Peter & Amy Vingerhoeds

RR 1 Hensall, ON

NOM 1X0

519-229-8810

avingerhoeds@quadro.net

Keeping Better Records

Humble beginningsRan 20-30 commercial meat does for 10 years in an old bank barn

Few records kept: (1) Feed Purchased (2) Market Kid Sales (3) some genetic lines

ISSUES:

Who stays? Who goes?

Which sire should we (not) use?

Can we do better?

Participated in our first Ontario Goat studies

2011-2012

Q-fever testing

CAE testing

New Barn Construction 2012Herd Expansion

PERFECT time to improve management & records

1. Sell goats at: optimum weight for optimum price.

2. Select best replacements to increase herd

3. Know our production – numbers & costs

OUR FARM GOALS

Part time operation

80 – 100 Boer does, Capacity for 200

IDENTIFY GOATS

Step 1

NEED Ear Tags to manage more than 20 does

Sheep tags better

UKAL tags too small

RFID tags hard to read with eye

We now replace old tags with orange swine tags...** EASIEST TO SEE**

Pilot Herd – O.G. Traceability Project

•RFID eartags on 100 animals in herd

•OPPORTUNITY to try out tag system before we have to invest

•Roughly 1 ½ years after trial, 80-85% retention, and a few ripped ears from sheep clips

•Use RFID tags as secondary ID if management tags lost

IDEAL USE for us – WEIGHING & SCANNING with Digital scale

Better kidding records

Step 2

LAMBING DIARY

Pocket size and simple

RECORD ALL KIDDINGS

100 + kiddings/booklet)

Probably can pick up at OMAF display today

NO COST!

New Kid Protocol

first 12-24 hours, kids are weighed on hanging scale

Colours and identifying markings are written down

Sire and dam are recorded as well as pen #

EAR TAGS applied to right ear

Sequential tag order used

Started with simple kidding records DOES: ID tag, pen #, sire and date of kidding; note any issues

KIDS: new eartag ID, gender, colouring and birth weight at 1 day

TAG ALL NEW KIDS and

RECORD BIRTH WEIGHTS ON FIRST DAY

1) Don’t mix up any kids and mothers

2) Keep running tally of # kiddings and # kids

3) Easy to keep a few notes on health / mortality in early days

ENTER DATA LATER ON Excel SPREADSHEET

Benefits of using the LAMB DIARY

Medication Records

Step 3

Leave binder in barn for quick reference

Developed own template:

About 10 handwritten entries per page

Print/photocopy form on heavier paper

Use a designated colour, easy to find pages

Use sheet protectors for older pages (ring holes rip out)

Leave empty space – easier to read

HAVE A RECORD OF:- every sick animal - id# & pen#- problem described briefly- treatment – when & what product- not all animals are treated

WITHDRAWALhave proof that animal is safe to ship

Helps to Keep on top ofMULTIPLE-DAY TREATMENTS

•Does with retained placenta

•Scours on market kids

•Secondary infections of pneumonia

WHEN GOAT’s HEALTH IMPROVES, MAKE SURE WE FINISH TREATMENT

Keep fact sheets in plastic sleeves

BUILD A GOAT LIBRARY

•Save all vet scripts and vet recommendations

•Save diagnostic / treatment info from reliablesources

•Save any test results

•Save vaccination lists

•CRITICAL RESOURCE with so few registered medications for goats

Feeding Records

Step 4

FEED SHEETS originally prepared as instructions for our relief chore person

Update every couple months

Record of amounts fed to each group

Goat numbers/stage in each pen

Get a snapshot of feed consumption & costs

BASIC SCHOOL SUPPLIESbinders

sheet protectorsphotocopier/printer

Weighing Market Kids

Benchmarking

Step 5

Manual Pig / Sheep Scale

WEIGH AT: •50 days•100 days •Sale date if later

WEIGHING Market Kids

KEY IMPROVEMENT in goat operation

Provides us MOST information

Measure growth, calculate ADG

Best way to improve marketing

Setting up Record Sheets ONE PAGE per PEN

Step 6

ONE PAGE DOE TEMPLATELeft side contains identification, age, genetic lines

ONE PAGE DOE TEMPLATERight side contains more management infoLeave lots of empty boxes to add handwritten notesPrint on cardstock – REPRINT 3-4 times a year to update

CAN KEEP TRACK OF: SIRES in & out Sire & dam info, parity info Breeding dates, preg checks & DUE dates Doe numbers

TAKE PAGE OUT to use AS CHECKLIST FOR: Preg checks Vaccinations and treatments Hoof trimming

NOTE ANY OTHER ISSUES – i.e. Weak pasterns, body condition, poor mothering, CL, poor-doers, etc.

Using a 1-Page DOE TEMPLATE

How does our record keeping improve doe management in barn?

Cull Does BEFORE they get thin

3 STRIKES – YOU’RE OUT !1- OPEN 2- udder/foot issues 3- productivity falling

Value of Cull doe in good body condition

150 lbs x $ .80 = $ 120

170 lbs x $ 1.30 = $ 230

Value of Cull doe when thin or lame

120 lbs x .50 = $ 60

Select Replacements on

DOE PERFORMANCE

• Age & Parity achieved

• Number kids born / raised

TARGET: 15 kids raised by 5-6 years age

• Higher ADG of kids

TARGET: average .5 - .6 pound/day gain

• Days to market

TARGET: 100 to 120 days

Have enough info to figure out:

• Regularity of Hoof clipping

• Vaccinations & boosters

• Breeding dates & Sire info

• Movement between pens

How does our record keeping improve market kid production?

MARKET KID Template – 1 PAGE per PENSet up a page with id, birth weights and parentageHandwrite additional weights, comment on any problemsEnter weights on computer - calculate ADGLeave empty boxes to write down selling dates & weights

SORT A LIST OF GOATS by WEIGHT

• weigh kids 2 weeks to 1 day before shipping• quicker to pick out next load of goats from list

FEWER LAST MINUTE DECISIONS TO THROW IN LIGHT KIDS THAT DON’T MAKE YOU MONEY

50 lb x $2.30 = $ 115

70 lb x $2.30 = $ 160

Seasonal high market: 60 lb x 3.00 = $ 180

Predict more accurately

when market kids are ready to be shipped:

We know top 15 % are ready in 95 to 100 days (65 lbs)

We know 70% of our kids are ready in 120 days (65-70 lbs)

We know bottom 15% are ready in 150 days

Track Weights of MARKET KIDS by PENCALCULATE average birth weight, average wt around 50 days CALCULATE ADG, average selling weights, price per goat

How long to feed market kids ?TARGET WEIGHT 60 to 75 lbs

Value of Market Kid at Price of $2.30

60 lbs x 2.30 = $ 138

75 lbs x 2.30 = $ 172

DIFFERENCE $34

COST TO GAIN 15 lbs takes 1 month (ADG = .5 lb/day)

Feeding pellets for 1 extra month, COST = $5

KEEP EXTRA $ 30+ NET PROFIT per KID

Breeding Stock

Buy/Sell bucks with proven gain

Selecting Replacements•start watching at 6 weeks of age•highlight good dams, good birth weights, •Use 50, 100 day weights to calculate ADG•Note issues

FEEDING COSTS – per DOE

2013 2014

HAY: 25 bales per doe / yr $109 $ 137

Pellets 280 kg / doe

$ 101 325 kg / doe

$ 104

Grain Ration: 113 kg / doe

$47 125 kg / doe

$ 41

TOTAL COST TO FEED DOE / yr

(all feed costs less pellets for kids)/ # does

$256 $282

$ Feed per month per doe $ 22 $24

KEEPING A DOE TOO LONG:

COST TO FEED for 8 months - $190-$200

COST TO FEED for 1 year - $285-$290

COST to PREG CHECK $2 - $3

Cull Value: $ 130 - $200

DOE PRODUCTION

2010- 2012

Old barn

2014

AcceleratedKidding

TOPDOES2014

COST TO FEED DOE / YR $282 $282

# Does (average for year) 30-35 80 10

Breeding Cycle: Mostly Spring kidding

7-8 month cycle

Continuous

Kiddings / yr TOTAL 35-45 125

Kiddings / Doe / yr 1 – 1.2 1.5 1.7

Kids raised / Doe / yr

total # kids / (total age – 1)

1.8 2.8 – 3.0 4.0

Revenue at $165 per kid $300 /doe /yr $ 460-$490 /doe/yr

$660 /doe/yr

Market Kid Production

2013 2014

Average Birth Weight (lbs) 9.2 Lbs 8.9 lb

Size at 50 Days 36 Lbs 31-33 Lbs

Average Selling weight (lbs) 64 Lbs 67 Lbs

Average age at selling 100 days 125 days

AVERAGE DAILY GAIN(mkt wt – birth wt) / days to mkt

.58 lb/day .50 lb/day

FEED CONVERSIONWhile still nursing from doe

2.2 lb pellets1 lb gain

Market Kid Profits after Feed Costs

2013 2014

Average Cost to feed 1 kid to marketALL FEED COSTS / (# mkt kids + replacements + culls sold)

$ 126 $110

Average $ per head received at market

$ 150 $ 167

Net Profit per kid after Feed $ 24 $ 57

NOTE: Housing, Vet & supplies not included

1. Sell goats at: optimum weight for optimum price

YES - Selling more kids at higher weights,

YES – Selling more kids at higher price / head

GOAL is CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Do records help us reach OUR FARM GOALS ?

2. Select best replacements to increase herd

YES – select higher ADG doelings

YES – select from parents with proven production

YES – track goat diseases in herd

Do records help us reach OUR FARM GOALS ?

3. Know our production – numbers & costs

YES – track production cost changes

YES – know cost per doe & cost per kid

MAKE BETTER DECISIONS

Do records help us reach OUR FARM GOALS ?

Know where we are.Know where we want to go.