genetic improvements and crossbreeding

Question 1

characteristics of boers

Answer 1

-low maintenance
-adaptability (climate, weather, forage, feed)
-mature quickly (males: 6months) (females:10-12 months)
-high weight gain (ADG over .44 lbs/ day)
-disease resistant (susceptible to parasites bc not as many in dry natural environment)

Question 2

ABGA 3 committees

Answer 2

-breed improvement committee
-breed standard committee
-national sowing committee

Question 3

ABGA breed standards- what do they judge

Answer 3

-head
-body
-neck & forequarters
-hindquarters
-skin and fur
-reproductive organs

Question 4

fault

Answer 4

a trait considered undesirable and will lower the judge score

Question 5

disqualification

Answer 5

-a trait or condition that eliminates the animal from the competition
-an extreme occurrence of a fault can lead to a disqualification

Question 6

desirable traits for the head

Answer 6

-strong, prominent head
-brown eyes
-smooth roman nose
-smooth ears (not folded)
-correct bite

Question 7

faults for the head

Answer 7

-concave forehead
-bulging eyes
-straight or wild horns

Question 8

desirable traits for the body

Answer 8

-deep depth of body
-well-muscled
-good BCS
-does: wedge shape
-bucks:rectangular shape
-level topline

Question 9

faults for body

Answer 9

-swayback
-poor BCS
-narrow/shallow chest
-breaks or excessive dips in topline

Question 10

desirable traits for feet and legs

Answer 10

-straight legs
-proportionate with body
-strong pasterns
-dark, well-formed hooves, point directly forward

Question 11

faults for feet and legs

Answer 11

-any deformities in the feet (knock knees, calf knees, bandy legs)
-long/short pasterns
-splayed toes

Question 12

hair and skin desirable traits

Answer 12

-loose, supple skin
-short, glassy hair
-100% pigment under tail
-any hair color is acceptable

Question 13

hair and skin undesirable traits

Answer 13

-hair too long or coarse

Question 14

bucks desirable reproductive organs

Answer 14

-two even, functional testicles
-large and well formed
-single scrotum
-scrotal split <1 inch
-not pendulous (hanging low)

Question 15

does desirable reproductive organs

Answer 15

-well formed udder
-good attachment to body
-1-2 well separated functional teats
- does have kidded by 24 months

Question 16

what teat structures are desired?

Answer 16

• 1x1 is preferred
• 2x2 is accepted but increases the chance of an undesirable teat

Question 17

disqualifications for udder and teats

Answer 17

-less than 50% of the teat is separated
- teats with additional functional teats attached to the main teats

Question 18

disqualifications

Answer 18

-cleft palate
-blue eyes
-ears folded lengthwise
-parrot mouth (overbite)
-wry tail (flopped)
-leg conformation that affects gait
- <75% pigmentation or hairlessness under tail
-fullbloods that are disbudded/polled

Question 19

fullblood

Answer 19

-male- 100%
-female- 100%
-sell for more money
-typically better genetics
-good for showing

Question 20

purebred

Answer 20

-female- 94-99.9%
-male- 97-99.99%
-best milk producers
-better meat animals
-production-based

Question 21

percentage

Answer 21

female- 93% or less
male- 96% or less

Question 22

genetic flaws in our herd

Answer 22

-weak shoulders
-teat structure (fishtails, low hanging udders)
-size and weight
-folded ears

Question 23

how to improve genetics

Answer 23

• AI
• buck selection
• culling does
• adding new does
  -cross breeding
• determine goals for the farm

Question 24

reasons to cull does

Answer 24

• high parasite load
  ‘-low milk production
  -hx of poor kids
• multiple dystocias
• undesirable genetics
• bad mothering ability
• infertility

Question 25

reasons to cull kids

Answer 25

• genetic defects
• weak limbs
• incorrect bite
• cleft palate
• ADG (low)
  -entropic eye
• bucklings

Question 26

ADG formula

Answer 26

final weight–initial weight /age in days

Question 27

what happens to kids with a low BCS

Answer 27

-doeling with low BCS is culled
-buckling with low BCS is wether

Question 28

what does crossbreeding do

Answer 28

-produce higher quality meat
-increase growth rate
-increased life span
-better parasite resistance
-increase genetic diversity
-improve gene pool
-genetic defects are often recessive

Question 29

what is heterosis

Answer 29

-hybrid vigor
-progeny have better characteristics than parents

Question 30

dairy goat traits

Answer 30

-smaller and leaner
-high milk production
-higher nutritional requirement
-must be milked
-kids are bottle fed

Question 31

meat goat traits

Answer 31

-hardy
-muscular
-lower nutritional requirement
-kids raised by does

Question 32

boer x kiko mix

Answer 32

-bulkiness of boer
-hardiness of kikos
-disease and parasite resistant

Question 33

BoKi

Answer 33

• first breeding
• fullblood x fullblood
• 50/50

Question 34

meat maker

Answer 34

• second breeding
  -BoKi x fullblood kiko
  -25% boer/ 75% kiko

Question 35

Boer x Nubian

Answer 35

-used for meat and milk
-fast weight gain
-does can raise triplets

Question 36

boer x angora

Answer 36

-hardiness of boers
-fiber of angoras
-good temperament

Question 37

pros of crossbreeding

Answer 37

-increased genetic diversity
-decreases chance of recessive diseases
-hybrid vigor
-transitioning to new breeds

Question 38

cons of crossbreeding

Answer 38

• research into mating pair compatibility
  -limited in showing groups
  -unable to have fullbloods in a closed herd (larger market for fullbloods)