Breeding for success

LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — Attendees of the American Dairy Goat Association Annual Convention Oct. 19-25 in Lake Geneva had the opportunity to learn from three longtime breeders during a sire selection roundtable. Panelists included Randy Adamson, Craig Koopmann and Stephanie Rovey.

Adamson milks 200-220 goats at Marran Dairy Goats near Milton; Craig Koopmann of Pleasant Grove Dairy Goats milks 300 goats near Epworth, Iowa; and Stephanie Rovey of Grande Ronde Dairy milks 1,100 goats in northeast Oregon.

From a commercial standpoint, what do you look for when selecting a sire?

Rovey: I look for protein and persistency based on my milk market and contract. I get $12.91 per pound of protein, so I need to cater to that contract. My biggest weakness is I am located 14 hours north of my processor, which means I better be one of their best producers, especially in year-round winter milk supply because winter is when they need my milk.

Koopmann: I come at it from both perspectives with my show herd and commercial herd. From the commercial side, production is most important. Our milk check is primarily fluid based. Therefore, I want high, raw production. I also come at it from the show side. I market a lot of offspring from the commercial herd as well as a lot of registered animals. I can’t go strictly production and ignore type; and I can’t go strictly type and ignore production. If you focus too much on production, you’re costing yourself in the long run. You’re going to lose longevity, and if you lose longevity, you’re losing long-term profit.

Adamson: My commercial and show herds are two separate herds to me, and I breed accordingly. For the commercial herd, I need milk. I am somewhat careful of udders and legs, but it’s not what I focus on. I’m a hard-core line breeder. In 15 years on the commercial herd, I think I’ve bought three outside bucks. I track sires to see which daughters are doing well. On the show herd, I stay close to home. Whenever I step out, I seldom get what I want. I only go out on the show side if I want to fix something or start a new line.

In a commercial setting, what traits are most important to contribute to longevity?

Rovey: I don’t have capacity to trim feet more than twice a year in our commercial herd, but I don’t specifically look for bucks with good feet and legs. I don’t like looking at ugly goats. We milk 300 goats per hour in a rotary, and I do not put up with ugly mammary systems. If teats are going the wrong direction, they’re going to squawk, which is a problem for employees. Udders and plumb teats matter.

Koopmann: The most important traits to me for longevity are rear leg set and udders, especially the medial suspensory ligament and teat placement. Feet and legs matter. I have to have does that can walk. The angle of the rear leg is what matters more than feet.

Adamson: Milk is the most important trait to me, and the udder is probably the only thing I look at on the commercial side. I would rather have a doe that milks 3,000 pounds per year for three years than one that lasts a long time and milks 2,000 pounds a year. I like to see two generations of 3,000-pound milk records and also try to pick bucks from does with extended lactations.

Do you tend to look more at other commercial herds when selecting sires or look more at show herds that might fit your commercial goals?

Rovey: I like looking at herds with data behind them. I look for protein on bucks. I’m working with imported semen this year, and I use in vitro fertilization on our most productive goats. We’re practicing capturing genetics from those extended lactations and flushing those does. I definitely use sires on the commercial side that I won’t touch on the show side.

Koopmann: When looking for a buck for my show herd, I need to maintain type, but I need production also. I look at herds on test, but I don’t concentrate on raw production. You have to take management into consideration too because not everyone is managing to get milk.

Adamson: For the commercial herd, it’s all about milk, and I breed accordingly. The commercial herd pays for the show herd. On the show side, I’ll watch my weaknesses and pay attention to what I need to fix.

What show ring traits would you like to see reduced from the commercial perspective?

Rovey: The Nubian show animal and the Nubian commercial animal are two very different goats. From their depth of chest, brisket extension, mammary shape and teat style, they are not the same creature, and I breed accordingly.

Koopmann: Bigger is not better. In the commercial herd, nine times out of 10, the average-size doe is more profitable for me. If I have two does milking 3,000 pounds, but one weighs 200 pounds and the other weighs 150, for a half pound less feed per day, that smaller doe made me more money.

Adamson: I would question the value placed on fore udder and feet and legs as well as a long, lean neck and sharp withers. Milk-wise, I don’t think the fore udder is as important as the rear udder.

How do you use A.I. genetics in your herd? 

Rovey: It’s all about timing. I need time to deal with breeding a herd of 1,100 goats. I’m a huge fan of in vitro fertilization, and this year, we put in 192 embryos. The dollar value of those embryos is way higher than a commercial kid.

Koopmann: The majority of the herd is bred naturally with live bucks, which I think are just as good as any A.I. buck. I want a short kidding window. With lower conception rates of A.I., if I breed 20 does, and 50% don’t settle, that’s 10 does I have to breed three weeks later. I artificially inseminate 20-30 registered does per year. I experimented with in vitro fertilization for the first time this year on five does.

Adamson: I do very little A.I. breeding on the commercial side, and there is only one herd I will use for that. If I do, I’m praying for a buck. I don’t think there’s enough consistency in milk generation after generation. There’s not a lot of semen out there that can get that kind of milk. The show herd is bred via A.I.

When do you decide a buck is worth keeping? 

Rovey: In my commercial herd, I’m either creating good sires or taking them in from amazing breeders. I don’t know who a doe’s sire is without DNA typing, but if a problem starts popping out, I will track it. This year, I had a buck throwing double-jointed kids in plethora. I DNA-typed it, and that buck left.

Koopmann: I breed 300 head with 10 bucks. I know who everything is bred to and who all the kids are sired by. I typically keep four new bucks each year to breed my youngstock. I know by his third birthday if a buck is going to be a “lifer.” I try to keep at least five daughters each year, especially that first year.

Adamson: I keep a new buck every year. By the time he gets to breeding the milking herd, I have 20-30 daughters on Dairy Herd Improvement. In three years, I’ll go back and decide to keep a son out of him. I have nine registered bucks and three commercial bucks, and I track their daughters.