is registered important w/ goats?

[6ncounting]

I have spoken to several individuals w/ beautiful unregistered does, doelings and bucks. Does it matter?

[CookingPam777]

I don't think so. It would matter if you wanted to show but that's about it. I have 6 unregistereds and a few are just as good as any resgistered. Also unregistered are registerable. Hope I didn't confuse ya! Registering often has nothing to do with the quality of goat. I could have a top of the line best in the show Saanen yet I never registered it.

[susanne]

Originally Posted by CookingPam777

Also unregistered are registerable.

only if dam and sire is registered. the difference is in the price.
although it doesn't say anything about quality, a purebred registered kid gets a higher selling price on the market.

[EasyDay]

Originally Posted by susanne

only if dam and sire is registered. the difference is in the price.
although it doesn't say anything about quality, a purebred registered kid gets a higher selling price on the market.

...but not at the meat market. The guy here who routinely picks up everyone's Boers for market gives the same amount per head because they all produce the same meat.

[CookingPam777]

Originally Posted by susanne

only if dam and sire is registered. the difference is in the price.
although it doesn't say anything about quality, a purebred registered kid gets a higher selling price on the market.

True didn't think about that!

[6ncounting]

none registerable.

[AnnaS]

The registration paper, in itself, is just a list of names. If a registered animal's parents & grandparents have milk, show, or linear appraisal records, you get a very good idea of what you can expect from the kid. An unregistered animal (or a reg. with no records) is an unknown quantity. Registration becomes a shorthand for quality.

Generally, registered goats will be a better quality than unregistered ones. You can get excellent unregistered does, and worthless registered ones. But usually, breeders of registered stock care about quality and breed for improvement.

Because of these two things, registered kids almost always sell for more than unregistered ones. Pedigree & performance are warranted by appraisers, judges, ADGA registers, and DHIA reps. For an unregistered kid- you'll just have to take the breeder's word.

ADGA does have the Native on Appearance/Native On Preformance that lets unregistered dairy breed does be recorded and have all the rights of a registered doe, including classes at the National show. So even the big registry knows there are good unregistered does out there.

Purchases of registered animals have legal protections. Falsifying or misrepresenting a pedigree is punishable by law in most states, and the breed association may get involved. The seller of an unregistered animal can make any kind of claim and a purchaser will have no recourse.

[Scrounger]

It's been my experience that it makes no difference on quality OR price unless you are showing or selling to a breeder (or someone who wants to BECOMS a breeder....). My wife's dad has a herd of registered Boers. He generally gets the same - or sometimes less - then my unregistered ones. Just depends on your market. For me, I can't see the extra cost for a piece of paper.

By the way - it depends on who you are registering them with. Sometimes the parents don't have to be registered......

[susanne]

anna, nice explanation

[Zone]

I do breed for show and breeding stock so registration for me is VERY important. AnnaS brought out some of the reasons why above.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I think it all depends on the purpose you want the goats for. If you know what to look for when buying a goat and questions to ask to try & ensure a healthy animal & your not showing them, then registered is just a higher price goat with a peice of paper especially if it's for family milk, meat or pets.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

But you do eventually have to sell kids. You can't keep or even eat them all. That little piece of paper even in dairy like Anna said give you alot of bang for your buck. And lets be honest here those with Purebred Nubians sell kids every day, everyone starting in goats wants a Nubian milker, homesteaders thinking of a family milker have a Nubian picture in their brain, even just good basic books like Back to Basic's are bias toward the spotted Nubain milker Supply and demand and there is a huge demand.

In meat this demand is boer.

So to the original poster those are the facts. Especially in dairy it is a whole lot of work to get unregistered prices for those kids each spring and the reality that every single buckling sold on your farm is sold for meat...what is the meat market price per pound in your area?

I do conceed that there are beautiful well taken care of animals that dont' have paperwork, and nasty filthy places with diseased goats with top pedigrees. Always have a breeder help you purchase goats in your area. In dairy there are bloodlines so tainted that you don't even want them in your pedigree, let alone buy from the folks and your state has one of them. Vicki

[Cheryl in SD]

Why do you want goats? I started to provide milk to my family. All I care about is having 1-3 good milkers to provide that. I also have one boer doe for meat production. I made a LOT of mistakes getting started. I lost a kid to not being here when her mom kidded. I am still learning. But now I think I have the basics of raising goats down. (So much so that I have gotten a reputation as a goat midwife and expert.) Next year I hope to begin moving to registered goats. I think the learning time was worth the effort and am glad I started on non-registered goats. If I move to registered I can learn the paperwork, showing, marketing, etc. of having a registered herd without learning basic goat care at the same time.

[mygoat]

People will always want and pay more for registered animals. I know that that doesn't necessarily mean that the registered animals are better quality... but that's just how it is.

In my opinion, one should always breed for quality, whether an animal has papers or not. But, as was stated, you won't eat all your kids - you'll sell doelings as breeding stock and maybe some excellent bucklings. Would you rather sell them for TOPS 150.00 unregistered, or would you rather get 300.00-500.00 for the doelings alone?

Start with respectable stock, registered, disease free, excellent quality and you can take your herd anywhere. Purchasing prices are higher but it costs just as much to maintain an unregistered as it does to maintain a registered, and you get more monetary return whenever you breed.

I also believe that registered animals have a HIGHER chance of finding a better, more responsible home, simply because they are *worth* more. Whatever I can do to improve the outlook of one of my animal's lives, I will do.

I also like the idea of having registered animals that I can compete with and breed up to higher and higher quality.