Pedigree Abbreviations for ADGA and AGS Registered Goats
This listing shows the common ADGA/AGS pedigree abbreviations and what they mean:
*B or *S Stars on bucks are earned by virtue of parents with production records meeting ADGA minimums
+B or +S Pluses on bucks are earned by virtue of offspring meeting ADGA requirements
*M or *D Doe is a milk star earner based on requirements set by ADGA and/or AGS. If a does is a second generation milk start earner (meaning her dam earned a milk star as well) it will be designated 2*M. For example, my doe Rosasharn AX Princes B 6*M is a 6th generation milk star earner.
CH or MCH A goat must win Grand Champion of a show that has at least 10 does of breed three times to earn their permanent CHampion status. A permanent CHampion becomes part of the goat's name (example: CH Algedi Farm Shotgun Wedding, who is Curtain Call's sire.)
GCH or ARMCH Same as a CH but also means the goat has earned its milk star (*M). Some goats are shown in both registries and earn the title in both, such as GCH ARMCH Castle Rock Black Ice 2*M 4*D who is Ice Man's dam.
SG Superior Genetics - This designation is earned through milk production testing. The animal must be in the top 15% (85th percentile ranking or higher) of their breed according to the Production/Type Index (PTI) ranking at least once during the life of the animal. The ranking may be either in one area (PTI 2: 1 or PTI 1:2) or in both areas. These letters become part of the goat's name; for example SG Left Foot Farm BH Sandstorm 2*M.
SGCH If a goat has earned their Superior Genetics and a permanent Champion from showing they are designated SGCH.
When talking about individual show wins:
GCH - Grand Champion of their breed; there can be a GCH Sr. Doe (in milk) and GCH Jr. Doe (not in milk). To be named GCH, the goat must win their class (for example, winner of 4 yr old milkers) then must win against all the winners of the other classes. If a goat only wins their class, they they are 1st place in their class, not Grand Champion.
RGCH - 2nd place behind GCH
BOB - Best of Breed
BOBU - Best of Breed Udder
BDIS -Best Doe in Show
BUIS - Best Udder in Show
Linear Appraisals (What are all the E, V, and +'s??):
LINEAR APPRAISAL SCORING - Animals will be given category designations for General Appearance, Dairy Character, Body Capacity and Mammary System (not in bucks) and a numerical Final Score. Final Scores in the Poor category will receive only the "P" designation.
The following standards apply to both the Final Score and the Category designations:
1. EXCELLENT 90 points or more
2. VERY GOOD 85 to 89 points
3. GOOD PLUS 80 to 84 points
4. ACCEPTABLE 70 to 79 points
5. FAIR 60 to 69 points
6. POOR 59 points or lower
Typically, the goats most recent score will be shown with the 4 categories and final score. For example, Rosasharn AX Princes B 6*M VEVE 88. This means "Bee" was Very Good on General Appearance, Excellent on Dairy Character, Very Good on Body Capacity, and Excellent in Mammary System. Her final score of 88 is the Very Good range. Bucks are scored the same way, except they do not get a mammary score, so there will only be three letters (example: +VV 84). Once the animal turns 5 years old and has had a previous score, they will receive a permanent score which remains unchanged even if the have subsequent appraisals done.
When advertising linear scores, you should show the age and all scores the goat has received. On my pedigrees, I have listed the most recent (or permanent score) and the age: 02-05 VVVV 87 Would mean the goat was 2 yrs and 5 months old when she received a score of VVVV 87.
Alpha s1 Casein Testing (AS1)
From the UC Davis website:
"Alpha s1 Casein is one of the four casein proteins found in goat's milk and is the most important of the four for cheese making. The Alpha s1 Casein gene (CSN1S1) that produces the protein shows polymorphisms which affect the amount of protein and fat produced, with higher levels associated with the best cheese making. Research suggests that low levels of Alpha s1 Casein, may be associated with reduced milk sensitivities for some people.DNA tests have been developed which can allow breeders to select production levels of Alpha s1 Casein. The VGL offers tests designed to detect variants E, F, and N which are known to be correlated with low production. High level variants are reported as A or B, which represents several known alleles. For the reports, two alleles are reported, one inherited from each parent. The result interpretation is as follows:
A and B variants, are associated with high content of alpha s1 casein.
E, F and N variants, are associated with low content of alpha s1 casein.
Any combination of "high" variants will produce high amounts of alpha s1 casein.
A combination of a "high" variant and a "low" variant will produce intermediate amounts of alpha s1 casein.
Any combination of "low" variants will produce low amounts of alpha s1 casein."
Naming Conventions:
A registered goat's name will typically start with the breeder's herd name, followed by the goat's name. For example: Castle Rock Irish Coffee. This doe was bred by Castle Rock Farm.
Some breeders will include "initials" of the sire in the herd name. For example, Rosasharn AX Princes B. This doe was bred by Rosasharn Farm. Her sire was Rosasharn AL's Astrix. The breeder decided to mark all of Astrix's babies with "AX" so that they could easily be identified in show rings or name listings.
If a breeder does not have a herd name, then "The" will be used at the start of the name. For example, if the goat was named Beauty Queen, then the official name would be The Beauty Queen. As you can see, the breeder of the goat is not readily identifiable when a herd name is not used. Using a herd name is your way of "branding" your goats so everybody knows they came from your breeding program.
*B or *S Stars on bucks are earned by virtue of parents with production records meeting ADGA minimums
+B or +S Pluses on bucks are earned by virtue of offspring meeting ADGA requirements
*M or *D Doe is a milk star earner based on requirements set by ADGA and/or AGS. If a does is a second generation milk start earner (meaning her dam earned a milk star as well) it will be designated 2*M. For example, my doe Rosasharn AX Princes B 6*M is a 6th generation milk star earner.
CH or MCH A goat must win Grand Champion of a show that has at least 10 does of breed three times to earn their permanent CHampion status. A permanent CHampion becomes part of the goat's name (example: CH Algedi Farm Shotgun Wedding, who is Curtain Call's sire.)
GCH or ARMCH Same as a CH but also means the goat has earned its milk star (*M). Some goats are shown in both registries and earn the title in both, such as GCH ARMCH Castle Rock Black Ice 2*M 4*D who is Ice Man's dam.
SG Superior Genetics - This designation is earned through milk production testing. The animal must be in the top 15% (85th percentile ranking or higher) of their breed according to the Production/Type Index (PTI) ranking at least once during the life of the animal. The ranking may be either in one area (PTI 2: 1 or PTI 1:2) or in both areas. These letters become part of the goat's name; for example SG Left Foot Farm BH Sandstorm 2*M.
SGCH If a goat has earned their Superior Genetics and a permanent Champion from showing they are designated SGCH.
When talking about individual show wins:
GCH - Grand Champion of their breed; there can be a GCH Sr. Doe (in milk) and GCH Jr. Doe (not in milk). To be named GCH, the goat must win their class (for example, winner of 4 yr old milkers) then must win against all the winners of the other classes. If a goat only wins their class, they they are 1st place in their class, not Grand Champion.
RGCH - 2nd place behind GCH
BOB - Best of Breed
BOBU - Best of Breed Udder
BDIS -Best Doe in Show
BUIS - Best Udder in Show
Linear Appraisals (What are all the E, V, and +'s??):
LINEAR APPRAISAL SCORING - Animals will be given category designations for General Appearance, Dairy Character, Body Capacity and Mammary System (not in bucks) and a numerical Final Score. Final Scores in the Poor category will receive only the "P" designation.
The following standards apply to both the Final Score and the Category designations:
1. EXCELLENT 90 points or more
2. VERY GOOD 85 to 89 points
3. GOOD PLUS 80 to 84 points
4. ACCEPTABLE 70 to 79 points
5. FAIR 60 to 69 points
6. POOR 59 points or lower
Typically, the goats most recent score will be shown with the 4 categories and final score. For example, Rosasharn AX Princes B 6*M VEVE 88. This means "Bee" was Very Good on General Appearance, Excellent on Dairy Character, Very Good on Body Capacity, and Excellent in Mammary System. Her final score of 88 is the Very Good range. Bucks are scored the same way, except they do not get a mammary score, so there will only be three letters (example: +VV 84). Once the animal turns 5 years old and has had a previous score, they will receive a permanent score which remains unchanged even if the have subsequent appraisals done.
When advertising linear scores, you should show the age and all scores the goat has received. On my pedigrees, I have listed the most recent (or permanent score) and the age: 02-05 VVVV 87 Would mean the goat was 2 yrs and 5 months old when she received a score of VVVV 87.
Alpha s1 Casein Testing (AS1)
From the UC Davis website:
"Alpha s1 Casein is one of the four casein proteins found in goat's milk and is the most important of the four for cheese making. The Alpha s1 Casein gene (CSN1S1) that produces the protein shows polymorphisms which affect the amount of protein and fat produced, with higher levels associated with the best cheese making. Research suggests that low levels of Alpha s1 Casein, may be associated with reduced milk sensitivities for some people.DNA tests have been developed which can allow breeders to select production levels of Alpha s1 Casein. The VGL offers tests designed to detect variants E, F, and N which are known to be correlated with low production. High level variants are reported as A or B, which represents several known alleles. For the reports, two alleles are reported, one inherited from each parent. The result interpretation is as follows:
A and B variants, are associated with high content of alpha s1 casein.
E, F and N variants, are associated with low content of alpha s1 casein.
Any combination of "high" variants will produce high amounts of alpha s1 casein.
A combination of a "high" variant and a "low" variant will produce intermediate amounts of alpha s1 casein.
Any combination of "low" variants will produce low amounts of alpha s1 casein."
Naming Conventions:
A registered goat's name will typically start with the breeder's herd name, followed by the goat's name. For example: Castle Rock Irish Coffee. This doe was bred by Castle Rock Farm.
Some breeders will include "initials" of the sire in the herd name. For example, Rosasharn AX Princes B. This doe was bred by Rosasharn Farm. Her sire was Rosasharn AL's Astrix. The breeder decided to mark all of Astrix's babies with "AX" so that they could easily be identified in show rings or name listings.
If a breeder does not have a herd name, then "The" will be used at the start of the name. For example, if the goat was named Beauty Queen, then the official name would be The Beauty Queen. As you can see, the breeder of the goat is not readily identifiable when a herd name is not used. Using a herd name is your way of "branding" your goats so everybody knows they came from your breeding program.
