Utilizing Pedigrees to work for you.
Did you know that Secretariat's breeding was chosen for the combination of the sire (speed) and dam (stamina)? Knowing traits can produce a 'winning combination.’
What are some traits you look at in an animal that you like? Some look no further than phenotype (the look of the goat). This is what we did in the beginning. If we liked them, we loaded them up and went home no questions asked. After examining the pedigrees of the goats we liked, we saw recurring patterns. So we started studying, asking questions, and taking notes, on why certain desired traits were found in certain genetic breedings.
I've been hearing lots of conversations about the subject of a pedigree value lately. What is pedigree hype? A line or lines that get boosted because of their lineage? Why is that? Because the breeder wants you to think it's the best line that exists? For me, it's another reason. How many of you have bought an animal, and were handed a folder of data behind that animal and its breeding lineage? I'm talking about a goat's data. ADG's, birthing rates, weaning rates, dam raised, supplemented, etc. I'm willing to bet not many. The fact is that original breeders did not keep farm data. Don't be discouraged, just dig a little deeper.
How long have the animals and their ancestors been producing? How many offspring did they bring to the table for registration? A few? 10? 20? 30? What part of the world are they living in? A wet climate, a cold climate? Are their brothers and sisters spread out across the map and all thriving? What type of management programs are they in? Barn raised, pasture-raised, heck backyard raised? If they are surviving in all these different climates, how hardy are they?!? How much maintenance do they require? How old were they when they stopped producing? Are they known to raise some stellar offspring? Do the offspring outgrow their peer? Are they better than their parents? Now we are talking! Are you seeing the same animal pop up over and over again on pedigrees? Common sense tells me if it wasn't a good animal, breeders wouldn't have used it over and over again, as a basis of their herd. When they start checking off several of these boxes is when I start paying attention. Now if the producers weren't keeping up with this information where do you get it? The pedigree of course. You were handed data at the time of purchase after all. There is no pedigree hype for us, it is black and white data collected for 21 years. That piece of paper is pretty valuable if you know how to truly understand it.
We did not blindly purchase or create old lines within our herd. We did it with intention. The intention is to fix breed standards that have slowly been bred out in some lines, bring back the breed standard of its creator, and diversify our genetics. We all see these faults in just about every herd. While we know we will never outguess genetics and what they will produce. We have seen changes in our program by making educated decisions on the breedings. So for us, it is working.
We were very fortunate that Iron Star Ranch (ISR) did keep data. That simplified our starting point. A dam that is 15 years old and STILL producing? Sign me up. An 11-year-old dam raising quads?? Yes please! Genetic project flush mates living in the South, East, North, West, and all thriving under different management? Did someone say Hardy?!? A herdsire that was the cornerstone of a 1000-head commercial herd? Good lord let me see them! You see this is where input and output really start making sense. If you can invest in an animal or line known for producing high quality for a decade, your money is a good investment for that animal. Savannas have been in the USA for 22 years, and all we have is word of mouth, and the 21 years of hard data the registry has recorded. Which would you rather believe?
Some can say their animals deserve a gold star for whatever reason, but can you prove it? And if so how? Pedigree value is one way that is indisputable. Pedigrees do play a role in our decision-making process before we decide to buy these days. And looking through pics from the past few years, I'm pleased with our progress, but we will always be striving to improve. And as always we will start with Phenotype because if we don't like the goat, to begin with, the rest does not matter.
