Inside this issue . . .
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Champion Market Goats Champion - Claire Bennett (L) Reserve Champ - Troy Bennett (R) Judge Bob Hare (C) |
A Lambing and Kidding
School will be held on Saturday, December 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the
Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD. Dr.
Kevin Pelzer, small ruminant veterinarian from the Virginia-Maryland
Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech will be the primary
instructor for the workshop.
Topics to be addressed in the workshop include:
• Assisting with
difficult births
• Problems associated with lambing/kidding: abortions, prolapses, milk
fever, and pregnancy toxemia
• Mastitis and milk problems
• Newborn lamb and kid care
• Grafting lambs/kids
The registration fee is
$35 per person; $10 for each additional family member. The fee includes lunch
and a lambing/kidding kit. The kit will consist of various lambing and kidding
supplies (e.g. tube feeder, cup for dipping navels), sample products (e.g. milk
replacer), and flow charts (e.g. starvation).
Checks should be made payable to the University of Maryland and sent to:
Western Maryland Research
& Education Center
Lambing and Kidding School
18330 Keedysville
Road
Keedysville, MD 21756
For more information about the school, contact Susan at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu.
Registration deadline is December 1.
Co-sponsors of the 2005 Lambing and Kidding School include Sheepman Supply Company and Land O'Lakes Animal Milk Products Company.
The MPWV1
Meat Goat Producers Association will be holding its fall meeting at
Garrett College in McHenry, MD. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. with an educational
program on goat reproduction. Cheryl Harris from Ivy Patch Goats will share
her three years of experiences with collecting semen and artificially inseminating
goats. This will be an introduction to artificial insemination. If enough interest
exists, a more in-depth workshop will be held later.
Lunch will be at 11:30 a.m. The business meeting will be held at 12:30 p.m.
Starting at 5 p.m., there will be a Boer Goat Auction at the Garrett County
Fairgrounds. There will be about 100 goats for sale. Garrett College has decided
to liquidate its meat goat herd.
For information about the MPWV meeting or Boer goat sale, contact Willie Lantz
at (301) 334-6960 or wlantz@umd.edu.
1Maryland-Pennsylvania-West Virginia Meat Goat Producers Association.
Web site: http://www.meatgoat.biz
Timonium, MD – The Maryland State Fair held its 3rd 4-H/FFA Meat Goat Show on August 26-27 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Fifty-two youth from twelve counties (Carroll, Cecil, Queen Anne’s, Howard, Calvert, St. Mary’s, Garrett, Somerset, Frederick, Charles, Washington, and Allegany) pre-registered 197 goats for the show.
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Champion
Meat Goat Showmanship
Champion Sr. - Lauren Mohler (L) Overall Champion - Troy Bennett (C) Champion Jr. - Konnar Miller (R) Judge Bob Hare (Back) |
The show consisted of
fitting and showing classes, market goat classes (including a rate-of-gain competition),
and a breeding show for commercial and registered meat goat does and buck kids.
The judge for this year’s show was Bob Hare, a goat breeder and licensed
judge with the U.S. Boer Goat Association.
The first place junior (ages 8-11) showman was Konnar Miller from Frederick
County. Lauren Mohler from Charles County was the top senior (ages 14-18) showman.
1st place intermediate (ages 12-13), Troy Bennett from Carroll County, was the
champion overall showman in the meat goat division. Lauren was reserve champion.
Fifty-two (52) goats were weighed for the market goat show, compared to 59 last
year. None of the goats failed to make the minimum weight of 40 lbs. The market
show consisted of 7 classes of market goats. The grand champion market goat
was an 85-lb. wether exhibited by Claire Bennett from Carroll County. The reserve
champion market goat was an 88-lb. wether exhibited by Claire’s brother
Troy. The winning goats were the twin offspring of the grand champion market
goat from the 2003 Maryland State Fair.
Kayla Hall from St. Mary’s County exhibited the market goat with the highest
rate of gain. Her goat gained 0.47 lbs. per day and was the heaviest market
goat in the show at 98 lbs. Forty-nine market goats had an average daily gain
of 0.252 lbs. per day, compared to last year’s ADG of 0.234 lbs. per day.
The average starting weight for the market goats was 48.2 lbs. The average ending
weight was 71.8 lbs. Goats which gained over 0.3 lbs. per day received a blue
award in the rate-of-gain competition. Red awards were given to goats gaining
from 0.2 and 0.3 lbs. per day. Those gaining less than 0.2 lbs. per day received
white awards. There is no minimum rate-of-gain requirement for market goats,
since we are still learning how to feed meat goats. Six market goats were sold
in the 4-H livestock auction. The champion market goat
brought $5 per lb. All market goats sold for $3 per lb. or more.
In the breeding show, commercial goats and registered percentage and fullblood
goats compete together. Kayla Hall exhibited the Grand Champion doe of the show.
Her 2-year old “production” doe beat out Sara Culver’s (Cecil
County) first place senior doe kid (born before March 1), which was named reserve
champion. Claire Bennett exhibited the 1st place junior doe kid (born after
March 1) while Kyle Hudson from St. Mary’s County had the first place
yearling doe, as well as the first place buck kid.
Any breed of goat that is raised for meat can be exhibited in the Maryland State
Fair 4-H/FFA Meat Goat Show. Meat goats do not have to be disbudded. Bucks under
one year of age can be exhibited. Anyone with comments or suggestions regarding
the show can contact me (show superintendent) at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu
or Assistant Superintendent Willie Lantz at (301) 334-6966 or wlantz@umd.edu.
Changes to the 4-H/FFA meat goat show must be approved by the Maryland State
Fair Board. Meat goats are the fastest growing 4-H livestock project in Maryland
and probably the nation.
Annapolis, MD (September
15, 2005) -- Livestock producers in Maryland are encouraged to register
their properties as the first phase of the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) National Animal Identification System (NAIS). NAIS is the national livestock
identification program initiated to establish important safeguards against the
spread of animal disease. An information package for Maryland farmers including
a registration form is in the mail now and is available on line at www.mda.state.md.us.
I am encouraging all of my fellow Maryland livestock producers to participate
in the first phase of the NAIS program and register their premises,” said
Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Lewis R. Riley. “By identifying all
livestock premises in the State, we are laying the necessary groundwork to be
able to trace an animal back to its birth herd within 48 hours of identifying
a foreign animal disease or a domestic disease of concern.”
NAIS is designed to protect animal health by making it possible to trace the
movement of the individual animals back to their birth herds should there be
an animal disease situation. The first phase of the program is to identify all
livestock premises (farms, grazing areas, livestock markets, slaughter establishments,
and veterinary clinics). The second phase, which will be implemented at a later
date, will be to identify all livestock animals. At this time, NAIS is a voluntary
program; however, by 2007 under the USDA strategic plan the program will be
mandatory for both production site identification and animal identification.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has begun mailing out registration
materials to the more than 8,200 livestock producers in the State. Producers
receiving the materials can register by completing the forms and returning them
to MDA headquarters in Annapolis or they can go to http://www.mda.
state. md.us/animal_health/nais/ and register online. Once registration
forms have been processed, livestock producers will receive an NAIS Premise
ID number.
MDA will host an open house for livestock owners from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.on
Sept. 29 at its headquarters office, 50 Harry S. Truman Pkwy., Annapolis. Staff
members will be on hand to answer questions and help producers fill out the
form or register on line.
For more information about the NAIS program in Maryland and the premise identification
process, contact Marilyn Bassford at (410) 742-6023 or nais@mda.state.md.us,
or find more information online at http://www.mda.
state.md.us/animal_health/nais/.
Web site: www.usda.gov/nais/
Maryland’s nutrient management laws are in full swing. To become compliant or maintain your current compliance, attend one of the upcoming Farmer Training and Certification sessions sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Maryland Cooperative Extension.
• Nov. 14 and Dec.
12 - Baltimore County
• Jan. 31 and Feb. 9 - Caroline County
• Feb. 21 and Mar. 1 - Garrett County
• Feb. 28 and Mar. 15 - Kent County
• Oct. 17, 20, 25, and 27 and Nov. 1, 3, and 7 (evening sessions) - Frederick
County
What are some of
the benefits of attending?
• Have a completed nutrient management plan for the next growing season.
• Receive a training binder containing valuable resources to help write
future plans.
• Achieve MDA Certified Farm Operator status.
• Purchase Maryland nutrient management planning software (NuMan) at a
reduced rate.
For more information, contact Heather Hutchinson at (301) 432-2767 x339 or hhutchin@umd.edu.
Annapolis, MD (Sept.
15, 2005) - Nutrient management plans aimed at protecting waterways
from excess crop fertilizers and animal wastes are now being used on more than
75 percent of Maryland's farmland, or 1.15 million acres, according to the Maryland
Department of Agriculture. Enforcement procedures to bring farmers managing
the remaining 25 percent of the farm acreage into compliance with Maryland's
nutrient management regulations are underway.
Earlier this summer, MDA began mailing enforcement letters requesting a site
visit with farmers who have not submitted their nutrient management plans. Following
the site visits, which are ongoing, farm operators who are found to be out of
compliance with the law are required to work with MDA inspectors to obtain and
implement their plans. Farmers who fail to respond to the enforcement letters
during the prescribed time frame face additional enforcement actions. The process
begins with an official warning from MDA as required by law, and could result
in penalties and fines of up to $2,250 a year.
The Water Quality Improvement
Act of 1998 requires farmers with gross annual incomes of $2,500 or
more or livestock operations with 8,000 pounds or more of live animal weight
to manage their farms using plans that address both nitrogen and phosphorus
inputs. Since 1999, the program has been implemented in phases. A variety of
incentive programs are available to help farmers comply with the law.
University Park,
PA – Though it hasn't turned up on many restaurant menus, goat
meat is one of the most widely consumed meats in the world. With a taste somewhere
between beef and venison -- and even less fat than chicken -- goat meat is a
healthy, tasty alternative for dinner and a growing option for livestock producers.
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Bedford County is offering a distance education
course, “Meat Goat Home Study,” to provide a better understanding
of the basics of meat goat production. The course will be valuable for beginners,
as well as for seasoned full-time and part-time producers.
Anyone interested in raising meat goats may participate in the course, and the
lessons can be completed either over the Internet and e-mail or as a print-based
correspondence course. The six lessons of the course cover basic production
information, reproduction, nutrition, health, marketing, and financial information
for meat goat production. The course is designed to help individual producers
by tailoring worksheets to specific operations.
Participants in the course read one lesson per week and then complete and return
worksheets to Greg Strait at Penn State Extension's Fulton County office. Strait
will answer questions and provide personal comments and suggestions for how
to improve each participant's operation.
“The course is a great way for producers to learn new information without
having to rearrange their schedules to accommodate a meeting,” says Melanie
Barkley, Bedford County Extension educator. “Producers can study the lessons
at their leisure in their own home.”
The cost of the course is $35 if completed through the Internet/e-mail option
and $50.00 if completed through print-based correspondence. The lessons are
available anytime on the Web at http://bedford.
extension.psu.edu/agriculture/goat/goat%20lessons.htm. The registration
deadline for the next course is Jan. 25, 2006, and sessions will not begin until
Feb. 1, 2006. The registration form is also available online and must be submitted
by mail to the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office in Bedford County.
Anyone interested in course information can visit the Web site or contact Melanie
Barkley by phone at (814) 623-4800 or by e-mail at meh7@psu.edu.
The Western Maryland Research
& Education Center (WMREC) and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES)
held a sealed bid auction to give producers the opportunity to purchase hair
breed and hair x wool cross ewe lambs. The auction was very successful. Fifty
bids were received on 15 lots of ewe lambs. Ten bidders from five states participated
in the auction. The lots were composed of 3 to 6 animals of the same sire group
(Dorper, Katahdin, Suffolk, and Texel).
In a sealed bid auction, an individual indicates the amount he or she is willing
to pay for a given lot. They do not know what anyone else is bidding. The sale
is awarded to the highest bidder.
The ewe lambs sold were part of UMES’s sire comparison study. While at
WMREC, the lambs were used to evaluate methods for controlling internal parasites.
The data that was collected this summer will be reported in future issues of
this newsletter. The breeding study will be repeated next year at UMES, with
three sires from each group being used for breeding this fall.
*******
University of Missouri
Extension2 and Truman State University3 recently collaborated on a lamb demonstration
project to determine the effects of double-shearing and time of feeding on growth
of lambs.
In the study, 32 feeder lambs were assigned by sex and weight to either daytime
(a.m.) or night time (p.m.) feeding groups. Lambs fed in the day time (a.m.)
were allowed access to feed free choice from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Night time (p.m.)
fed lambs were allowed access to feed free choice from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily.
Additionally, midway into the 100-day trial, one half of the lambs were sheared
in each group.
Lambs averaged 56.71 lbs. at the start of the trial. The lambs in the trial
were black-faced, predominantly club-lamb phenotype, and genetically similar.
All but six had the same sire. They were all from one breeder. All lambs were
sheared prior to the start of the experiment and vaccinated against clostridium
perfringins type C and D. The trial lasted from June 18 until September 25,
2004.
Time of feeding, i.e. a.m. or p.m., had a significant effect on lamb gain. Lambs
in the p.m. feed group gained 7.7 lbs. more than the lambs fed in the a.m. group.
Pen feed efficiency also favored the p.m. treatment: 8.33 vs. 8.76 lbs. feed/lb.
gain. Increased weight gain in the p.m. group seemed primarily due to increased
feed consumption. Sex, not surprisingly, had a significant effect on gain. Ewe
lambs gained 43.93 lbs., while wether lambs gained 50.38 lbs. Double shearing
had no effect on lamb weight gain.
Past research with beef cattle has shown that time of feeding can profoundly
affect weight gain and feed efficiency. Night time feeding improved average
daily gain and feed efficiency by up to 25 percent in a Canadian study. In addition,
heat stress affects feed intake.
Night time (p.m.) feeding could be a practical management tool for some producers
to improve rate of gain and feed efficiency in their lambs. Night time feeding
could be accomplished by giving lambs access to self feeders only at night or
by hand feeding at night. An alternative to night feeding would be to feed lambs
in the shade or to provide fans or other equipment to provide cooling, when
and if practical.
Investigators: T.E. Marshall3, Bruce Lane2, and Grant Phillips3.
Sheep are not as dumb as
many people think, says a researcher who has put a group of Australian Merinos
to the test and found they can learn and remember. PhD student Caroline Lee,
who works with CSIRO4
Livestock Industries found sheep cannot only work out how to get through
a complicated maze, but they get better every time they do it.
Ms. Lee tested 60 sheep by putting them at the start of maze about 18 meters
by eight meters, from which they could see their companions at the other end
through open-bar fences. Because of their strong flocking instinct, which is
largely responsible for their brainless reputation, the sheep tried to make
it to their flockmates. The test, done over three days and repeated after six
weeks, assessed how quickly the sheep made it through the maze and how much
time they spent at dead ends. On day one, the sheep made it to the end of the
maze in an average of 90 seconds, but by day three they had cut the time down
by two-thirds and were taking fewer wrong turns, Ms Lee said. After six weeks
they were still navigating their way through the maze in 30 seconds. To show
this was the result of cognition as opposed to instinct, some of the sheep were
drugged with the memory-impairing drug scopolamine hydrobromide. The drugged
sheep could not match the performance of their drug-free flockmates.
The research suggests some sheep are smarter than others. CSIRO is currently
screening a group of 600 sheep to see if it can find a smart sheep gene or genes.
“Preliminary results show that there does seem to be some [genetic region]
for cognition," she said. Being able to genetically select flocks of smart
sheep is important as farming becomes more automated. For example, a walk-through
weighing system requires sheep to walk across a weighing bridge on their way
to a watering point. They are automatically weighed and the information is relayed
back to the farmer at his or her computer. "He can monitor the animals
better and there's less labor for him," Ms. Lee said. “Smarter sheep
are more able to deal with the system.”
4Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (of Australia)
Source: ABC News Online, 8.30.05
********
Researchers at the ARS5
Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, PA, have developed a biopolishing
method that makes scratchy wool feel silky. Not only does it remove the itch
factor, it also bleaches to a high level of whiteness and alters the surface
of wool fibers to make them shrink-proof.
According to Jeanette Cardamone, a textile chemist in the center’s Fats,
Oils, and Animal Co-products Research Unit, their method increases smoothness
and shine on the fabric’s surface by removing fiber-yarn ends projecting
from it. This contributes to a pleasing feel, which increases wool’s appeal
for fashion uses.
The process involves two steps. First, an activated peroxide bleach is used
to whiten the wool fibers and remove the protective lipid barrier that surrounds
them. This step bleaches the wool at lower temperatures and in half the time
as conventional techniques, which cuts processing costs, according to Cardamone.
And because it removes the lipid layer, the peroxide treatment also makes the
fibers more receptive to dye.
The second step -- an enzyme treatment -- is what makes machine-washable wool
a reality. The surface of a woolen fiber is covered with microscopic scales,
somewhat like scales on a fish or shingles on a roof. Wool shrinks during machine-washing
because the heat and pressure lock the scales in place. The enzyme treatment
“digests” the scales so they can’t become locked. This controls
shrinkage without loss of strength or elastic recovery.
The same lipid layer that makes wool resistant to dye uptake would usually protect
the scales against such an enzyme attack. But the bleaching step removes that
protection.
No damage is done to the underlying fiber structure, and the fabric’s
mechanical properties are not changed, because the enzyme activity is limited
to the outside layer, or cuticle,” Cardamone says. An additive is used
in both the bleach pretreatment and the enzyme treatment to keep the enzymes
out of the fiber’s inner structure.
The process can be applied to everything from loose fibers to yarn, fabric,
or completed garments. The U.S. military is interested in using biopolished
wool, especially for manufacturing of underwear for our troops. Cardamone says
underwear garments currently being used by the military contain synthetic fibers
that can burn and melt into wounds during combat situations. Wool, on the other
hand, produces a self-extinguishing flame and a dissipating ash when burned.
Mill trials are under way specifically to meet military needs. The woolen-mill
industry is interested in licensing the process, but if it is used for the military,
no licensing is required. Military field trials are also ongoing.
Concurrently, textile mills are applying the process to new and existing wool
fabric lines to evaluate its commercial value as a replacement for imported,
chlorinated wool textile products. All processing can be completed by wool mills
within the United States, promoting use of domestic wool. ARS filed a patent
on the technique. The American Wool Council, a division of the American Sheep
Industry Association, provided partial funding for the research.
Source: USDA ARS News and Events
As many are aware, the
American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) has been collecting contact information
for shearers who indicated an interest in being a part of the industry-wide
shearer directory. Producers searching the database for a shearer in their state
can now click on the state and get a list of those shearers. Since many shearers
also travel to surrounding states, it is advised that producers also check neighboring
states for shearers who might be available to travel. The list of shearers can
still be accessed by downloading the Acrobat version of the directory. To find
the state interactive listing of shearers, go to: www.sheepusa.org.
Click on Industry Affiliates, then Wool Contacts, then Shearer Directory, then
on the state of your choice.
Shearers, who wish to be added to this directory, can contact Wendy at the ASI
Office.
Research has shown that whole grain feeding improves growth rate and feed efficiency when fed to lambs compared to pelleted or mash feeds. A Canadian study showed that feed intake may increase by 25%, growth rate is 20% higher with whole grain, and feed efficiency is improved by 10%. Whole grain produces a firmer more desirable finish on the carcass. It does not cause damage to the rumen. When feeding whole grain, there is less probability of overeating disease and acidosis. When forage is fed with the grain, additional evidence shows that whole grain is preferable to pellets. Feed intake is higher and utilization of forage is higher.
In another Canadian study,
whole corn produced slightly faster and more efficient gains. However, its value
is no more than barley or wheat because the advantage of higher energy is offset
by its lower protein content. Barley and wheat have produced similar results,
perhaps with a slight advantage to barley. Oats fall well behind in terms of
live weight gain, feed efficiency, and dressing percentage. The value of oats
is no more than 80% the price of barley. There is also some evidence to suggest
that oats may produce a less desirable flavor in the meat than the other grains.
The best choice of grain will vary with location, supply, and price.
In the late 1980's, Virginia Tech conducted studies comparing whole grain diets
with high-energy pelleted diets for finishing lambs. The whole grain diets produced
the highest rates of gain, best feed efficiency, and lowest cost of gain. In
the Virginia study, once the lambs had adjusted to full-feed, all the roughage
was removed from the diet. The feeding of whole grain provides lambs with a
built-in roughage factor. Only about one-third of the grain is cracked when
first eaten by the lambs. The remainder of the grain must be regurgitated during
rumination for further mastification. This action of mastification and chewing
contributes more saliva to the digestive process, thus increasing the buffering
capacity of the rumen.
Whole grains can be fed
using a simple mixture of the whole grain with a commercial protein-vitamin-mineral
supplement (30-40% protein). When combining soybean meal with whole grains,
limestone should be added to the ration to provide a satisfactory balance of
calcium and phosphorus in the ration. Grains contain more phosphorus than calcium
and if fed without a supplement may result in urinary calculi in wethers and
rams. When feeding lambs, the ratio of Ca:P should be at least 2:1. The addition
of ammonium chloride to the ration will also help to prevent urinary calculi.
Ewes can be fed whole grains during flushing, late-gestation, and lactation.
In years of drought, it may be more economical to supplement ewes with whole
grain than hay. Thin ewes can be flushed with 0.5 to 1 lb. of corn or barley
per day. Four to six weeks prior to lambing, ewes should be supplemented with
approximately 0.75 to 1 lb. of grain per day. This can be whole grain. Mineral
(Ca) supplementation will only be necessary if a grass hay is being fed. Protein
supplemen-tation will be necessary if the hay is poor quality (<10% CP).
During lactation, whole grains can be fed to provide supplemental energy. The
amount (if any) of protein supplement required will depend upon the quality
of hay being fed. For example, a good quality alfalfa hay negates the need for
protein supplementation, except for very high producing ewes. If pasture or
hay supplies are short, supplementing with whole grain will help to limit the
amount of hay or pasture needed. Supplementing with grain is most economical
when hay must be purchased. However, ewes need to consume roughage (0.5-1 lb.
DM/day) to maintain rumen function.
Whole grains can be fed to goats successfully. In 2002, we conducted a study comparing a whole barley-protein supplement diet with a commercial pelleted meat goat diet. The performance of the buck kids were similar for both diets, but the goats consuming the whole grain diet produced gains at half the cost.
Links
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/sheep/410-024/410-024.html
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/sheep/publications/documents/whole_grain.pdf
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/facts/wholegra.htm
This very important Muslim
holiday is celebrated at the end of Hajj, which is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Festival of Sacrifice is followed by a Feast of Sacrifice, which pays homage
to the prophet Abraham’s unselfish act of sacrificing his son, Ishmael,
to God. In turn, God spared the boy’s life and instead substituted a sheep.
Now, in remembrance, people sacrifice a lamb, goat, or other animal, and give
the meat to family, friends, relatives, and most importantly, the poor.
This holiday is now celebrated in American cities with prayer, community gatherings,
and the tradition of dressing up in special clothes to visit friends and relatives.
People hold ‘Eid parties and give presents to their children. In 2006,
the celebration begins on January 10th.
Source: www.classbrain.com
Click HERE to view a Five-Year Ethnic Calendar.
One of the obstacles to
having sheep scrapie genotyped is the cost of having blood drawn by a veterinarian.
At least two companies offer alternatives to traditional blood testing.
GeneCheck, Inc. (Colorado) announced in June the availability of ear tags that
can be used for any and all DNA testing. A DNA sample is collected automatically
when you apply the tag; thereby eliminating the need for blood collection. GeneCheck’s
tags do not require refrigeration. They can be stored indefinitely and sent
to GeneCheck via regular mail. The tags can be used as permanent ear tags and
stored on the farm for possible future testing. If the tags are used for lambs,
you need only send samples after you decide which animals you intend to keep
or sell for breeding. Five ear tags cost only $15.
GenAlysis Laboratory, Inc. (Ohio) accepts “blood cards” for DNA
testing. With the blood card system, a sterile syringe needle is used to puncture
the vein or skin of the sheep, after the skin has been cleaned with alcohol.
The blood is blotted onto the sample collection card. The card is allowed to
dry. A separate needle is used for each sheep, and a separate card is used for
each sheep. The dry card is placed in a plastic protective bag (1 card per bag)
and mailed to the lab. The cards are 50 cents each (minimum order: 5).
Gene Check, Inc.
http://www.genecheck.com
(800) 822-6740
GenAlysis Laboratory, Inc.
http://www.genalysislaboratory.com
(888) 300-GENE (4363)
What about goats?
NO resistant genotypes have been identified in goats. Based on current knowledge,
all goats will get scrapie if they are exposed to the infective agent. However,
cases of scrapie in U.S. goats is rare.
Click HERE
to read about the Genetics of Scrapie.
The Pygmy Goat was originally
called the Cameroon Dwarf Goat. The goat is mostly restricted to the West African
countries. Similar forms of Pygmy goats also occur in all of northern Africa,
in the southwestern African countries, and also in east Africa. However, what
we call the Cameroon Dwarf goat is the one that we have in the United States.
It is the breed that actually came from the former French Cameroon area. 
The Cameroon goats were exported from Africa to zoos in Sweden and Germany where
they were on display as exotic animals. From there they made their way to England,
Canada, and the United States. In 1959, the Rhue family in California and the
Catskill Game Farm in New York received the first documented shipments of Pygmy
goats from Sweden. Offspring of these animals, as well as earlier imports, were
sold to zoos, medical research, and to some private individuals.
Pygmies are compact animals with well-muscled bodies. The head and legs of the
Pygmy Goat are short in comparison with their body size. The Pygmy Goat's hair
is straight and medium-long. It varies in density with seasons and climates.
All colors are acceptable in Pygmy Goats. However, the standard animal should
have muzzle, forehead, eyes and ears lighter than the dark part of the body.
Hoofs are normally darker than the main body coat color in Pygmy Goats. There
are also solid black Pygmy Goats.
Beards can be called the hallmarks of Pygmy Goats. Beards can be rather sparse
in females. However, considerable hair growth is preferable in males. Their
beards should be dense, long and flowing.
In West Africa, the Pygmy is used almost exclusively for meat production. The
pygmy is well adapted to humid climates, it usually breeds all year and twinning
is frequent. In the United States, the Pygmy is raised primarily as a pet. The
Pygora is a cross between the Pygmy and Angora; therefore, a fleece producing
animal.
October
22
Maryland Sheep Breeders Association Annual Meeting and Banquet
Carroll County Ag Center, Westminster, Maryland
Info: David Delamater at (410) 476-3821 or sweetface@goeaston.com
October 28-29
Pennsylvania Sheep, Goat, Grazing and Production Conference
Somerset, Pennsylvania
Info: Charlie Cathcart at (717) 349-2511 or charlesp@innernet.net
October 29
MPWV Meat Goat Producers Association Fall Meeting and
Boer Goat Sale (Garrett College meat goat herd dispersal)
Garrett College, McHenry, Maryland
Contact: Willie Lantz at (301) 334-6960 or wlantz@umd.edu
October 29
Virginia Bred Ewe Sale
Rockingham County Fairgrounds
Info: Corey Childs at (703) 777-0373 or cchilds@vt.edu
November 3-5
11th Great Lakes Dairy Sheep Symposium
Burlington, Vermont
Info: Carol Delaney at (802) 656-0915 or carol.delaney@uvm.edu
December 10
2005 Lambing and Kidding School
Howard County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, Maryland
Info: Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu
January 24
Central Maryland Pasture Conference
Carroll County Ag Center, Westminster, Maryland
Info: Bryan Butler at (410) 386- 2760 or bbutlers@umd.edu
January 26-28
American Sheep Industry Association/National
Lamb Feeders Association Annual Convention
Phoenix Marriott, Phoenix, Arizona
Info: Judy Malone at (303) 771-3500 x35 or judym@sheepusa.org
For a complete list of Sheep and Goat Events, click HERE.
Links are provided as an information service. They do not constitute an endorsement of any non-affiliated organizations, businesses, products or content of these pages by Maryland Cooperative Extension or the University of Maryland. Mention of product names is for information purposes only. It is the policy of Maryland Cooperative Extension that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, religion or national origin.
 The
Maryland Sheep & Goat Producer is published bi-monthly by
University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. It is written and edited
by Susan Schoenian, Area Agent for Sheep and Goats at the Western Maryland
Research & Education Center. Dr. Niki Whitley from the University
of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a regular contributor to the newsletter.
She can be reached at (410) 651-6194 or nwhitley@umes.edu.
To receive the newsletter, contact the Western Maryland Research &
Education Center: 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756, (301)
432-2767 ext. 343 or 301, fax (301) 432-4089; or e-mail: sschoen@umd.edu
or cmason@umd.edu. The cost of receiving
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