A Good Time to Deworm

If you use chemical dewormers on your goats, the best time to do it is the day after a hard frost. Many of the eggs previously shed by the goats will be killed by a hard freeze, so the chances of re-infestation are greatly decreased, giving you the most bang for your buck.
Just remember to use dewormers that are safe for pregnant goats if you have already bred your girls!

Conformation Part 1 - Feet

Being dual purpose, Kinder goats carry a great deal of weight on relatively small feet and legs. Carrying their own weight, the weight of multiple kids, and lots of milk, they often carry as much or more weight as their full sized relatives, but do so on smaller frames. This makes strong feet and legs even more important than ever for our goats.

Your goats' feet and legs are literally the foundation of your herd, so making sure that they will hold up for the lifetime of your goats is imperative. Once a goat begins having foot or leg issues, problems begin to compound, and their productive life dramatically decreases. Goats with foot and leg problems forage less, play less, and become less fit. Because they are less fit, kidding becomes more difficult and dangerous. Unfit bucks are less virile, and breeding becomes more difficult. Does lay down more, creating a greater risk of mastitis and infection. Avoiding problems like these can often be as simple as buying goats with good feet and strong pasterns.

So what should you be looking for? In this first illustration, the goat to the far left has the feet and legs that we should be breeding for:

Strong, solid, tight feet are ideal. Toes should point straight forward, not point in or out. Here are examples of goats that toe out in the front and rear feet, respectively:

Toes should also sit tightly together, not spread out to form a V between them:

 

Even with her winter hair, you can see that there is no separation in this doe's toes:

Look for goats with level feet, as well - they should be the same depth at the heel and the toe, and run parallel to the hair line at the top of the hoof. They should not be flat, low in the heel, crooked or malformed. Although her hair hides the top of the hoof, this is a good example of a nice level foot:

Regardless of whether your goats are headed for the show ring, the backyard, the milking stand or the freezer, breeding for good feet will reward you with a happier, healthy, more productive herd.

Conformation - Introduction

Every year, many Kinder goats are bought and sold. Some by experienced breeders, others by people with a working knowledge of goats, and still others by beginners wanting a family milker or a pet for their children to show in 4H.

As breeders, we need to be very conscientious when deciding which goats to sell. After all - they are all cute as kids, but when a goat that doesn't conform to our breed standards ends up being shown at the local fair, they do so with your herd name, and the Kinder name on them. Every goat you sell helps or hurts your reputation as a breeder, and the reputation of all Kinder goats. Because of this, each one of us need to know the Kinder breed standard, and recognize when a goat does not conform to it. When we find a goat lacking, we must be willing to make the hard decision to cull that goat. It is the only way that the Kinder breed, and our individual herds, will improve.

As buyers, it pays to learn as much as we can about conformation and the Kinder standard, too. None of our goats are perfect, but if we are aware of the fault within our herds, we can purposely buy or breed to animals that can improve upon the weak areas within our herds, while maintaining the strengths.

In order to better understand the breed standard, and to more easily recognize strengths and faults within our herds, we will be discussing each aspect of the standard in great detail over the coming months. Hopefully, this will make it easier for everyone to buy, breed and sell good stock, and work toward improvement within their herds.

The Votes Are In!

The votes are in for the 2013 Kinder Goat Breeder's Association board positions!
Membership voting was higher than in past years, so thank you all for your enthusiasm and participation. The elected board members for 2013 are as follows:

President - Sue Beck

Vice President - Lisa Lamm

Secretary - Jean Jajan

Treasurer - Lisa Nauman

Member at Large - Carla Durham (on-going position)

Member at Large - Deb Ezzati

Member at Large - Beth Ten Dolle

Congratulations and welcome to all new board members! These members bring a diverse set of background experiences and leadership qualities to the KGBA, and I look forward to working with the entire board as we pursue exciting new opportunities to grow and improve.

While we are thrilled to welcome these new members to the KGBA board, the change is bittersweet, as we bid farewell to three long-time members and KGBA leaders.
Sue Huston, Ramona Birdsall and Dawn Leaming have all been on the board or years, working tirelessly for our members and our beloved goats. Dawn spreads the word about the Kinder goat at every opportunity she gets, and Sue and Ramona have worked hard to get Kinders into the show ring, and improve the breed through herd evaluations and education. Ladies - thank you so much for your hard work and dedication - the breed is better for having you in it, and we look forward to your continued involvement in it!


Thank you again to all our members for your hard work, support and participation!

Sincerely,

Sue Beck
Vice President

LINEBREEDING, INBREEDING, OUTCROSSING

Breeding goes hand in hand with evaluating your herd. I think there is too much voodoo written about line breeding and inbreeding. Stop thinking of breeding in human terms! Line breeding and inbreeding is very important and is done in most herds that are successfully shown, those with excellent udders, very good milk production and just general good conformation.




True that this magnifies both the bad and the good in your herd but if you have a good foundation then it is my opinion that line breeding is the only way you will continue to produce those fine animals. This is done by many breeders of all other breeds. Since the Kinder is specifically from two major breeds it is of the up most importance to do everything possible to pass these good genes on down the generation lines of the Kinder goat.



I almost shudder any more when I hear a Kinder breeder say, “Oh, I have just got to get new blood in my herd, I need something entirely unrelated to my other goats”. I have seen Kinder herds go from a top notch herd, to much lesser than in a hurry, when just adding one new herd sire.



If you have a herd that has general good conformation, that are milking well anything from 4 pounds up per day and if those animals are truly dual purpose showing a good meat carcass, then why do you want to change that? If you have sold animals to other breeders then go buy something from their lines that also has your lines in it. In this way you will be adding back some of your own genetics. If you completely cross out of your line it is hard telling what you might get. Genetics is a wild and wonderful world and we as Kinder breeders by breeding 50/50 are trying to fool mother nature into producing a goat that will continue to produces animals that conforms to our breed standards

Kinder Goats for Meat

Selling, Butchering and Processing Your Goats

By Jean Jajan

With winter coming on, many goat breeders thoughts turn to what to do with those excess young males or cull kids.  We don’t want the expense of wintering too many non productive animals.  There are many options open for the breeder. 

The first and most common is to advertise that you have goats for sale.  This can be done in the paper, through a sign on the bulletin board at the feed store or an ad on Craig’s list.  Also depending on the area you live in you might try to post a sign in the ethnic grocery stores.  This way you can target the Hispanic population or the middle eastern population depending on your area.  One thing to remember though is that usually the middle eastern population wants a completely intact male only.  This would mean only buck kids that have not been castrated or disbudded.  They do not take females.  There is a member on the Oregon coast who sells her wethers to the Hispanic population for $100 a piece for the weaned kids and they go like hot cakes.

When I sell an animal for slaughter I do not allow it to be dispatched on my place and I know many other sellers that don’t either.  This is a personal choice as I don’t know what technique they use and would rather not be present.  While I hope all the animals I sell for meat are dispatched with a properly executed gunshot, I know that many have their throat slit and are bled out.

The second way to sell off those meat kids is to take them to a sales barn.  Many rural areas have a livestock sales barn and you can consign them there.  When I did this I dropped them off and preferred not to remain.  They tend not to handle the animals the way we do and I prefer not to see it. 

The third option is becoming a member of a meat goat association.  These associations help members market their goats.  The association I was a member of had a livestock buyer come to a central point and weigh and buy the goats.  There was a pool coordinator whom the member would call and commit their kids to the pool.  When there were enough committed to fill a truck the sellers met at a location with a scale and the buyer weighed and paid for the kids then and loaded them up and took them to the slaughter house. 

There are also livestock buyers that have a schedule of coming every few weeks to a public livestock scale and buying livestock.  Check with the local feed stores as they might know of one that does this.  I take a lot of my kids there as I know I only have to wait a few weeks and I call him to find out what he is paying.

My favorite way of getting rid of my excess kids though is to put them in my freezer.  Why not put your great hormone free, antibiotic free, low fat, low cholesterol meat on your own table.  If you are a hunter you might want to dispatch the goat yourself and dress it out like you would a deer.  The preferred way to dispatch a goat is to use a gun with a 22 long rifle hollow point bullet.  The proper way is to place the barrel of the gun right behind the poll or horn area and angle it toward the front of the lower jaw.  This will instantly kill the animal.  A goat should not be shot through the front of the head as the skull is very hard and dense in that area.

There are several web sites that show how to butcher an animal.  One that I find informative is http://www.ozarkjewels.net/homebutchering.htm . 

For those of you who, like me, do not hunt or feel that they can’t dispatch one of their own goats here are a few good options.  One is a full service butcher who runs a slaughter and will do the kill and cut, wrap, and freeze.  All you have to do is drop the goat off the night before or early morning of the butchering and pick up a nice box of frozen goat meat ready to drop in your freezer a few days later.  Check with feed stores and custom butchers.  In our area it runs about $120 per goat.

The second is to contact a mobile farm butcher.  Ours has his ad in the paper several times a week and is booked weeks in advance.  A mobile butcher will come to your farm and slaughter the animal there.  He will skin and dress the animal and take it to his butchering facility or possibly one you choose in his refrigerated truck.  He cleans up and hoses the area down afterwards and leaves almost no trace.  My farm kill truck charges $60 per goat for the kill and takes it to any of the several custom butcher shops in the area.  The cut and wrap costs about another $60. 

How you have your goat cut up is all a matter of preference.  I like meat in something, so I generally do not have chops or steaks cut.  They tend to be rather small and a bit dry.  I will have one or both hind legs done in a boneless rolled roast.  I have the loins and tenderloins taken out from the spine and packaged.  The ribs I have cut from the spine and packaged.  The rest of the meat I have half of it ground and half of it cubed.  I have the butcher crack the neck bones and shanks and package them for soup stock.

If I have an older buck slaughtered I have him packaged separately and the packages marked.  Some tend to be a bit tougher and a little gamey so I want to know which is which as I use a more tenderizing method of cooking and more seasoning. 

As for how to prepare goat, I don’t feel there are any specific goat recipes.  I use my favorite recipes for stews and casseroles.  I use the loin meat for fajitas or something that I need the most tender cuts for.  Braising with its lower temperature, moisture and covering during cooking is the secret to cooking with goat. 

Preparing Your Does For Breeding

For many goat owners, fall is breeding season - a busy and exciting time around the farm!
If you are planning on breeding your does any time soon, they should be in top form. This means making sure they are in good weight (see previous article on body scoring your goats), free of heavy parasite loads and ready to start making strong, healthy babies. Below are some other things that should be considered before breeding...

Healthy goats start with healthy feet. Your goats should be on a regular trimming schedule, and making sure feet are regularly trimmed during pregnancy is more important than at any other time. Because Kinders often have multiple kids, they carry a large amount of weight throughout pregnancy. Leaving hooves untrimmed during this time can cause irreversible problems. Hooves often grow faster during pregnancy, so closely inspect your goats' feet every week.

Goats should always have access to free choice minerals, but some areas are so deficient in certain minerals that they can not be completely replaced by free choice minerals. In those areas, extra supplements need to be given during pregnancy to avoid health problems with does and newborn kids. If you are not sure whether or not your area is deficient in anything, ask your local veterinarian.

Finally, stand back and look at your goats. Consider how they look and act - do you have nagging concerns about any of them? Does something seem a little bit off in a certain doe? Now is the time to treat any issues you think might be present, rather than risking the possibility that they worsen or become untreatable while your doe is pregnant. Cutting corners on herd health can cause major problems with your does, their births and their kids.

Preparing your goats for breeding season is easy, and the benefits are huge. By covering these few basic items, you will ensure a happier, healthier breeding season for your entire herd, and more time to enjoy those sweet little kids when they finally show up!

Would You Like to Sell Kinder® Products?

Do you have a great product idea that will highlight your Kinders? We love to spread the word about Kinder goats, and hope you will, too! Products with our sweet goats and the Kinder name on them promote our breed while making you money. They are conversation starters, too!

The name Kinder is a registered trademark. Because of this, there are certain rules and regulations that the association and anyone using the name in commerce must follow. If you are considering selling products with the Kinder name on them, here is what you need to know:

If you are interested in using the name on goods and products, you must first obtain a license from the KGBA. In the license grant procedure, you must complete a form with your contact details, and a description of the intended use of the Kinder trademark. All items bearing the Kinder name must also bear the trademark (circle r) symbol.
The fee for applying for a license is $25, and covers a portion of the cost incurred in processing the application. It may take a month or more for your application to be evaluated, and applications may be rejected for any reason (you may, however, reapply as often as you like). If your application is accepted, you will be granted a license to sell your product, with the provision that you agree to pay the KGBA a 5% royalty on the product you are selling. Applications for licenses can be found in the "forms" section of our website.

By imposing these simple rules, we aim to protect the Kinder name from misuse, and create a level playing field for everyone interested in using it in the marketplace.

Kinder Goat as a Meat Goat

There has been much more written regarding the milking ability of the Kinder goat than that of its ability to produce a good meat carcass. The Kinder goat is a very good meat animal as well as a milking animal. This makes it a dual purpose goat just as it is advertised to be.

Kinder goats will breed every month of the year sometimes being referred to as, “aseasonal breeders”. The Kinder is also known for their multiple births so these two factors can provide lots of meat for the freezer or added income from the sale of the animals to the meat markets or both. Always remember that those Kinder does will at the same time be providing milk and milk products for the table.

Unfortunately there have been no official studies done on Kinder goats as a meat animal. There are only the statements of breeders as to quantity and quality of the Kinder meat carcass. Breeders report that on average a Kinder kid will weigh between four to five pounds in a triplet or greater birth. It is reported that their average weight of gain each month is from seven to nine pounds in the first eight months of life. This of course depends greatly on the type of care received.

A few years ago at Lincoln University’s, Carver Farm, in Jefferson City, MO at a Goat Day put on by the Missouri Goat Producers there was an evaluation and judging of different breed carcass and the Kinder goat was part of this program. The two Kinder goat carcasses pictured are the first place winners. These carcasses are from a triplet birth. The animals were five months old; one weighed 16 pounds and the other 18 pounds dressed out as shown. The other picture is the other goat of the triplet set shown on foot at five months of age.

Those older does and bucks can also be utilized for their meat. Below are the figures that this writer has recorded of the meat production of some older does and one wether. These were does that could not be kept for one reason or another for breeding. These are the on foot weights, hanging weights and then the pounds of burger from each. 120# live weight; 59# hanging weight; 33# burger 140# live weight; 71# hanging weight; 41# burger 134# live weight; 62# hanging weight this was an old doe. 61 ½# live weight; 30# hanging weight this was a wether. There was over 50# of burger from these two animals.

As you can see the Kinder goat is truly a meat animal as well as a dairy animal. Best of both worlds!

Dehorning

http://www.goatwisdom.com/Video/Dehorning.html

 

We apply a paste call nu-stock after we dehorn.

Hoof Trimming

 

http://www.goatwisdom.com/Video/HoofTrim2.html

How to Raise Butterfat in Your Milk

Butterfat is increased by increasing the number, and protecting the conditions which are beneficial to cellulose digesting, acetate producing,bacteria in the rumen.

Don't over feed supplement.
Supplement should not exceed 50% of the diet. In their effort to make more milk, producers will often overfeed supplement. This reduces butterfat, especially when the supplement to forage ratio approaches2:1. Concentrates are too quickly digested and with the correspondent drop in the need for saliva production, you get a drop in rumen pH, which is harmful to the microbes that produce butterfat.

Feed roughage before you feed grain in the morning.
Again, having hay in the rumen first will slow down digestion, ensure adequate saliva production and keep the rumen pH at a favorable level for acetate-producing microbes.

Take the total amount of supplement the goats need to eat during a day, and feed it in several small meals instead of giving it in only two larger meals at milking time..
Again, this optimizes the conditions beneficial to microbes. It takes time to feed more often, so producers will have to decide how badly they want higher butterfat.

Provide good ventilation, plentiful water and multiple smaller meals when it is hot outside. Goats eat less when it is hot, so you will often see a drop in butterfat in the summer due to a drop in intake of feed.. Anything you can do to help them eat more will increase butterfat. Increased intake increases the heat of digestion in the rumen, and that in turn increases acetate production and raises the level of butterfat.

Feed good quality forage. If you have only poor quality forage, add buffer to the diet.
Low-roughage fiber intake lowers butterfat. Supplement the diet with buffer at a rate of 4% of the amount of supplement fed per day to increase butterfat production when feeding poor quality forages. (Note:many goats do not like buffer in their feed, and will completely refuse to eat the ration with it in there, but will take it readily when it is offered free-choice in the barn or lot.

Feed larger quantities of dried brewer's grain.
Research show that distillers grains contain yeast by-products that stimulate rumen cellulose digestion, which results in acetate formation, thereby increasing butterfat.

Breed for high butterfat as well as high milk production.
When selecting breeding stock, if you select for high milk production alone, don't pay attention to butterfat levels, you will gradually see decreased butterfat from one generation to the next..


(Smith, 485)

Link: Variations in Milk Fat Composition: Why do my milk processorand DHIA tests not always agree? http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/newsletter/pub__4960713.htm

Choosing a Buck

by Sue Huston

There are those that say a buck is 50% of the herd, but there are others that believe that the buck gives more than 50%. Either way that buck should be chosen with great care.

To begin, look at his dam to see what her general conformation is and especially look at her udder. Does she have a good udder attachment? Is her rear udder held high keeping the udder out of harms way? Does her fore udder blend smoothly from the udder to the belly? Does she milk well and does she milk easily.

When choosing a buck look at his general conformation that he is level across the top and that he does not have a sloping rump. The Kinder goat is a dual purpose goat so the buck needs to carry fleshing in this front end, neck and shoulder area. Take a good look at the rear of the animal. His hind legs need to be spaced far apart with good angulation to those hind legs. That scrotal attachment needs to be high and tight, the scrotal should be even and not loop sided.

The feet and legs of the buck should be strong making sure that he is not weak in his pasterns. The toes should be close together so as not to toe out. If buying a mature buck make sure he is not over the breed standard which is 28 inches. You do not want a buck with very long legs like those of the dairy animals but you want an animal that has shorter legs that will give you the dual purpose Kinder.

Remember that there are very few male Kinder that should be used as a herd sire. Take time and look closely at the buck that you are going to buy to improve your  herd. Buy the best that you can afford and buy from a reputable breeder.

(Watch for upcoming articles that discuss and illustrate each of the conformational qualities discussed in this article!)

Toxoplasmosis - A Silent Killer

What is Toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis is a disease generally associated with cats, but often affects other animals and humans as well. Cats first get the disease by eating infected rodents, and pass the disease through their feces for a few weeks following infestation. Because they usually become immune after being exposed once or twice, younger cats are at much greater risk of spreading the disease than older cats are. 

In healthy adults, toxoplasmosis is usually harmless, usually causing mild flu-like symptoms at most, and often causing no symptoms at all. In pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems, it is much more dangerous, sometimes causing meningitis, neurological problems, abortions, and even death. Understanding the disease and avoiding things that put you at high risk of contracting it are the best way to protect yourself and those you love.

Can I Catch It?

Yes. One third to one half of the world's human population is estimated to carry a toxoplasmosis infection. 

Most people that contract toxoplasmosis do so in one of two ways:

1. Handling earth (gardening or in the sandbox) that has been infected by a cats feces and simply touching their mouth. The spores can live in the ground for up to a year.

2. Eating or drinking raw or undercooked milk or meat of an animal that has been infected by the disease.

While everyone is probably equally at risk for the first possibility here, this one is easily avoided through hand washing. The second line of risk factors is one that we, as goat owners, must pay special attention to. Knowing the risks it poses, and that our goats could be carriers, is something that should always be carefully considered when preparing food and milk for others.

How can my goats get Toxoplasmosis?

Goats can contract Toxoplasmosis by ingesting food or water contaminated by cat feces. It can live for years within a goat's brain, muscles, liver, or other vital organs, without affecting the goat at all, and sometimes even creates immunity to future infections.  

How can I tell if my goats have it?

Because the main signs of Toxoplasmosis are abortions, weak kids, stillbirths, birth defects, and mummification of fetuses in pregnant does, people don't know that their goats are infected until one of these things occur. Even then, there are many possible causes, and testing can be costly and inconclusive. Test results can be positive for years after exposure, even when they no longer pose a risk to their kids or their owners. 

What should I do if I think my goat is infected?

Blood testing for goats, cats, sheep, and cattle is available. Unfortunately, these tests don't always give a clear a complete picture of what is causing problems within a herd.

While some people choose to test after a single doe aborts, others choose never to test. If there are signs that your herd may be infected, feeding decoquinate or monensin throughout pregnancy may reduce the abortion rate in a herd with a history of toxoplasmosis. Sulfonamides and clindamycin are used to treat toxoplasmosis in goats. 

How can I protect myself and my goats?

There is no vaccine available in the United States. Control of toxoplasmosis is based on management practices. Like humans, cats rarely have symptoms when first infected, so most people do not know if their cat has been infected. The infection will go away on its own; therefore it does not help to have your cat or your cat's feces tested for toxoplasmosis. The best way to protect your herd is to keep your cat population healthy and manageable, to maintain a clean feeding are for your goats, and to discard any feed or water that may have been compromised in any way.

Nothing can guarantee that your goats will always be healthy and disease-free, but careful, conscientious herd management can go a long way in avoiding very costly and detrimental diseases like Toxoplasmosis. Learning how to recognize common diseases, and more importantly how to avoid them, is a great step in building a stronger, healthy herd, that will reward you with milk and meat for many years to come. As they say - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Bucks Fertility in Extreme Heat

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-resources/cattle-breeds/angus/Livestock-producers-may-see-lowered-fertility-in-herds-this-fall-167351815.html



Note the heat effect on male animals. 71 days for bulls, 56 for rams and potentially bucks. He says that it is not expected to affect long-term fertility, just X-days from extreme heat.

From Dr.David Fernandez, U of AR



Livestock producers may see lowered fertility in herds this fall



Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Updated: August 28, 2012



PINE BLUFF, Ark. – As if drought damage to pastures and high hay and feed prices aren’t enough, livestock producers may see reduced fertility in their breeding herds this fall, says Dr. David Fernandez, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Cooperative Extension Program livestock specialist.



“The exceptionally high heat could impair the ability of bulls, bucks, rams and boars to produce viable sperm,” he says. Cows, does, ewes and sows may produce less viable eggs or experience higher levels of early spontaneous abortions.



Here’s why. Most male mammals’ testes are located in the scrotum outside their bodies. This allows the male to maintain his testes at a temperature several degrees below his body temperature which is essential for sperm production. When temperatures exceed 103 F for several days, the testes cannot be cooled adequately, and sperm production can be impaired, says Dr. Fernandez.



The damage to sperm production can be long term. Sperm production in the ram requires an average of 47 days plus another nine days for the sperm to migrate to the storage area. That’s 56 days. Similar time frames are believed to exist for bucks. For bulls, it is more than 70 days. The damage is not readily apparent, he says. In some cases, the number of sperm and their motility may be reduced.



“Much of the damage appears to be done to the DNA of the sperm,” he says. This means that a sire may appear to be normally fertile after a breeding soundness exam, but pregnancy rates of dams may be low, with many repeat breeders.



Compounding the problem are the effects of high heat on female reproduction. When temperatures are high, eggs may be less fertile and may not survive to form a viable embryo after fertilization. Fortunately, the effect of high temperatures on females tends to be limited to the estrus cycle in which it occurs.



“Unfortunately, no cost effective on-farm method exists to determine whether the problem is with the male or female,” says Dr. Fernandez, who advises that the best thing to do is to provide plenty of cool water and shade to help keep livestock cool. Also, monitor the herd’s nutrition as they may not eat enough feed when days are extremely hot.



Finally, producers should plan ahead so they are prepared if their herd’s breeding season begins and ends later than usual. And, investigate alternative marketing strategies and parasite management schemes for next spring and summer, he says.

WHAT IF IT RAINS

85. WHAT IF IT RAINS – PASTURES




Today let’s play a little game of ‘what if’. As in ‘what if it rains’? What if your pastures and hay meadows green up and grow. Should you graze? Stay tuned.







What if it rains? What if it rains enough for your pasture to green up and grow enough to graze? Will you succumb to the temptation?



As tempting as it may be to give your animals some nice green grass, resist that temptation. If you do graze, it might do more harm to your grass than if it did not rain at all.



How can that be? To understand this risk, we need to review what happens when a dormant plant starts to grow. When a dormant plant starts to green up and grow, like in the spring following winter or after a rain during a drought, the plant mobilizes nutrients from its root system to energize the initial growth. This process actually weakens the root system and the plant temporarily. As the plant grows and produces more leaves, those leaves eventually harvest enough sunlight energy to replace the nutrients used during the green up process.



However, if some of the leaves are removed by grazing before they replace the nutrients used during green up, the plant will try to mobilize even more root nutrients to restart the process. At this time of year, though, the plant actually needs to increase root nutrients for winter survival. If grazing prevents that from happening, plants will go into winter in a very weakened condition. Some may die. And those that survive to next spring will grow very slowly until they have recovered from the multiple stresses of drought and untimely grazing.



So do yourself and your pastures a favor. Decide right now that no matter what happens this fall, you will not graze green growth again until next year. Pasture survival may depend on it.











86. WHAT IF IT RAINS – ALFALFA



Many dryland alfalfa fields have been sitting dormant for many weeks. If it rains heavily, how should you manage any cuttings if that alfalfa begins to regrow. Stick around.







If it rains very much in the next few weeks, dormant alfalfa is going to start to regrow. If that happens, what should you do?



To be honest, I really don’t know. We are kind of in uncharted territory with newer alfalfa varieties and this severity of drought.



It might depend on when that rain occurs and if it becomes enough to support regular growth rates. Since we are approaching the usual winterizing season for alfalfa, I think alfalfa that has been virtually dormant the past few weeks should be allowed to grow without any harvest at least until mid-October.



About the only exception to that recommendation might be to consider a salvage harvest or a stimulation harvest.



A salvage harvest would be a situation where your alfalfa has gone fully dormant due to drought, there is enough standing growth to harvest economically, and that standing growth is starting to drop leaves. It doesn’t matter if it rains or not. Harvest shouldn’t hurt that stand and harvest will give you some needed feed.



A stimulation harvest would involve cutting off any standing crop immediately before or as soon as possible after a heavy rain to encourage new shoots. Regrowth then may develop a little faster without the influence of a standing crop. It isn’t necessary to cut off the standing crop to get new growth but it might help.



It’s been a tough year for alfalfa. Without rain, some of it may not survive the winter. But with rain we must be careful to allow the plants adequate time to winterize. Maybe then, next year will be better.











87. BALING CORN OR MILO STALKS FOR WINTER FEED



Your corn is getting combined. Now you are wondering if you should bale some of the stalks. Is it worth it? Stick around.







What are corn stalk bales worth? Let’s first look at it from the cost stand point.. Nutrients removed by stalk bales may need to be replaced with extra fertilizer. Using this year’s prices, stalks may contain over fifteen dollars worth of nitrogen, phosphate, sulfur, and lime per ton.



Corn stalk removal also can reduce soil organic matter, increase erosion risk, and increase soil water evaporation. Nebraska research shows that the decline in dryland corn yield or the increase in irrigation needs costs about ten to twenty dollars for each ton of residue removed.



Labor and equipment costs average over thirty dollars per ton, and baling stalks tends to cause more wear and tear on equipment than other baling operations. Totaled together, these costs amount to at least sixty dollars per ton of corn stalks removed.



So, what are corn stalks worth as a feed? Some folks suggest the dollar feeding value is midway between that of straw and prairie hay. But feed value of stalks varies greatly, and cattle tend to waste more of it. If you bale the entire field you may only have three to four percent protein and less than fifty percent TDN. Harvest just the tailings in the two or three rows behind the combine and TDN increases to the lower fifties and protein to about five percent. But test to make sure. And don’t forget to test for nitrates this year.



Are baled corn stalks worthwhile? Maybe so this year considering how expensive other alternatives might be. But first make sure they fit your feeding program without damaging next year’s crop production.















* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Bruce Anderson



Extension Forage Specialist



Department of Agronomy & Horticulture



University of Nebraska



Lincoln, NE 68583-0910



Voice: 402-472-6237



Fax: 402-472-7904



Email: banderson1@unl.edu

Herd Evaluations

This June, I had the pleasure of meeting with Tom and Elaine Considine to discuss the reintroduction of a KGBA herd evaluation service for our members.

In the past, herd evaluations were done by Harvey Considine, with his wife Elaine recording the evaluations. Harvey worked closely with KGBA members for many years, developing a Kinder scorecard used by Kinder goat breeders and as a guide for those judging Kinder goats in the show ring. The herd evaluations and scorecard were invaluable in improving Kinder goats as a breed, helping to judge them fairly in the show ring, and helping individuals choose and breed goats more responsibly.

We hope to continue the tradition with Harvey's son, Tom, and really get back on track with improving our herds and ensuring that they are the high quality, dual purpose goats that we all strive for. As Harvey and Elaine's son, Tom has been involved with goats for his entire life. He has been an ADGA licensed judge for 25 years, operates a commercial goat dairy and is a member of the ADGA board of directors. Currently, Tom is a Director for District 4, and is chair of the Breed Standards Committee. He has a phenomenal reputation - not just for his knowledge of goats, but for his willingness to help goat owners succeed, and this has been no exception. He is excited to help us improve our herds, and is committed to doing anything for the KGBA.
As I said, he and his mom came to my house, and Tom evaluated my herd. I will be posting pictures of the good and the bad in the days to come, but for now, I will just say that he did a wonderful job. He took his time evaluating each goat and explaining very clearly the decisions that he made. Elaine was a great help, as she had seen more Kinders than almost anyone in the world, and she is also excited to be helping us again. Here are the specifics on what they think they can do for us:

As it becomes set, Tom will be sending me his show schedule for next summer. He has offered to travel and do herd evaluations anywhere within an hour or so from the shows that he will be judging, and will charge us only the cost of the evaluations. That cost will be around $10-15 per goat. He has also agreed to judge any shows that he can fit into his schedule for a VERY reasonable rate, and will happily do evaluations at the site of these shows after the show itself is done. That means that we can bring our entire herds to a show, spend the morning showing, get our herd evaluated in the afternoon and go home with ribbons, scorecards and a plan for herd improvement!

Because he is pretty busy, I will be the contact person for KGBA members wanting evals, or wanting to plan shows. If you are interested in doing either, just send me an email at sue@jabeck.com, and I will work with you and Tom to arrange a convenient time for evaluations. If we have enough people in one area to warrant it, he might be willing to come just to evaluate herds, but we'll have to see how much interest there is, and where the interested members are located.

I really hope that people take advantage of this opportunity. I knew that evaluations would be valuable, but had no idea just how beneficial they would be until I had the scorecards spread out on my table. Looking at them, it made it easy to decide who to keep, who to cull, and who to breed to whom. So please - contact me if you are interest in getting your herd (or just one or two goats) evaluated. Let's all work together to make our Kinders the best goats in the world!

~Sue Beck

Ballots Are Out!

Hello, Everyone!

Thanks to the hard work of our secretary, Lisa Lamm, ballots have been mailed out for next year's Board of Directors. Please exercise your rights as members by completing and returning them by September 30th. Along with the ballots, you will find a list of candidates and a brief introduction of each person. There is also a space for write-in candidates for each position, and we welcome any interested members to join the race and campaign for a position!

If you can't run now, but think you might want to next year, please contact us any time - we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have, and we'll keep you informed when election time roles around again.

Thank you all for your continued enthusiasm and support - we couldn't do it without you!

KGBA Board Nominations

Hello, KGBA members! 

Although it seems like ages until the new year arrives, the time is sure to fly by. 

For KGBA members, the end of the year means choosing board members to represent us in the year to come. This year, we will be voting on the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two Member at Large positions. The nominating committee is now asking anyone interested in running or nominating someone for a board position to contact us as soon as possible to discuss position requirements and be put on the ballot for the upcoming year. Questions, comments and nominations can be sent to sue@jabeck.com. Please contact us by July 29th if interested, as ballots need to go out soon! 

BREEDING

Inbreeding, line breeding, out crossing

When you plan your breeding's, you will want to inbreed (the breeding together of close relatives such as sire/dam, son/daughter, brother/sister) only with great caution. Both good traits and bad can be exaggerated greatly.

Careful line breeding (the breeding together of more distant relatives) can be used to enhance and stabilize your best characteristics while helping you predict outcomes.

Out crossing (the breeding of two unrelated animals) will widen your gene pool-giving you more to work with, but continuous out crossing will just keep ;you guessing as to what results to expect.

Please pay very close attention to the third paragraph on out crossing because I believe this is one of the reason we are losing our dual purpose animal. You may buy a doe or buck that is both milk and meat but when you bring them home and breed to an unrelated mate this is where you begin to lose that dual purpose characteristic so much of the time. Buying good genetics to improve your herd is fine but if you continue to out cross you will soon lose those genetics. You have in a way just thrown you money away on that purchase.

Kinder® is Trademarked

Kinder® is Trademarked. Are you showing this in the titles of your photo's, web site, business cards and etc. If you are a member of the Kinder Goat Breeders Association then you should be doing this. People then know that the goats that you are breeding and selling are Kinder goats and can be registered with the KGBA.

Kinder® Goats

Are you measuring your Kinder goats? Are you measuring them at withers? In general Kinder goats are getting too tall and are losing their dual purpose status. Below is what Harvey Considine says about shorter and longer legged Kinder. Harvey formulated a scorecard specifically for our Kinder breed. If we are to breed a dual purpose goat then we need to follow this scorecard. By breeding taller we are losing the meat aspect of our Kinder goat and this is not good. Because of this many of the Kinder that we are seeing are just a smaller version of a dairy breed that have lost all the meat qualities. The picture below shows a yearling Kinder doe that is the right height and carries some fleshing.

Following is an excerpt from an article by Harvey Considine done for the Dairy Goat Journal in February of 1994.

SCORECARD for  the Dual Purpose Goat

To promote this aspect of the Kinder required that more attention be paid to the general appearance, hence the allowance of a full 40 points to that category. Since they are ‘mid-sized goat, “the maximum wither heights of 26 inches for mature does (and 28 inches for mature bucks) will tend to keep them a little shorter legged and this is good. Shorter legged animals tend to be easier to maintain in good flesh than longer legged animals.

That First Kinder®

Buying a Good Kinder® Goat

There is more to buying a good Kinder goat than just looking at good conformation, good udders, good milk production and a good meat carcass.

You want to look at the health of the animal too. You don’t want a Kinder that needs all kinds of medications to keep it well. You don’t want an animal that does not deliver kids easily. You do want a Kinder that is an easy keeper that does not take lots of extra feed to produce a good supply of milk and provide a good meat carcass. You want an animal that has some resistance to internal parasites so you are not giving it chemical wormers on a regular basis. All these things are just as, are possibly more, important than the outward appearance of the animal.

If it takes all kinds of medications to keep the animal healthy then I would not want to drink the milk nor eat the meat of a Kinder that has been loaded with all these chemicals. If you are buying your first Kinder goat then the questions ask should include the ones regarding the health of the animal and what medications has the seller be using.

When buying that Kinder goat just remember to look and ask about CAE, CL and about all the medications that this animal has been given. Always ask about the ease of kidding in older does and in the dam of younger doelings.

Buy the best animal possible and ask questions. Look at the animal’s dam and sire if possible. Make sure this is truly a dual purpose animal and not just a shorter version of a dairy goat. A true Kinder produces milk and meat. Rub your hands over the animal to make sure there are no lumps that might be a sign of CL. Ask for CAE testing results.

You want a Kinder that has good conformation, good udder, good meat carcass and one that is healthy and has not been filled with all kinds of medications. You want an animal that is CL and CAE free. Do your homework and ask questions. You and your goats will be happier if you do.

Kinder® Score Card

Tips from Paul Hamby

In this neck of the woods the very first sign of spring is not crocuses, but daffodils. I am pleased to report that this past week I was able to pick daffodils on the south facing bank of a nearby road. So, spring is in the air!
With the advent of spring, we usually have a bunch of new arrivals on our farms, and while it is exciting and usually a joy filled time, we occasionally need to be right on top of things to preserve the lives of some of these little blessings that show up.
Because sheep and goats regularly have multiple births, all those legs can get a little tangled up, and we sometimes need to help the dam get those kids sorted out and delivered. If you have been involved with sheep or goats for any length of time, some of the info in this newsletter will seem like old hat to you. While that may be the case, from time to time going over someone else's prepper list for birthing supplies may remind you of something you have forgotten about, or give you an additional item to include in your own preparations.
Kids and lambs often have their lives hanging in the balance in the first hours after their birth. It is always best to have what you may need in advance than to find you have forgotten something and cannot get it until the weekend is over or risk having to call a vet out at 3am to supply something you could have had on hand if you had only thought of it during the week. Because there are so many little things to think about that might mean the difference between life and death, this newsletter is devoted to Birther Preps of the critter kind.
We hope you enjoy the information and do feel free to send in your tips and tricks for this time of the year. We can always benefit from other ideas!
Thank you!!!
All of Us at Hamby Dairy Supply

Basic Birthing Kit

For Sheep and Goats

• Flashlight & batteries - For those night time deliveries.
• Latex gloves - In case you have to assist.
• OB Lube - In case you have to "go in" to assist.
• 7% iodine - To treat the umbilical cord to prevent navel ill.
• Small spray bottle or film container - for dipping or spraying the umbilical cord with iodine.
• Dental floss - To tie the umbilical cord, if necessary.
• Blunt nosed scissors - For cutting the umbilical cord if it is too long.
• Long Shoe String- to make a loop to pull leg into position

      *Corn Oil and Turkey Baster- to help lubricate for a   

         large kid to come through you can flood the vagina

         with corn oil.

     *Vitamin E oil- 2cc of vitamin e will often help a kid nurse 

• Alcohol - to sterilize tools
• Baby nasal aspirator - To remove fluids from newborn's mouth & nose, if necessary.
• 3 old but clean towels & 2 washcloths - To dry kids to prevent chill & dry hands.
• Bottle & Pritchard Nipple - In case you need to bottle feed, I have had the best luck getting newborns to use the Pritchard Nipple over others.
• Lamb / kid puller - In case of a kid that is positioned wrong. (Usually just your hand is enough to help a doe that needs help but it is a good idea to have one).
• Weak lamb syringe & feeding tube - To feed kids too weak to nurse.
• Small scale - to get a birth weight on the kids.
• Feed bag or garbage bag - For afterbirth.
• Soap & warm water - for washing up in case you need to assist.
• Small notebook & Pen - to record birth weights, etc.
• Digital thermometer - To check the temperature of chilled kids.
• Quiet hair dryer - to warm a mildly chilled kid.
• Phone # of 2 goat knowledgeable keepers/veterinarians - in case of an emergency.

Pasture Management of Parasites

by Sue Beck

 

With our days getting longer and our pastures getting greener, many of us are looking forward to being able to put our goats out on grass. But with the fresh new leaves of spring come one of the biggest threats to our herds’ health – parasites.

During the winter, the parasite eggs in your pastures go dormant, and pose very little risk of infecting our goats, making it the ideal time to get parasite problems under control. Now is the time when you should be testing fecal samples and treating accordingly, or using a broad spectrum dewormer to eradicate the parasites currently in your goats. If you can begin the summer with a clean herd, you will end it with a clean pasture.

In a recent presentation, Dr. Donald Bliss, founder and owner of MidAmerica Ag Research, recommended the following procedure to eradicate parasites in your herd:

Mid-late winter

1. Use Safeguard at the rate of 7.5 mg/kg spread over 3 days, then give Cydectin cattle pour-on dewormer orally (1 cc/ 20 pounds) on day 4.

2. Check random fecal samples 7-10 days after deworming.

3. Retreat if necessary, using wormer specific to the worms your goats still have.

4. Continue this process until your samples are free of parasites.

Early spring (as soon as the grass starts to grow):

1. Treat your herd with Safeguard at the rate of 7.5 mg/kg spread over 3 days.

2. Wait three weeks and retreat with Safeguard again.

3. Wait three weeks and treat with Cydectin as above (1 cc/ 20 pounds).

Timing is critical in this process. Parasite larva load is extremely high in the spring as dormant eggs begin to hatch, but by June, almost all these eggs have hatched and emerged. By treating aggressively at the beginning of the grazing season, you eradicate almost all existing larva from your pasture. If your goats are not dropping new eggs, the rate at which they become reinfested with parasites should decrease dramatically, and continue to decrease each year until they are virtually nonexistent in your herd. Just remember – if you can get your goats worm-free in winter and your pastures worm-free in spring, the rest of your year will be trouble free, too!

Liver Fluke

LIVER FLUKE
(an often-misidentified worm that's lethal if not treated for properly)
Update 12/08
by Sue Reith.

SYMPTOMS
Liver fluke damage is generally rather slow in appearing in mature goats... In a reasonably healthy goat, it can take years of gradual decline before the owner is even aware that Liver fluke is present.  Symptoms are some, if not always all, of the following: Gradual increase in unthriftiness (dry coat, guard hairs sticking up, ribbiness, pale eye membranes (indicating anemia caused by the worm's activity), a swelling under the jaw (that has erroneously been considered among the veterinary community to be symptomatic of resistance to treatment for Haemonchus contortus), and, eventually, a possibly sub-normal temp (less than 102 degrees), a distended belly (symptomatic of last-stage liver disease), and fecal pellets that are almost black in color and shriveled up with pointy ends on them.
Often the victim goat is one that has been wormed routinely, and yet still continues its gradual decline. The problem is that there's only one wormer on the market that will wipe out Liver fluke properly, Ivomec PLUS, (the PLUS part being clorsulon, specifically for eradication of Liver fluke) and many owners don't even know this wormer exists! Sadly, even when the owner finally learns about it and starts treatment, by that time there has often already been too much damage to the goat's liver for it to be saved even after proper worming.
BTW: While Liver fluke damage is often found in otherwise well-managed mature goats that despite good care continue to decline in appearance, in my experience this sudden appearance of anemia and weakness with either normal, or subnormal, temp (and sometimes swelling under the jaw as well) is not at all unusual to discover in young ruminants within the first few months of life as well.  At that age it commonly shows up when they're heavily exposed to it in pastures containing wet areas,  before their immune systems can get up and going to protect them. In fact, it's not uncommon for these young victims to die so fast they hardly have time to be sick.¹ This is especially true if there are any clostridial (Entero) organisms present in them, since they multiply and secrete their toxins fast in the already damaged, poorly oxygenated liver tissue .¹ 

TREATMENT:
I'm not one to quit without at least doing my best to save the goat... So if a goat of mine were affected with Liver Fluke I'd start it immediately on Ivomec Plus, using the appropriate worming approach as follows: All wormer packages note on the packaging that the product kills off ONLY the adult stages. So in order to get the worm load in the host down to a low enough level so that the immune system can take over and keep the problem under control, you need to worm 3X, with 10 days between wormings. The first dose will wipe out the adults already in there,  the second dose will wipe out the larvae that were in the gut, but not affected by the first worming, as they become adults (but before they can start laying eggs of their own), and the third dose kills off any eggs that were left over after you started the worming regimen,when they've passed thru the larval stage, when they, too, have become adults.

And as soon as you've begun the repair process by giving the first dose of Ivomec Plus, the next step would be to immediately start the goat on subcutaneous injections of Ferrodex 200 (each 1 ml dose of which delivers 200 mg of elemental iron... BTW: If the Ferrodex 200 isn't easily accessible, go to the local Rite Aid or other drug store and buy a bottle of Iron tablets (Ferrous Sulfate, ~321% or 65mg, crush them, and feed with yogurt) (1 Ferrous Sulfate tablet is equivalent to 1/3/ dose of Ferrodex200, so 3 iron tablets would be the equivalent of 1 daily dose provided in Ferrodex200), to restore the liver's red cells, the loss of which was the cause of  have caused the anemia and the blackened, shriveled, pointy-ended fecal pellets. And at this very critical time, as adjunct (supportive) therapy, I'd give it subcutaneous doses daily of 'Fortified' B-complex' (a combination of B vitamins needed for proper body function that has everything but B-12), essential because every time the patient urinates, it's losing all of those vitamins that are needed to maintenance of its body functions, and BoSe (to support his stressed immune system so that the goat can help itself to get well from inside, while I work on it from the outside), and Banamine (to reduce the goat's pain and cut the inflammation caused by the worm damage) which, once given, will encourage the goat to want to eat once again! And last but not least, I'd give the goat a preventative doe of C&D antitoxin (to prevent entero from taking this opportunity to sneak in and finish the poor victim off because while it's down its stomach is not digesting food and moving it out of its body as it should.)
BACKGROUND :
Liver fluke is  found in most of the US, but it's especially common in the Southern states due to the lack of good frosts to wipe out eggs and larvae in winter. We see it often up here in the Northern states as well, but because we have colder winters, the numbers, fortunately, are somewhat lower.  However during the rainy season, no matter what part of the country the goat lives in, the Liver Fluke problem becomes particularly pervasive each year!
Today, by far the most difficult problem that we as owners face with Liver fluke treatment/control is that the veterinary community in general isn't even aware that it's there.  As a result, they're unable to recommend proper treatment for it. This is because the egg of the Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica)² looks so similar to that of the Barberpole worm (Haemonchus contortus)² that when it shows up on the slide in the Vet's office it's routinely misidentified to BE that of the Haemonchus contortus (or perhaps by some general term like strongyles, stomach worms, et al).  And this is despite the fact that the Merck Veterinary Manual (8th Ed. Pp.197-198)³, which, BTW, is not a text used in Vet Schools, but in fact is instead a text available to Veterinarians and Goat owners as well, in discussing its prevelance, notes:  "Fasciola hepatic, the most important trematode of domestic ruminants, is the common cause of Liver Fluke disease in the USA and other temperate areas of the world. It's endemic along the Gulf Coast, the West Coast, the Rocky Mountain Region, and other areas... IT is present in Eastern Canada, British Columbia, and South America... etc and so forth.. They have even found it in Europe, Australia,in NEw Zealand, Africa and Asia, and it's been reported in Hawaii as well"...
Until just a few years ago the veterinarian, seeing what was thought to be Haemonchus contortus eggs on the slide, would recommend Ivomec to the owner as the wormer of choice to eradicate it. And rightly so, because the moment Ivomec appeared on the scene back in the early 1980's, it was recognized as the most effective general wormer to show up ever! And frankly it  remains, in my view, still the best and most efficacious general wormer on the market today.
And largely because the real Haemonchus contortus has always responded very well to Ivomec, veterinarians, misidentifying Liver fluke eggs as those of Haemonchus contortus, quite logically continued recommending Ivomec for treatment. When the Liver fluke failed to respond to the Ivomec treatment, unfortunately the loss of the animal in question was assumed to be a sign of the Haemonchus contortus having developed 'resistance' to the Ivomec! This notion has now become so pervasive that the veterinary community in general believes these days that the worms affecting livestock have developed a resistance to Ivomec, the result being a recommendation to their clients that they (1) increase the doses, and (2) turn to other wormers.  Neither approach has even slowed down the deaths being caused, in fact, by Liver fluke. Since neither of those suggestions are working, the most recent approach has been to set up Famacha classes to instruct owners and veterinarians alike in how to check the eyelids of the downed animals to see if they're anemic. If the animals have pale eyelids, indicating they're anemic, owners are sometimes advised to destroy the victim, fearing that if it lives, the 'resistance to wormers' will spread even further.
Sadly, neither plain Ivomec, nor Panacur, nor any of the other general wormers on the market today, are effective against Liver fluke.  The fact is, this parasite can ONLY be eradicated efficiently by using a product called Ivomec Plus .  It's not the Ivomec itself, but the PLUS part of the combined wormer, which is actually 'clorsulon' , that effectively wipes out Liver fluke.. And (very critically) since it only kills the ADULT of the species, clorsulon (just as all wormers) must be used at regular doses, 3 X in a row, 10 days apart, to wipe out all stages of the worm. ¹
And it will no doubt be of particular interest for those owners who are worried about using milk from does being treated with Ivomec Plus that the Pharmaceutical companies have now run the required tests on those two products that officially clears them for use in lactating ruminants! 
So in my view, these days (particularly if the reader is having a hard time controlling internal parasites in his/her animals) Ivomec Plus (instead of plain Ivomec) should ALWAYS be used for general worming, 'just in case'!  Just like regular Ivomec, it can be given orally although it's actually an injectable. But since right now Ivomec itself is less readily being used by people (most of whom have never even heard of Liver fluke, and many of  whom have their vets ID their goats' fecal samples as well) Ivomec Plus, while its importance is gradually growing among goat owners, may not yet be available in your local feed store... However it is readily available in livestock catalogs.

Breed History

"Making the World a Little Kinder" by Pat Showalter
In the late summer of 1985 Zederkamm Farm found itself with a problem. The old Nubian buck who had kept our two Nubian does fresh for a continuing milk supply unexpectedly died in his sleep one morning. The idea of hauling our does off to another farm to be bred just
didn't appeal to us after an unsuccessful preliminary search for a replacement buck. Our real interest was in the milk. What would it matter if the resulting kids were purebred or not? One of our Pygmy bucks stepped up (way up) to volunteer his services, and so began the Kinder goat. Briar Rose was born first, then Liberty and Tia in the summer of 1986. We were surprised and delighted with the appearance and rate of growth of these little does. Liberty stayed with us, while the other two little girls went to nearby owners. In 1987 Liberty freshened for the first time with triplets, and proved to be a steady and reliable producer of the best milk we had ever tasted. On her next five freshenings she produced two sets of
quintuplets, a set of sextuplets, a triplet, and a twin set. She led the way as the first Kinder doe entered into official milk test (DHIA). Liberty earned her star by fulfilling the same requirements as those set by ADGA for standard dairy goats. Other local goat enthusiasts soon became involved in the Kinder project. Three of them organized what became the
Kinder Goat Breeders Association (KGBA) in 1988. Kinders were introduced nationally through a front page article in United Caprine News, January 1989. This small nucleus of a few goats and a handful of breeders in the Snohomish, Washington area was soon followed by the entrance of Bramble Patch Kinders of Miami MO into the project. They were inspired by the UCN article to start building their own herd of fine Kinders, and in turn encouraged others in MO to join in. Kinders are now distributed throughout the United States, with
another large group in California, and on into Canada and Brazil. There are presently close to 3.000 Kinders in the herd book. Along the way we have had the help and encouragement of many individuals, including other goat breeders and judges. Special note should be given to the Considines of Herd Evaluation Service (HES- Portage, WI). The KGBA has refined the Kinder Goat Breed Standard with their expert help. In addition, HES designed a scorecard
specifically for the dual purpose (milk and meat) Kinder.

Breeding Memo

 

Send a Breeding Memo each time you send in a registration application for a kid which is a result of that breeding. Scan and copy the memo so you will have one for each kid’s registration application from that particular breeding.

Trade Mark

How we began and why the need of a trademark:

A group of breeders in the State of Washington convened on May 30, 1988 to form a committee for the organization and promotion of the Kinder goat. These same breeders gave this specific cross, Registered Nubian and a Registered Pygmy, the name Kinder. With the guidance of Harvey Considine a Kinder® Breeder Standard was set up. Harvey Considine also made a Score Card specifically for the Kinder® goat. The other crosses of these same breeds done before 1988 did not have a name and were not bred according to the Kinder® Breed Standard, Score Card and not registered with the Kinder® Goat Breeders Association. The crossing of Nubian and Pygmy lines before 1988 had no specific name, being known only as cross bred. This same statement holds true for other crosses done today. The Kinder®goat is a goat that is bred according to the Kinder® Breed Standard and Score card and that can be registered with the  Kinder®Goat Breeders Association. The crosses done in the past and those done today that do not follow the Kinder® Breed Standard and Score Card and cannot be registered with the Kinder® Goat Breeders Association are not Kinder® goats and should not carry the name or be recognized as a Kinder® goat.

Trademark: Kinder® Goat

A trademark offers protection somewhat similar to a copyright. A copyright helps to protect a thought or an idea, while a trademark protects more business specific such as names, symbols and etc. In our case we are talking about a name, Kinder® goat. By trade marking this name we have separated ourselves from other competitors in the market.

You ask why this is needed. There are lots of people that are breeding a Nubian and a Pygmy but not according to our breed standards and score card. They may be breeding an experimental Nubian to a non-registered Pygmy for instance. In this case there would be no way to trace ancestry lines of either breed. Those doing this breeding are calling the off-spring goats and they are not truly Kinder goats. A true Kinder® goat is one that is bred according to our standards and Kinder® score card and registered with the Kinder® Goat Breeders Association.

Many problems have surfaced since the breeding of the Kinder goat in the 1980’s. Animals of unknown origins have been sold to unexpected buyers then that buyer is unable to register those animals with the KGBA because of the unknown origin. Now the buyer is out all the money spent and has no animals that can be registered with the Kinder® Goat Breeders Association. This is a sad situation but nothing the  Kinder®Goat Breeders Association can do.

In order to start your own lines of Kinder goats you must use a Nubian that is either registered with American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA), American Goat Society (AGS), or the Canadian Goat Society (CGS). This Nubian must be a Purebred or full American Nubian. The Pygmy must be registered with National Pygmy Goat Association (NPGA), American Goat Society (AGS), or the Canadian Goat Society (CGS). The crossing of these two registered breeds results in a first generation Kinder. After this initial breeding the Kinder is bred within their own breed. All Kinder® goats are registered with the Kinder®Goat Breeders Association.

Copies of the Nubian registration papers and the Pygmy registration papers are sent along with the application of this first generation animal where they are recorded and kept on file. In this way the breeder and the buyer can trace the ancestry of those animals. All registration applications, pictures, transfers and etc. are kept on file in the KGBA data base.

It is because of unscrupulous sellers just looking to make a dollar that it was felt we must protect our name as well as buyers, by trade marking the Kinder goat name. Now these people can no longer legally use the name Kinder goat to sell their animals.

It should be understood that by trade marking the name, Kinder® goat, that the Kinder®Goat Breeders Association has no legal right of ownership to your Kinder® goats. It is not the commodity (the goat) that is trademarked but the name only.