# Grade...what does it mean?



## Jared77 (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi;

TOTAL newbie here.  I found this place from your sister sites TEG and BYC respectfully.  I'm started my research (total research nerd here just ask my wife) with the goal of having some smaller milking goats so my daughter can do 4H and we can have milk.  We already have Morgans, and chickens, so this addition is not a leap for us.

Im wondering though Ive seen the term "grade" being used and have been unable to find out what it means.

And any tips on what to look for when looking for production based lines in goats?  Terminology etc?

Thank you!


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## patandchickens (Feb 3, 2011)

Grade means not-purebred (or anyhow not papered; but usually unpapered unambiguously-purebred animals are advertised as "unregistered <breed name>" rather than grade. So, a cross or Heinz 57.

Pat


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## cstafford93514@yahoo.com (Feb 3, 2011)

Grade simply means not a purebred - same as horses. 

I would reccomend finding a breeder near you and making several visits Before deciding what you want to bring home.  Ask them to show you how to milk and perhaps what to look for in a good milk doe.  Ask for current lab tests for CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis) sp. and if there is CL (an ugly terrible abcess disease of the limph glands) in the herd.  
If you are wanting smaller goats to milk, go for the Nigerian Dwarf.  They are the smallest breed recognised by American Dairy Goat Association .  The ADGA is a good resourse of information about the different breeds of dairy goats among other things.

Please, please, please NEVER buy an animal with horns.  Children are very prone to accidents with horned goats - even through no fault of the goat a child can be injured.

Remember goats are herd animals so you need two ot more in your herd to keep them happy.
I'm sure this gives you plenty to research and ponder for now so...Good Luck!
Carol Stafford
Goatsnme@gmail.com
Checotah, OK


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## rebelINny (Feb 3, 2011)

A grade is a goat that is not purebred or could be purebred without registration paperwork. Grade is the term given to goats that are recorded based on what you know about their breed (if you know) so you can try to breed up to a registered goat so the kids are that much closer to "pure'. Example : I have a doe that is an Alpine/Nubian mix that is a recorded grade with International Dairy Goat Registry. I have bred her to a registered Alpine buck this year so her kids will be recorded as 75% Alpine and 25%Nubian. If she has a doe and I breed her to a registered Alpine buck their offspring would be recorded grades at 87.5% Alpine and 12.5%Nubian or some such thing. Grades just mean they are recorded but not purebred. You DO get paperwork on them and tatoo numbers and all that jazz it just is a mixed goat registration. Hope that explains it.


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## Jared77 (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks for the fast replies.

I had a feeling it was the same as in horses but we all know what happens when one assumes 

We'd just started talking about last fall at a horse show and the idea came up.  Our friends have a Jersey and are kicking themselves for the investment because of volume of milk they get from her.  So the discussion turned to goats as an alternative and it got my wife and I thinking about it.  We'd actually talked about the Nigerian Dwarfs because of their small size would make them more manageable all around.  We figured we'd start with 2 as they are a herd animal and we can expand from there if we so choose.

No horns.  We'd already planned on that, since its not worth the risk.

Id just started looking at the ADGA site actually when I got the message that there was a reply on this thread.


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## lilhill (Feb 3, 2011)

Good for you in doing your homework first before getting goats.  And, prepare to become instantly addicted to these wonderful critters.  If you are looking into getting Nigerian Dwarfs, you cannot "breed up" to purebred with them.


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## julieq (Feb 3, 2011)

cstafford93514@yahoo.com said:
			
		

> Grade simply means not a purebred - same as horses.
> 
> I would reccomend finding a breeder near you and making several visits Before deciding what you want to bring home.  Ask them to show you how to milk and perhaps what to look for in a good milk doe.  Ask for current lab tests for CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis) sp. and if there is CL (an ugly terrible abcess disease of the limph glands) in the herd.
> If you are wanting smaller goats to milk, go for the Nigerian Dwarf.  They are the smallest breed recognised by American Dairy Goat Association .  The ADGA is a good resourse of information about the different breeds of dairy goats among other things.
> ...


Pretty much covers what I was going to say!


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## Dreaming Of Goats (Feb 3, 2011)

julieq said:
			
		

> cstafford93514@yahoo.com said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Also, BUCKS ARE NOT GOOD PETS!!!! You would probably just want a few does to milk, though. I recommend reading "Storey's Guide to Raising Goats"


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## Jared77 (Feb 4, 2011)

> If you are looking into getting Nigerian Dwarfs, you cannot "breed up" to purebred with them.


Can you elaborate on this?

A couple of does is what Id thought of getting.  Nothing crazy (yet  )  Ive read about folks alternating breeding times/due dates between does to always stay in milk.  Is this a successful strategy thats realistic with a small herd or a couple of does?

We already agreed to deal with the headaches of paying and dealing with a stud fee.  Bucks are something we have no interest in.  Stallions give enough headaches, we don't need a buck on top of that.


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## lilhill (Feb 4, 2011)

If you purchase Nigerians that are not purebred registered animals (or come from ADGA and/or AGS registered Nigerians), then ADGA and AGS registries will not accept them.  So if you want them registered with these registries, then I would suggest purchasing registered does and breeding them to an ADGA and/or AGS registered buck from good milk lines.


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## Jared77 (Feb 4, 2011)

Gotcha.  Thanks and good to know.  Do they have to be ADGA or AGS in order to be shown in 4H?


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## lilhill (Feb 4, 2011)

I really don't know the answer to that one.  But I'm sure someone who shows 4H can.


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## cindyg (Feb 7, 2011)

Hi all, I'm going to chime in here, just because I am in the same position as OP, I want to get a few goats for milk, have settled on ND, but now have to source them.  So happy for this info.  So many folks happy to help, it's wonderful.


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## ksalvagno (Feb 7, 2011)

Jared77 said:
			
		

> A couple of does is what Id thought of getting.  Nothing crazy (yet  )  Ive read about folks alternating breeding times/due dates between does to always stay in milk.  Is this a successful strategy thats realistic with a small herd or a couple of does?
> 
> We already agreed to deal with the headaches of paying and dealing with a stud fee.  Bucks are something we have no interest in.  Stallions give enough headaches, we don't need a buck on top of that.


I had someone buy 2 Nigerians from me and plan to stagger their breeding so they have milk all year around. I think probably 3 does would fit the bill nicely. That way if something happens and one of them slows down sooner than you expected or something you have that 3rd one to fall back on. Since Nigerians are year round breeders, as long as you have a buck you can breed to, it shouldn't be a problem.

I have to say, I love my boys. They do smell but they all just want attention and are not aggressive.


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## Jared77 (Feb 7, 2011)

Thats good to know about adding a 3rd so I'm always in milk.  That will please the wife and daughter meaning we might keep a doe back from one of our breedings once we get this little venture off the ground.


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## freemotion (Feb 7, 2011)

The lovely thing about having goats AND horses...you can offer the hay to the picky goats first, then feed the leavings to the horses, who are not so fussy that they won't eat a spear of hay that has touched the ground.  When I had my horse with the goats, there was virtually NO wasted hay.  Now that the horse is no longer with us, I have mountains of hay to compost.  Frustrating.

(Your comment about your friend's Jersey made me almost  .....I am now an avid cheesemaker and would give up a lot to have the land for a nice little Jersey, producing gallons a day for every cheese in my 200 Cheesemaking Recipes book!)

Whine over.  You will adore your goats.


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## helmstead (Feb 7, 2011)

Jared77 said:
			
		

> Gotcha.  Thanks and good to know.  Do they have to be ADGA or AGS in order to be shown in 4H?


This depends on the county.  Most do require registration for does.  Wethers often only need identification (ie tattoo).  My lil country county just offered NDs to be in the dairy section, and right now my recorded grade NMGA goats are fine altho I bet down the road they'll ramp it up to does requiring formal registration.


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## Jared77 (Feb 9, 2011)

Thanks for the reply Helm, thats good to know.  Ill be sure to find out the local rules before I look at any herds.

And Freemotion....its a mixed blessing.  They love the milk (its REALLY good) but I know I'd struggle to use that much milk too.  I brought up the cheese, and other dairy products that could be made, and they still said it comes down to storage.


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