Goat Terminology |
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Abscess
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Boil; a localized collection of pus.
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ADGA
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American Dairy Goat Association, the largest dairy goat registry in the U.S.
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AGS
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American Goat Society, a registry
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AI
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Artificial Insemination
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American
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A doe that is 7/8 percent purebred and recorded with ADGA; a buck that is 15/16ths purebred and recorded with ADGA.
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Billy
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See buck.
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Buck
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A male goat able to breed. This is the appropriate term for a male goat. The old term, Billy, is not considered respectful.
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Buckling
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A young male goat.
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Burdizzo
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A castrating device that crushes the spermatic cords to render a buck or buckling sterile. (This is the method I use.)
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CAE (caprine arthritis encephalitis)
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A type of arthritis.
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California mastitis test (CMT)
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A do-it-yourself kit to determine if your doe has mastitis.
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Caprine
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Pertaining to or derived from a goat.
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Colostrum
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The thick yellowish milt that is produced for the first few days after a doe gives birth. It is rich in antibodies necessary to the kids survival.
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Conformation
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The overall physical attributes of an animal.
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Cull
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To remove a substandard animal from a herd.
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Dam
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Female parent.
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DHIA (Dairy Herd Improvement Association)
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A program administered by the USDA, through Extension Services, to test and record milk production of cows and goats.
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DHIR (Dairy Herd Improvement Registry)
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A milk production testing program adminstered by dairy goat registries in cooperation with DHIA.
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Disbudding Iron
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A tool that is heated, usually electric, to burn the horn buds from young animals to prevent horn growth.
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Doe
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A female goat. This is the appropriate term. The prior term, Nanny, is not considered respectful.
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Doeling
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A young female.
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Drenching
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Giving medication from a bottle.
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Dry period
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The time when a goat is not producing milk.
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Enterotoxemia
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A bacterial infection, usually resulting in death; also called overeating disease.
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Free choice
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Always available.
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Freshen
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To give birth (kid) and come into milk.
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Gestation
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The time between breeding and kidding.
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Grade
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A goat that is not purebred, or cannot be proven pure by registry records; a goat of mixed or unknown registry.
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Grade A
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A category of licensed dairy meeting strict regulations for equipment, milk handling and sanitation.
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IV (intravenous)
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Within a vein.
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IM (intramuscular)
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Within the muscle.
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Inbreeding
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The mating of closely related individuals.
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Ketosis
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Overaccumulation of ketones in the body.
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Kid
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A goat under 1 year of age; to give birth.
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LA (Linear appraisal)
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A system of scoring goats on individual conformation traits.
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Linebreeding
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A form of inbreeding that concentrates on the genetic makeup of some ancestor.
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Mastitis
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Inflammation of the udder, usually caused by an infection.
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Nanny
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See Doe.
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Polled
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Naturally hornless.
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Purebred
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An animal whose ancestry can be traced back to the establishment of a breed through the records of a registry association.
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Raw milk
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Natural milk as it comes from the goat, not pasteurized or homogenized.
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Rumen
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The first large compartment of the stomach of a goat where cellulose is broken down.
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Sire
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Male Parent.
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SubQ (subcutaneous)
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Beneath the skin.
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Trace mineral
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A mineral nutrient essential to animal health.
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Wether
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A castrated buck.
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