Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Animal Evaluation
R.A. Ebert , MS and S.G. Solaiman , PhD, PAS
KEY TERMS
Dairy type—goat breeds selected for the combination of traits that make them suitable for milk production.
Fiber type—goat breeds selected for the combination of traits that make them suitable for fi ber production.
Meat type—goat breeds selected for the combination of traits that make them suitable for meat production.
Steep shoulders—refers to the slope of the scapula or shoulder blade.
Steep pasterns—refers to the slope of the pastern.
Base-narrow—animals that lack natural muscling or thickness, boldness, or spring of rib.
Knock-kneed—a defect in which an animal has knees close together.
Cluster teats—a grouping of three or more teats in which all, some, or none may be functional.
Fishtail teats—a teat with two functional milk channels with slight separation between the channels.
Senior does—show ring term for does in milk production or more than 24 months of age.
Junior does—show ring term for does not in milk production.
OBJECTIVES
By completing this chapter, the reader will acquire knowledge on:
￿ The differences in the three types of goats
￿ The external anatomical terminology of goats
￿ The relation between structural correctness and functionality of the animal
￿ Determining age, based on dental examination
￿ Body Condition Scores (BCS)
￿ About goat shows
INTRODUCTION
Goat owners and producers need a “working knowledge”
of external caprine anatomical terms for selection of phe-
notypically superior animals.
The conformation of an animal is the correctness of struc-
ture, musculature, and body proportions in relation to each
other, as evaluated visually. Different breeds of goats have
differing roles in the goat industry. All animals, whether
selected for meat, milk, or fi ber need to be structurally
sound. Evaluation of animals is important for two primary
reasons, namely the need for animals to be critiqued on their
merits as replacement animals for the herd and for the criti-
cal show-ring evaluation by a professional judge.
FACTORS AFFECTING
ANIMAL EVALUATION
Many factors may be involved in evaluating an animal for
replacement herd, sales and dispersal, or superiority in
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