One Fine Acre - 2023 4H Steer Project Update

[OneFineAcre]

@OneFineAcre, how much do your NDs produce a day at the peak of their lactation?

How long do they stay that way?

What would you consider the minimum they should produce to be a "good" dairy goat?

Our next test is next week so I can give you some exact numbers then
Out best peak at around 4lbs ( 2 quarts)
We have several still producing 3 lbs over 6 months into lactation
I have a FF at 7 months producing 2lbs

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Do you do the DHIR test (I think that is what it is called)? How do you do that? Weigh your milk everyday and record it with the ADGA or something?

 

[OneFineAcre]

Do you do the DHIR test (I think that is what it is called)? How do you do that? Weigh your milk everyday and record it with the ADGA or something?

Yes, we are on DHIR milk testing.
You do not have to weigh every day. You do a test once per month. You record weights and send milk samples to a company called Dairy One.
They have a computer program that very accurately calculates overall production.
They report results to ADGA

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Yes, we are on DHIR milk testing.
You do not have to weigh every day. You do a test once per month. You record weights and send milk samples to a company called Dairy One.
They have a computer program that very accurately calculates overall production.
They report results to ADGA

That's really cool! How much does it cost?

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Does a goat have to be ADGA registered?

 

[OneFineAcre]

That's really cool! How much does it cost?

The bill from Dairy One is $30 per month. Plus, you have the shipping costs.
I'm not sure what the cost is with ADGA.
We self report, but you have to have one validation test where an independent tester does the monthly test. We ended up having to have 2 validation tests because our doe that freshened first had to have hers and we didn't want to do the others then.
We had to pay those testers.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

The bill from Dairy One is $30 per month. Plus, you have the shipping costs.
I'm not sure what the cost is with ADGA.
We self report, but you have to have one validation test where an independent tester does the monthly test. We ended up having to have 2 validation tests because our doe that freshened first had to have hers and we didn't want to do the others then.
We had to pay those testers.

$30 per goat?!

 

[OneFineAcre]

Does a goat have to be ADGA registered?

I do not know.
I would think that Dairy One would test for you, just not report to ADGA.
You could contact Dairy One.

Another thing, you have to be certified to do your own tests if you are going to self report.
You also have to have a scale that can be calibrated and tested for accuracy. We have a postal scale we got from eBay for about $35.

 

[OneFineAcre]

$30 per goat?!

No, $30 for all of them.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

No, $30 for all of them.

I was gonna say...