I have a little happy news to share with the group. As most of you know, I'm a newbie to goats and although I've researched a lot and am learning like crazy (thank you, mentors!), I only just bought my goats a couple months ago (some only a few weeks ago!). My goats came from the wonderful Silveraurora herd here in Wasilla, Alaska and they carry many names on their pedigrees that are undoubtedly familiar to many of you with Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. I hope that I can keep them in good condition so they can live up to their ancestry and produce more goats worthy of their roots, preserving and maybe even improving upon the ND breed.
I just joined the 305-day DHI test program and completed my first DHIA test on December 8th, 2007 for the 3 does in my herd. They are all Nigerian Dwarf goats. I JUST got my results back from Langston today and my tester says the numbers are good but I'm still learning to read the reports. The poundage is way down for various reasons, but typical for this lactation, so it did not surprise me. (These does were previously milked just once daily prior to purchase. They have now have been milked twice daily but they are already several months into this lactation. We are all planning for improved poundage in the next lactations in 2008.) Here are the results:
Sandy Hollow SS Butterscotch: Milk 1.0, Protein 5.6%, Butterfat 10.0%, SCC 3 - 4th lactation, she is a 3*D, 2*M doe, kidded June 8, 2007
Silveraurora SBsil Waitingforme: Milk 1.4, Protein 5.0%, Butterfat 9.0%, SCC 5 - First freshener, kidded July 17, 2007
Silveraurora JC Whispersweetly: DRY - First freshener, kidded July 17, 2007, currently expecting a late April/early May 2008 kidding
From the history reports that I have:
Butter's protein is in-line with her past tests during this lactation and looks to be pretty typical for her overall. Her butterfat is always high but this is the highest she's ever posted, with the next highest result for her at 9.9% in her last lactation, and 1.0% above her results in October (her last test prior to this one). Her SCC is typical for her in this lactation, but just a smidge higher than her October test.
Waiting's protein is in-line but is just a smidge higher than her past tests. Her butterfat has climbed from 4.2% on her first test to 7.4% on her last test, and now 9.0% on this test, the highest she's ever posted. Her SCC is typical for her in this lactation, but just a smidge higher than her October test.
Note, I was washing the udder lightly but not dipping teats prior to this test. Right after this test I started dipping teats. It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, this has on my does' SCC scores.
We are still learning the ropes and the goats are still getting used to me and how I milk, plus we'd just had a big storm the day prior (high winds and +/- 40-degree temperature swings). My tester told me the goats were definitely nervous of her and her son, too, so she didn't expect much in poundage.
We welcome any comments, criticism, and suggestions so we can improve our goatkeeping for the betterment of our herd.
Heather Fair
Perseverance Farm
Fair Skies Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats
Wasilla, Alaska
http://HoofinItNorth.com
