lllinois buck tops 2009 test
A summary of the 2009 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Testing Program
by Susan Schoenian
Sheep & Goat Specialist
University of Maryland Extension
Created or last updated 23-Nov-2009
The top-performing buck in the 2009 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test was a purebred Kiko buck consigned by Craig Adams from Litchfield, Illinois. A first-time consigner to the Maryland test, Adams had four of the top bucks in the test. He was the test's top consigner.
John Smith from Petersburg, Virginia, the consigner of last year’s top buck, had three of the top bucks in the 2009 test. He was in close contention for top consignment (top 3 buck) honors.
Sixty bucks participated in the 2009 Test. They were consigned by 17 breeders from 11 states. Breed breakdown was 46 New Zealand, purebred, or percentage Kikos, 5 Kiko x Boer crosses, 6 fullblood and percentage Boers, 2 Composite Tennessee Mountain Meat Goats (Boer x Kiko x Spanish), and 1 Myotonic.
The Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test was initated in 2006 at the University of Maryland's Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville, MD. The purpose of the test is to evaluate the performance of meat goats consuming a pasture-only diet, with natural exposure to internal parasites. While on test, the bucks are evaluated for growth, parasite resistance, parasite resilience, and carcass merit. This was the first year that any bucks were harvested to collect actual carcass data.
Performance
The 2009 test lasted 100 days, from June 18 until September 26. There was a 12-day adjustment period. Starting weights ranged from 25 to 69 lbs. and averaged 48.1 lbs. Ending weights ranged from 38 to 83 lbs. and averaged 61.9 lbs. Average daily gains ranged from -0.03 to 0.28 lbs. per day and averaged 0.14 lbs. per day. The buck with the highest average daily gain was a crossbred Kiko buck consigned by Merritt Burke from Nassau, Delaware.
View graph of body weight changes ->Internal parasites (worms) were not a significant problem in this year's test. Fecal egg counts did not get high until towards the end of the test in late-September. The buck with the lowest average fecal egg counts was a percentage Boer consigned by Aaron and Levi Lantz from Oakland, Maryland. During the duration of the test, Hamonchus contortus (the barber pole worm) comprised more than 80 percent of the worm infection, almost 100 percent of the infection in August and September.
View graph of average and pooled fecal egg counts ->
View graph of fecal coproculture ->Only 11 anthelmintic treatments were administered to the bucks after the initial double deworming at the start of the test. The buck with the lowest average FAMACHA© scores was a Kiko buck consigned by Kendell and Dana Barnes from Winchester, Kentucky. It has a FAMACHA© score of 1 each time it was checked. The Barneses were the top consigner in last year's test.
View graph of fecal egg counts and FAMACHA© scores ->
View graph of FAMACHA© scores and anthelmintic treatments ->Bucks meeting gold, silver, and bronze standards of performance for growth, parasite resistance, and parasite resilience and minimum standards for structural correctness and reproductive soundness were deemed the top-performing bucks in the test eligible to sell via auction. Eleven bucks qualified.
Table 1. 2009 Standards of Performance
Performance rating
Growth
(ADG, lbs. per day)Parasite resistance
(fecal egg counts)Parasite resilience
(FAMACHA© scores,
Anthelmintic Tx)GOLD
≤ 0.25
Avg. FEC < 500 epg
High FEC < 1000 epgAvg. FAM < 2
No anthelmintic txSILVER
≤ 0.20
Avg. FEC < 750 epg
High FEC < 1500 epgAvg. FAM < 2.5
No anthelmintic txBRONZE
≤ 0.18 .
Avg. FEC < 1000 epg
High FEC < 2000 epgAvg. FAM < 3
No anthelmintic txTable 2. Data from top 11 bucks
Consigner
ID
Breed
Rating
Start Wt.
End Wt.
100-d ADG
High FEC
Avg. FEC
High FAM
Avg. FAM
Anthel Tx.
Adams
Kiko
Gold
40.0
67.0
0.270
800
413
2
1.4
0
J. Smith
Kiko
Gold
54.0
80.0
0.260
775
402
2
1.5
0
J. Smith
Kiko
Silver
44.0
70.0
0.260
1225
515
2
1.5
0
Adams
Kiko
Silver
49.0
72.0
0.230
850
346
3
1.6
0
K. Barnes
Kiko
Silver
34.0
56.0
0.220
717
262
1
1.0
0
J. Smith
7/8 Kiko
Silver
40.0
60.0
0.200
325
171
3
2.1
0
Adams
Kiko
Bronze
57.0
80.0
0.230
1925
596
2
1.1
0
Adams
Kiko
Bronze
42.0
65.0
0.230
1800
554
2
1.4
0
Shivers
Kiko
Bronze
41.0
64.0
0.230
1833
708
2
1.4
0
Dietz-Band
¾ Kiko
Bronze
28.0
46.0
0.190
1875
805
2
1.9
0
Burke
½ Kiko
Bronze
42.0
60.0
0.180
1100
312
3
2.5
0
AVERAGE
Top 11
42.8
65.5
0.206
1925
462
3
1.6
0
AVERAGE
All 60
48.1
61.9
0.138
3225
439
5
2.0
11
View pictures and data from top 11 bucks ->
View buck rankings by growth (ADG) ->
View buck rankings by parasite resistance (FEC) ->
View buck rankings by parasite resilience (FAMACHA© scores) ->
Western Maryland Field Day & Sale
Nine bucks sold via silent auction on October 3rd at the 2nd annual Western Maryland Goat Sale & Field Day. Prices ranged from $200 to $1050 and averaged $514. The bucks meeting the Gold standards of performance sold for $750 and $825, respectively.
The sale also included an invitation doe sale. Consigners to the buck test were eligible to consign does to the sale. Nineteen Kiko and Boer does sold for an average price of $269. The high-selling doe was a Kiko consigned by John Smith. It brought $575. A silent auction proved to be a good method to sell the goats. It put more emphasis on performance and allowed buyers to make more thoughtful purchases.
Dr. Richard Browning, a Research Animal Scientist from Tennessee State University, was the featured speaker at the field day. Dr. Browning discussed his multi-year meat goat breed comparision study and on-farm performance testing. The event hosted the first Goat Skillathon for youth. Twenty-eight youth competed for top honors.
Carcass evaluation
Nine bucks were chosen for harvest. They were processed on October 15 by LambCo, LLC in New Windsor, Maryland. Live weights (LW) ranged from 62 to 86 lbs. and averaged 72 lbs. Dressing percentages (DP) were in the expected range for pasture-raised goats. They varied from 38.8 to 49.2 percent and averaged 43.1 percent.Rib eye area (REA) ranged from 1.45 to 2.2 square inches and averaged 1.79 square inches. The goat with the biggest rib eye was a 79-lb. crossbred Kiko buck consigned by Merritt Burke of Nassau, Delaware. It was also the top-gaining buck in the test.
The carcasses were completely deboned to determine yields. As a percentage of carcass weight, lean yield ranged from 57.2 to 65.5 percent and averaged 60.9 percent. As a percentage of live weight, lean yield ranged from 21.5 to 30.7 percent and averaged 25.4 percent. The highest yielding goat was a purebred Kiko consigned by Craig Adams.Table 3. Carcass data
Consigner
ID
Breed
LW
HCW
DP
CCW
% KH
BWT
REA
% Lean
Yield
Adams
Kiko
71.0
34.4
48.5
33.3
0.42
0.55
2.00
65.6
30.7
Pinneo
Kiko X
65.0
32.0
49.2
30.9
1.41
0.45
1.95
63.1
30.0
Lowe
Kiko X
79.0
34.9
44.2
33.6
0.60
0.40
1.80
63.6
27.0
Lowe
Kiko X
80.0
32.9
41.1
31.8
0.32
0.30
1.60
64.2
25.5
Burke
Kiko X
79.0
34.3
43.4
33.1
2.08
0.50
2.20
60.4
25.3
D. Smith
Kiko X
62.0
25.7
41.5
24.7
0.49
0.30
1.65
58.1
23.1
Lantz
Boer
61.0
24.8
40.7
23.8
0.42
0.40
1.65
58.7
22.9
J. Smith
Kiko
64.0
26.2
40.9
25.3
1.08
0.35
1.45
57.2
22.6
K. Barnes
Kiko X
86.0
33.4
38.8
32.3
2.00
0.35
1.85
57.4
21.5
AVG.
71.9
31.1
43.1
29.9
0.98
0.40
1.79
60.9
25.4
KEY: LW-live weight; HCW-hot carcass weight; DP-dressing percentage; CCW-cold carcass weight; %KH-percent kidney and heart fat; BWT-body wall thickness, REA-rib eye area; % Lean-lean tissue/cold carcass weight; and Yield-lean/live weight. Read detailed article on carcass evaluation ->
Download carcass data ->
Next year, we would like to harvest more goats from the test and perhaps incorporate a carcass contest into the performance testing program. Additional funding will be required for the carcass evaluation, especially if more goats are evaluated.
The Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Testing Program Committee consists of Susan Schoenian, Jeff Semler, David Gordon, Mary Beth Bennett, Willie Lantz, E. Nelson Escobar, M. Scott Updike, and Shannon Uzelac. Dr. Kevin Pelzer from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine serves as the consulting veterinarian.
Go to Goat Test Blog =>
Complete a survey to evaluate the meat goat testing program =>
