Goat group gathers to learn ‘specifics’

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Despite the cold weather, goat producers gathered in Jacksonville on Jan. 21 to learn from experienced goat raisers. Brian Kinney applies a Herd Prefix Tattoo to a goat’s right ear, after noting the letter code and number are tattooed in the animal’s left ear. -- Staff photo by Montgomery

Feb. 9, 2006 - Bracing against a cold wind on Jan. 21, goat producers across the East Texas area gathered to learn about topics such as  tattooing, hoof trimming, and body conformation during the “round robin” informative seminar in Jacksonville. The seminar was hosted by the East Texas Goat Raisers Association (ETGRA).

Tattoos, placed on a goat’s ears, are needed for registration purposes. ETGRA Vice President Brian Kinney of Reklaw told the group he prefers the liquid tattoo ink because “it stays in the ear longer.” He mostly uses green ink, but will use white if the inside skin is dark. 

He said many people want to register their goats, and therefore need to tattoo them. But people often get confused on which tattoo goes in which ear. “Stand behind the animal. The right is the animal’s right ear and the left is the animal’s left. The Herd Prefix Tattoo goes in the right ear, and the letter code and number go in the left.”

Kinney also stressed that however the tattoo is put in the ear, that is the way it should be written on the registration papers. “If the tattoo is put in backwards or upside down, make sure it is put exactly the same on the (certificate/registration) papers.”

The association’s vice president said some people say the tattoo application only works if the area on the ear is bleeding following application. “That’s incorrect. If it is bleeding, it will wash the ink out.”

Another topic covered at the seminar was hoof trimming. Albert Carrillo has been raising and showing dairy goats for a number of years and has learned “if you can keep a goat on his feet, you can keep him healthy.”

Also during the goat clinic, James Kyle detailed desirable body conformations. Uniform lengths within sections of the goat’s body (that Kyle explained during his presentation) are ideal. In a breeding operation, Kyle said the “length is the easiest thing to breed out of a goat.” -- Staff photo by Montgomery

Hoof trimming varies from animal to animal but “you will probably need to trim at least four times a year; but be prepared to do it more often if necessary.”

He suggested producers should  have an area in the goats’ pasture that is rocky, as this will help keep their hooves trimmed; and reduce the number of trimmings the producer has to do. “The rock mimics the natural land a goat would live on and helps them keep their hooves in check.”

Hooves should be trimmed only a little bit at a time, according to Carrillo. On really bad feet, the producer said it is “often better to trim a little and come back and do a little more a few weeks later.”

Another informative presenter, James Kyle from Lookout Valley in Jacksonville, detailed body conformation. Kyle told the producers that “the length is the easiest thing to breed out of a goat. The hardest thing to grow in the bone.”

For uniformity, the producer said the distance between the last rib and the hip joint should be equal to the distance between the hip joint and the pin joint. He also said the butt should be as wide as the shoulders.

�If you have a goat that is balanced, it is pretty much going to stay balanced,� he said about young goats and key points to consider when selecting breeding stock.

Selective breeding is also a key element. Kyle said, “You’ve got to selective breed or you’re in trouble. If a buck and a doe doesn’t cross well, don’t bred them back to each other.”

For more information about ETGRA, visit online to etgra.com.