Purchasing Full Blood Seed Stock
What do you look for when purchasing full blood seed stock?
We look at several things when purchasing new animals to bring in. First and foremost, Do we even like the animal? Nothing else matters if the animal is not something that can fit in and compliment your herd, or will they improve your genetics? Savannas are meat goats. Whether commercial, percentage or full blood, It does not matter, they should look and perform like a meat goat. They should be well-balanced animals from nose to tail. Now at this point, we could start a whole list of arguments on what we look for next in the actual animal, so I will just say we are constantly looking to improve. A famous line around here is, “If we ever get complacent with what we are raising, It is time to sell out, because there is always room for improvement.”
This one is easy to check off the list when purchasing Full Blood seed stock, Do they meet breed standards? If yes, move on to the next question. Most important to us but not limited to; correct headsets, bite, pigment, scrotum, and teat structure.
Is the animal DNA verified? This one is pretty simple, if we wanted commercial stock, we would buy more commercial stock. The main difference between my Commercial Savanna herd and my full blood Savanna herd is, that we can prove what my Full Blood herd is, and make educated decisions based on that and their registration papers. For the integrity of the Savanna breed, and to protect you as the buyer or seller, DNA is important.
Next, another huge factor for us, is how is this animal managed. We don't believe there is any right or wrong way to manage herds in general. Every scenario is different. However, I know how ours will be managed and the circumstances they will have to survive if I buy them. We are pasture-raised, with no enclosed barns, we do not feed grain, we do not creep feed. We like our animals to be in good flesh, not skinny, and never ever fat. They aren’t pampered. We know from our past experiences we will have much better luck with adaptability by purchasing animals raised in a similar manner we intend to put them in. One thing we did not realize with goats in general when we first started is how much adaptability was a key factor in helping goats survive new environments and different management. If an animal is accustomed to being raised one way, and we bring them in and introduce them to a completely different way of living, it can be quite a shock to their system. Let alone any stress caused by the transition can cause a whole host of problems. These animals were bred to survive conditions on the South African veld. We try to hold on to that philosophy here as much as we can, given the scenario we have to raise our goats. This means, that not every animal will be a good fit for us.
Lastly, I will look at their pedigree. I will be looking for diversity in the genetics I currently have. I will look to see if there is any lineage I am familiar with. After a few years of doing this, I definitely have discovered some lines that consistently have progeny that catches my eye.
For example, when we were looking at buying the ISR herd, we went and spent a weekend with Greg & Janet. We studied the animals, and Janet was kind enough to put a binder together of all the animal's pedigrees. When looking through the binder and looking at the animals, we loved what we were seeing. Some of the standouts within the herd, extended from MGF Abraham. Which has since become a well sought-out line, which we so happen to now be the lucky owners of the majority of Abraham's genetics. So to make a long story short, pedigree may be one of the last things I look at in animals, but it has helped me make some very educated decisions. The paper will NEVER make the animal. But, if you know how to read it, you can make some very informed decisions, from purchasing to even your own breeding plan, but that is a topic for another day.
I am enjoying all the topics and conversations being sent in! Let me know what you want to talk about next!
Lacy Pruitt
580-649-3136
lacypruitt220@gmail.com
