Selecting a Herd Sire

Whether you get your buck by buying, leasing, or just picking one to keep from last year's kid crop, you've got to have some criteria and standards to use in your decision. People often ask "what qualities are important in a buck." Here are a few things we've come up with when shopping for herd sires.

Eventhough parasite resistance is important with all goats, it is absolutely essential when picking the animal that will contribute fifty percent of the genetics to your next kid crop. While checking their eyes with Famancha Scores can elliminate a large portion of the potential candidates, you should also ask the owners how the buck and its parents have done historically and how often they were wormed.

Next on the list is kidding. While you will have to take the owner completely at their word on this one, you should ask whether the buck was a single, twin, or even triplet. You cannot expect to raise very many twin producing does if you are starting from a long line of singles on the father's side.

With those things out of the way, you can start to look at appearance. If the goat is not aesthetically pleasing, you may end up with an entire kid crop of ugly goats. You should also, if they are available, look at the parents (and even grandparents) to make sure they don't have any hugely intolerable flaws since genetics can sometimes skip generations. Look at the general wellness of both parents and check the mother's udders to make sure they have held up well.

But the most important thing when choosing a buck is being careful not to rush out and buy the first one you see. This is an important decision since this one goat will determine the fate, good or bad, of your herd for many generations to come. So take it slowly and seriously while at the same time enjoying the prospect of adding some GREAT new genetics to your herd.

Comments

[Kevin@applesofgold]

The things that you've pointed out are important. you are right about the attractiveness of the goat. At the end of the day, it is a product, just like anything else.

I remember a fashion agent telling a budding model that she needed to be careful about getting bumps and scratches, because that would bring down the price that she would get for a job.

If humans can be priced according to looks in so many different industries, it stands to reason that it's just as important with rearing animals commercially as well.