how to understand a pedigree

This is a really good point. I think it was Gail Putcher who said that it's a good idea to look at how goats do in other herds -- not just their herd of origin -- to see if they can sustain that kind of lactation in other places. In other words, management can be just as important as genetics sometimes, and you don't know that unless you look at how goats do in different environments.

Patricia Stewart said:

I am worried about setting the Top 10 milkers as the standard though. There's a lot more than genetics to reaching Top 10. I know of several breeders who's animals have gotten their animals there, but had terrible kid losses along the way because pushing the protein caused other problems. It is very expensive to get a doe fed to that level for a sustained period of time, and people don't often realize it. I'd suggest keeping an eye on those breed leaders, but follow their lines over time, and not just their "Top 10 rating.)

Just my opinion though.

These are all abbreviations for an AGS pedigree. An ADGA or NDGA pedigree has different abbreviations, but these are the ones you mentioned, so that's why I'm explaining them.

*S is a buck whose dam and sire's dam have milk stars
+S is a buck that has sired at least 3 does who have earned milk stars
*D is a doe who has a milk star for either one day or 305-day milk test
2*D or 3*D is a second or third generation doe with a milk star (meaning her dam, granddam, etc. earned milk stars)
AR after a doe's name means a 305-day milk star
ARMCH means a doe is a finished champion and has her 305-day milk star
MCH is a finished doe or buck (means they have won three times in a show against a minimum of 10 goats)

Milk stars just mean that a goat has a achieved a minimum standard. It's not something to get terribly excited about. If you want goats with outstanding production, then look at the Top Ten lists for the 305-day test. I wouldn't get excited about a goat that's on a Top Ten list for one-day testing. I have a goat who was on the one-day top ten list, and she is not one of my best milkers. She just happened to be one of the best does tested that year.

E, VG, G, etc., are scores for conformation. If you're planning to show, these might be more important to you. E is excellent, VG is very good, G is good, and there are more scores below that, but they're not coming to me at the moment. I think these are explained in more detail on the AGS website.

Replies

Deborah Niemann-Boehle January 20, 2010 at 5:00pm

This is a really good point. I think it was Gail Putcher who said that it's a good idea to look at how goats do in other herds -- not just their herd of origin -- to see if they can sustain that kind of lactation in other places. In other words, management can be just as important as genetics sometimes, and you don't know that unless you look at how goats do in different environments.

Patricia Stewart said:

I am worried about setting the Top 10 milkers as the standard though. There's a lot more than genetics to reaching Top 10. I know of several breeders who's animals have gotten their animals there, but had terrible kid losses along the way because pushing the protein caused other problems. It is very expensive to get a doe fed to that level for a sustained period of time, and people don't often realize it. I'd suggest keeping an eye on those breed leaders, but follow their lines over time, and not just their "Top 10 rating.)

Just my opinion though.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle January 19, 2010 at 11:28pm

These are all abbreviations for an AGS pedigree. An ADGA or NDGA pedigree has different abbreviations, but these are the ones you mentioned, so that's why I'm explaining them.

*S is a buck whose dam and sire's dam have milk stars
+S is a buck that has sired at least 3 does who have earned milk stars
*D is a doe who has a milk star for either one day or 305-day milk test
2*D or 3*D is a second or third generation doe with a milk star (meaning her dam, granddam, etc. earned milk stars)
AR after a doe's name means a 305-day milk star
ARMCH means a doe is a finished champion and has her 305-day milk star
MCH is a finished doe or buck (means they have won three times in a show against a minimum of 10 goats)

Milk stars just mean that a goat has a achieved a minimum standard. It's not something to get terribly excited about. If you want goats with outstanding production, then look at the Top Ten lists for the 305-day test. I wouldn't get excited about a goat that's on a Top Ten list for one-day testing. I have a goat who was on the one-day top ten list, and she is not one of my best milkers. She just happened to be one of the best does tested that year.

E, VG, G, etc., are scores for conformation. If you're planning to show, these might be more important to you. E is excellent, VG is very good, G is good, and there are more scores below that, but they're not coming to me at the moment. I think these are explained in more detail on the AGS website.

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