| Sleepy Z's Goals for “Keepers” • Meat: Good carcass (“round” appearance all over), deep twist, long loin, excellent meat on spinous process, well rounded rump (think pig - but without the fat!) • Frame: thick forelegs, short to medium pasterns, widespread forelegs (think bulldog), wide frame overall, thick and widespread horns, strong back, stands squarely (think jeep), graceful appearance and walk, tight shoulders (shoulder blades not loose, sticking out), dark hooves • Condition: Maintains a healthy body score even during wormy season and pregnancy • Health & Vigor: Requires very little (if ever) worming, maintains weight needing less feed than the rest, never needs medical attention (score goes down significantly with each vet bill!), seems unaffected by cold weather, rarely needs hoof trimmings • Mammary: Large, healthy, easy for kids to find teats, excellent (almost dairy type) milk supply, can sustain multiples during the 3rd through 6th kidding. Cannot expect a very young or old goat to sustain multiples. (Will leave the multiples on her until they start falling behind then pull for bottle.) • Mothering: Twins the first time, unassisted births, cleans up babies quickly, quickly gets them eating and offers milk (stands) the first 24 hours, attentive to kids (especially the first couple weeks), delivers babies with exceptional growth rates. Culls • I will cull the goats at the bottom according to weight, growth rate (themselves and their kids), type, FAMACHA, vigor, fertility, kidding, mothering, mammary, etc. • I will cull the dams that do not get (or are unable to get) pregnant at a young age (the goal would be that they kid prior to a year and a half) • I may consider culling the dams that single the first time – and definitely the ones that single their second kidding. • There will always be “reasons” and “exceptions” to these rules (ie freak injuries); but even with these, the goat will be considered near the bottom. Good goats can thrive in all conditions and can usually keep themselves (and their kids) out of trouble. The True Commercial Goat Ranch: Many commercial goat ranches run their farms with minimal management. The goats live their lives on the range. They are only brought in to collect the kids, boost vaccinations, trim feet (if needed), and worm (if needed). They cull the females that come back with no kids. They cull the bottom third of the goats according to weight and body score (the ones that cannot handle worms are in this group). They cull females that regularly come back with only one kid. If a doe or buck is culled, that entire line is also culled. All of the weaned kids are pulled to a separate pasture. Replacement doelings return to the herd at about 7 months of age. Many of these farms have a natural water supply so do not give supplemental water. If the ranch is in the north, then shelter, hay, feed (sometimes), and heated water is supplied. Some ranchers offer protein tubs and mineral supplement free choice. Obviously, with this type of management, the herd is very large and the kidding ratio is usually less than two (1.5 being the “goal”). Summary I do not have a true commercial goat ranch. However, many of the culling standards will remain the same. I will have a far more labor-intensive farm; one in which I will be present at all kiddings, regularly handle each goat for management and records, use “hand breeding”, use the FAMACHA system on each goat often, use a barn instead of lean-to’s, and pasture rotation. I have a more labor-intensive farm for two reasons: I do not have the facilities, means, or grounds for a large low- managed herd and frankly, I love to do it. I have fairly high and strict standards for my goats. I believe we Americans have a tendency to breed overall health and vigor out of just about anything we raise for the ever evolving qualities we try to obtain. Regardless what a person decides to raise, genetic superiority in health and vigor should be at the top of the list. My expectations for my goats may be high, but that does not mean that I do not care for the animals that don't make the grade. If any animal falls below and falls behind, I will care for that goat's individual needs. However, that goat will not long be on my farm! |
| Our Future "Keeper" Goals |
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Hastings, Michigan Call: (269) 945-6247 email: sleepyz@mei.net |