.

When herd building, if growing at a pre-determined rate, say 20% per annum, that number would be added to the loss rate to determine the corrected ratio.

If managing an aggressive herd improvement program, the cull rate might be quite high as stronger does are brought online, replacing their weaker predecessors quickly.

Replacement ratios from 30 to 35% are commonly used in the cow dairy industry. At that rate one would expect to replace their entire herd every three years. Large commercial goat dairies more commonly keep their goats a bit longer to about the age of six. Assuming an average first kidding age of 12 months, annual freshenings and keeping the goat until the end of her sixth year, the dairy would then expect six lactations from a doe before replacing her. This comes out to around a 17% replacement ratio (six lactations divided by 100). In other words, using these figures, a herd owner might plan to replace 17% of his or her herd every year-approximately one out of every six does.

Smaller, less intense operations, like ours, may keep does productive for several years longer, as long as they remain healthy and would, therefore, have a smaller replacement ratio.

Doe and kid mortality rate
Historic recorded kid and doeling mortality numbers for goats were unavailable to my research but several reference resources for cow dairies used the following calf and heifer mortality rates: 10-15% from birth to six weeks and an additional 5% after six weeks for a total of 20% mortality before the first calving. To me, these numbers sounded outrageously high. One experienced goat breeder I trust, thinks that an overall 2% mortality rate (mostly through accidents) is reasonable. I personally think anything approaching a 10% mortality rate in a modern goat herd is probably indicative of a very serious problem which needs to be addressed immediately.

Doeling cull rate
Some doelings will be culled for conformation before they are bred or later culled for failure to breed. A figure of 10% is often used in cows for this culling calculation and will vary greatly in goat operations depending on a multitude of management policies and decisions.

Replacement potential
The "replacement potential" for the goat herd is found in expected kidding rates for doelings minus the combination of mortality and culling rates. Again, there are not too many published numbers available for dairy goats (though the meat goat folks are apparently gathering some solid data to begin working with). If we look at cow dairies, we find that they work with numbers in the 25-28% range for replacement potential. In other words, a 100-cow dairy will expect to be able to produce 25 to 28 replacement heifers each year. You will notice the gap between this and the 30 to 35 they expect to need as discussed in the previous Replacement Ratio section. Further, these numbers were based on the assumption that each cow is bred every year, which is increasingly not the case these days.

Dairy goats, on the other hand, are generally bred every year and the averages lead us to expect two kids (one male and one female) from each doe giving a gross replacement potential of 100%. Factor in operator culling and mortality percentages and that will give a working replacement potential.

Example: 100% gross replacement potential minus 5% mortality, minus 20% cull rate equals 75% replacement potential. In other words, this example herd could expect to be able to replace 75% of its does from internal sources every year, if it wanted to.

Doe's age at first kidding and kidding intervals
Calving intervals are lengthening in the cow dairy industry as a whole, compounding their replacement stock difficulties. While I spoke with several goat breeders who commented on the odd goat or two who would provide decent milk for two seasons before needing to be freshened there was no indication that there is any industry-wide trend to encourage this practice. We'll continue assuming that annual freshening for each doe is the standard practice that will be used.

Age at first kidding is a hugely important factor that can significantly alter the end results of the replacement calculations. The age at first kidding doesn't effect the number of replacement kids one needs annually but it does effect the number of goats who must be in the replacement herd at any given time and, of course, the costs and risks to get each replacement doe to her first kidding. More time equals more money.

Interestingly enough, the decision on when to first breed a doeling is approached by most breeders somewhat arbitrarily, based on fiscal needs, personal preferences, or regional norms rather than on proven ideals. While opinions abound, I found little solid scientific data on the best breeding age for goats. This may be due to the distinct differences between breeds and even individual genetic lines or geographical regions.

The age of goats kept in the replacement herd, of course, translates into direct costs (feeding, housing and maintaining the additional goats for the additional time) as well as opportunity costs (the goat could have been in production earlier, making milk to sell and kids to sell or keep). Additional risks also attach during that additional time "fallow". An accident, illness or disease could take the doe before ever making a fiscal contribution to the herd operation.

The risks for breeding too early are of equal concern. Kidding complications can be expected from does bred much too young. One could lose the doe and kids during kidding, and with her, all of her potential-not just the one season's offspring missed by waiting another year. Competent medical and herd management advice and skills must all be brought together in making the best decision in any given circumstance.

Table 1 exemplifies some of the differences the application of this important management decision can make.

Summarizing the cow model
The point of all this is that there are dozens of inter-related factors, specific to each herd and management style, which need to be examined before intelligently determining the proper course for replacement strategy. It doesn't have to be the big, cumbersome process that it might sound like.

As a matter of fact, most breeders probably already know a close approximation of most of the values for the factors just discussed without having to initiate some great data-gathering process for their herd. Chances are, if a dairy goat herd is successful at all, replacement program numbers are already in use without much formal thought.

The above information was primarily provided as a management guide. Hopefully it gives those interested a place to start if they are just getting serious about replacement strategy.

Doe replacement methods
After determining the number of replacement does needed on an annual basis, the goat owner should determine how to obtain them.

There are two ways of obtaining replacement goats. First-to bring new goats into the herd from outside sources, or second-breed and raise them. The two strategies are different in approach, cost (or at least, cash-flow) and in application so we'll look at them individually.

Here's a brief comparison chart with some of the main considerations between the different methods. (See Table 2.)

Bringing new goats to the herd or raise your own?
The chart compares a few key criteria to help one decide whether to raise replacements from on-farm stock or bring in new goats. The weight given to each consideration will vary for each operation.

If the decision to bring in outside goats for your replacement needs is made, the first big consideration is, "How old do I want them to be?" Goats are available to purchase from just a few days old to seasoned, productive seniors. There are some distinct advantages to buying an adult doe in-milk but there are others in either buying a kid or rearing one of your own. The decision as to the best solution for a given situation lies in the herd needs and goals of the operation.

Let's look a little closer at some of the factors highlighted in the chart.

Advantages

•Quick productivity. If the home dairy is running short on milk now, the only replacement solution that makes sense is to bring in mature, proven milkers, in lactation, with a good continued production potential.

•Known quantity. Buying a mature, in-production goat will take a lot of the guesswork out of any buying decision. There will be no question of whether she will freshen, how her udder will come in, or if she will develop the proper dairy quality sought after. It will all be there for evaluation, up-front.

•Trained. Everybody has their own herd management style and their own set of expectations for their goat's behaviors and daily rhythms. It is, by far, easier to bring a new kid up to the way of working than it is to persuade a seasoned senior goat to follow.

•They are so darned cute. What can I say? I'm a complete sucker for a cute little goat kid. How can a value be put on being able to bond with a new herd member so that she thinks I am her family?

•Breeding costs. Obviously, if buying a doe from an outside source there are no breeding costs involved. That leaves the comparison between breeding on-property and off-property servicing of the doe.
Off-property breeding will likely entail transportation costs, servicing fees, and possibly health certificates, CAE or other test costs. There is also the risk of bringing in a disease to home herd. If boarding the doe with an off-property buck for breeding is necessary, the costs can really begin to add up.

It might seem like the costs for in-house goat replacements approach nil. A little prenatal care and some extra feed may be all there is to invest to get successfully through to the birthing day, right? Well, not necessarily. There is another big cost that is sometimes overlooked: The buck(s).

Most breeders keep several bucks on premise year-'round and, if we are to be fiscally accurate, the entire year's cost of keeping each buck needs to be allocated to the does he breeds and then down to the kids he sires. If breeding only a few does to a buck that has been kept for the last year, off-site servicing fees begin to seem very inexpensive by comparison.

A.I. expenses can be easily quantified and calculated for those breeders choosing that method for their does.

 

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Disadvantages

•Bad habits or other problems? Any senior goat has picked up some habits along the way and some of them may be a challenge to resolve to an acceptable way of doing things. We run a primarily free-range herd. The concept of going out and finding their own food somewhere on our 280 acres can be a tough one to get across to some of the adult does we've acquired. Those who had spent their whole lives up to that point in small pens with neat little flakes of hay presented to them to eat often had a bit of an adjustment period.

•Alter herd dynamics. Adult goats coming from other herds will also have established their proper place in their old herd. Whether it had been at the very top or the very bottom, they (and the goats they are newly joining) will all have to sort out the new pecking order. This can be disruptive to the whole herd for some time.

•Transportation. Unless new goats for the herd are coming from very near-by there will be some possibly significant transportation costs to factor in to the acquisition decision.
There is also the very real concern about travel-related stress and productivity problems for goats associated with any significant transportation of them.


•Unknown potential. Pedigree forms and DHIR reports, and linear appraisal reviews for the dam and sire do provide some background on production of such animals, but the fact is that there are no guarantees. The (on-paper) ideal breeding of the century can as easily produce a dud as produce a winner. It's not possible to accurately predict the future performance of a young kid, despite the best genetics and nurturing, so any kid acquisition or breeding plan must be undertaken with the understanding that it may not work out in the end.

•Limited genetics. Unless set up and experienced in AI, breeding completely in-house will, obviously, result in a limited gene pool with which to work to accomplish goat replacement goals. Even with does from excellent and diverse genetic backgrounds and a number of unrelated bucks, the breeding combinations after a few generations become limited before the realm of linebreeding becomes a reality. Linebreeding (the practice of intentionally breeding closely related goats in the attempt to encourage the positive traits in their offspring while hoping not to encourage the negative ones) done poorly, can result in quickly diminishing returns for the breeder.
It is joked that the difference between "linebreeding" and "inbreeding" is in the results. If the result is good, it was linebreeding. If not, it was inbreeding.


•Pregnancy/birthing and rearing risks. While most dairy goat does are, as a rule, strong during pregnancy, good, easy kidders and caring mothers that doesn't mean that accidents and complications don't happen. It's not something one needs to obsess about but it is something to factor in when trying to get a balanced view of risks and costs when discussing goat replacements.
Ditto with all of the other potential difficulties while raising a kid to maturity. Bad things don't usually happen, but they can and the possibility needs to be considered and prepared for.


•Developmental risks. Let's face it. There are inherent risks in raising goat kids. While the risk of loss (depending on individual set-up and situation) is not likely to even approach the figures quoted earlier for the cow dairy industry, they are real and need to be accounted for. Between predation, accidents, kid illnesses and parasite problems some losses must be anticipated despite best management efforts and techniques.
There are additional risks when bringing in a kid from far away. Not only are there transport-related stresses to contend with, but there is a good chance that the kid will have no immunity or resistance to the parasites and strains of diseases she will encounter at her new home.


•Rearing costs. Feed: Sometimes a good deal can be found for buying a two-week old kid but that price is going to be offset to some extent by the cost of raising her. Every operation will manage and account for rearing differently. Here, we feed our kids only pure, fresh goat milk (not replacer) which, as cheese makers, has a minimum potential value to us of about $10 per gallon. That means that a kid drinking 40 oz. a day for 84 days (12 weeks) costs us about $260 in milk alone to get to weaning.

•Medical. Even assuming no serious injury or illness, there will still be some normal and routine medical expenses incurred with a new dry doe or doeling before she becomes productive. The biggest cost-saving opportunity for this set of expenses will be for those operations capable and willing to do most of the necessary procedures themselves, calling on their herd veterinarian only in the more challenging situations.
Some of the common procedures likely to be performed on a new goat include: disbudding, vaccination series, worming procedures etc. This list will vary depending on the goat's age, geographic location, and other factors.

Testing is another potential expense. If serious about properly managing the goat herd, it is necessary to make sure that they are as healthy as possible. This will likely mean screening new replacements for certain diseases/defects like CAE or G6S (a genetic defect which can be found in some Nubian goat lines), brucellosis and TB. This screening will require certain blood tests be run by qualified laboratory staffs.


•Other. Feed, housing, medical and labor/management costs right up until a doe's first freshening all contribute to the costs that should be examined.
Summarizing a few case studies
Several commercial dairy goat operators from across the country agreed to spend some of their precious time and energy discussing the subject of doe replacements with me. Their operations varied widely not only in location but in breed, size, scope, focus and underlying goals and philosophies. Here are some of their thoughts on the process:

Redwood Hills Farm and Creamery, California
Scot Bice, the farm manager for Redwood Hills described their cheese and yogurt operation for me. They carry between 350 to 400 head of free-range Alpines, Saanens, LaManchas and Nubians on their 10 acres at any given time with 150 to 200 of them on the milk line.

They internally replace about 40 does a year. The Redwood Hills Farm replacement herd starts at about 60 doeling kids annually. Mortality from birth to six weeks: 2-3%, mortality from six weeks to weaning at 10 weeks: 2%.

Following an evaluation after weaning there is some culling for defect/confirmation issues (around 2%) at which time the replacement herd is further reduced through sales of kids. They are currently planning on increasing the replacement doe herd size to provide greater depth which will result in higher cull rates largely due to space restrictions. They rarely bring in adults for replacements.

Kids are raised on heat treated colostrum followed by pasteurized milk or excess yogurt from the creamery.

Redwood Hills Farm likes the doelings to be at least one year old before breeding. Many will freshen at two years of age. Their breeding plan looks first at the size of the goat, then the age. Unlike many commercial operations, they do not necessarily breed all their does every year with some milking two or three years.

Bice said it costs them about $300 to raise a goat from birth until she enters production.

Briarwind, Minnesota
Jeanne Leger is an experienced, conscientious and successful breeder who is also, apparently, a sharp business person who keeps her eye on costs. Some breeders I spoke with had absolutely no idea what their doe replacement costs were but Jeanne was definitely not one of those. She was able to quickly provide me with her cull and mortality rates and then articulate her strategies and costs. The herd at Briarwind is predominately Saanen.

Leger figures replacement costs two ways: What will it cost to raise a doeling to go on-line, and what would it cost to purchase a good milking doe from a clean herd? She finds that it usually costs $250 to $300 for her to raise a doeling. About $75 of the cost is for the pasteurized milk with some quality calf milk replacer added before she weans at eight weeks.

She doesn't usually purchase outside does for her milking line but, in the past, has found that they have cost from $250 to $450. With purchased does she found that she could count on recouping the purchase cost up to $350 in the first year and in some years recoup the $450. Leger has found that the milk production usually drops after moving a doe in from another location but it does a lot better the second year.

Briarwind has a very low kid mortality rate. Leger may lose one or two kids out of 160 to 200 born in a given year. She generally keeps about 25 doe kids as future replacements a year.

Conclusion
Because of the number of variables between different goat operations there are no magic formulas to tell all of us the "One Way" to deal with our replacement doe needs.

The best we can each do is try to be aware of as many of the contributing factors and their associated costs as possible and look at each variable on its own merits and as it applies to our individual herds and management styles. With proper understanding of the underlying factors, we can then make well informed and, hopefully, profitable decisions.

Now, seeing those same little doelings frolicking, I can appreciate that there is much more at work to their being here than simply kids at play, but it doesn't take anything away from the pure joy of watching them cavort.

[Mustang Sally Farm]

With the recent announcement that the country is now FMD free and the shipping of breeding animals may begin southbound,has to be  good news for breeders in the north looking for new markets in the south.Those in the south will now have access to different bloodlines to help them improve and build up their own herds.
It has been written that the national herd has downsized by x% while the commercial operations has increased by x%.This can very easily be explained by the fact during 2010,the country was still in a drought situtation.I would estimate not only goats would be down but other livestocks as well.In every country on this planet it has been recorded during times of uncertain weather patterns,small holders are the first to sell off their entire herd to control their expences while the larger holders will only sell off a limited number of animals.Larger holders are better suited to ride out uncertain times while the small holder does not enjoy such a luxury.There was also some sort of health related disease that was claimed to be weather related that seemed to have taken many does and doelings.Combine these 2 major events and it is not hard to see why the national herd numbers are down and the rebuilding of the numbers is already beginning.I would expect to see the number of commercial farms to increase in the future as people become interested in the world of the goat.
The rural countryside still holds the key for the production of protein,the provinces has the land mass to support large numbers but as of yet probably cannot due to limited forage supply.In the future I would expect to see numbers in the countryside supporting a meat goat industry.

[Mustang Sally Farm]

The question you have to ask yourself is this.Should you wish to enter the business of meat goats,will it be a hobby or a business?A hobby is a hobby and it does not matter how much money you spend or pump into your hobby,you will never expect to make a profit.Should your meat goat venture be a business,you expect to make a profit and also interest on your monies that you have funded yourself or borrowed from a bank or private lender.All businesses must have a sound business plan and time frame and some very basic business skills in order to help you reach your expections.Meat goat ventures have on average  a high failure rate due to many factors.People do not plan to fail,they fail to plan.In my experience it will take somewhere between 3-5 years to realize your dream of turning a profit.A producer must produce his/her goats at a low enough cost and have market conditions well enough to turn a profit.Having outside income will go along ways to help the producer realize success or failure.All businessess have cycles,the introduction phase,the growth phase,the maturity phase and the decline phase.Businesses do their very best to hold for as long as possible at the maturity phase,after that it can turn downwards and out.Many meat goat ventures decline and fail somewhere between the introduction and growth phase.The reasons why for failures between the 2 are many and varies because of many factors from no or poor planning,lack of capital or just lack of interest to continue with the business.Manager stress and longer than expected return on monies spent.One should never enter any business for the wrong reasons.Just because you see someone else doing it,does not mean it might be a good business venture for you.Meat goat production is an exciting business,but one should carefully consider everything before jumping into it blindly.One should also have an exit plan in case things turn for the worse and one can salvage something out of the failed venture.

[Mustang Sally Farm]

Is there a future in meat goat production in the country??Depends on many factors.The native goat but far is easier to raise without expensive concentrates and expensive housing but due to its slow growth and meat to bone ratio is not so favored over the faster growing imported stocks.One of your greatest factors in this business is your production costs and knowing your break even point.Smart producers will do what it takes to lower their overhead while maintaining the health of their stocks.Just like with any livestock venture some will find the right key for success while others will find this business too difficult to maintain and lose interest.The marketplace for live heads will become one deciding factor.Those who are able to have a greater control over pricing and other outlets other than selling to the travelling traders will benefit over those who are forced to sell at their local livestock yard to the traders.The 5hec. allowance for land will also come into play,area needed for planting and housing while allowing your stocks some room to move and stretch.Should the Govt. start taking land from those who are outside of industrial use,fewer numbers of livestocks will be housed and the chances of some just leaving farming alltogether is possible,fewer numbers means less production and with the rising numbers of people to feed might mean more expensive imported protein to pick up the slack.
No one should enter any livestock venture just because they see someone else doing it.Do your homework first and make a plan,have a backup in case things go very wrong and having other income will be of a great help until your operation is off and running providing you and your family with the added income.Goat meat is still the fastest growing red meat consumed worldwide and this trend will continue for many,many years to come.The demand still exceeds supply but its only the producers who can operate the most efficent that are the ones who will succeed while those who take the most shortcuts are the ones who will fail.So far it seems tho its the private sector that is reporting any real benefits from the different forage/legumes that seem to have the best impact on maintaining growth and maintenace of our goats for production.