Foundation

One day while wasting a ridiculous amount of time that would have been better spent on my thesis or house work or paperwork for my, or anything really other than wasting time, I thought to myself that it would be fun if the kids could show goats at the fair.  They are already showing pigs, and a calf.  Plus, you know I have always had a secret obsession with goats.

I started randomly Googleing dairy goat breeds and came across THIS:

OMG I needed those!!!!  This is a pure bred Golden Guernsey Goat.  These lovlies are from the Island of Guernsey in the UK.  How does one get their hands on one here?  YOU DON'T! :(  sad face.  There is no import of goats into the US.  However, in the 1990's a few embryos where imported and implanted in surrogate goat does and there now exists ONE herd of pure bred Golden Guernseys in the US.  You can find them here: Southwind Farms.  They sell only bucks, never does.

So, how could I get my hands on one of these?  Further reading led me to the Guernsey Goat Breeders of America.  I learned that there is a group of dedicated goat folks that are working to breed a British Guernsey through a breeding up program, with hopes and hard work to eventually gain recognition of an American Guernsey Goat breed through the American Dairy Goat Association.

It works like this:

 1) IR (Identification Register) – any female dairy goat of any age.
 (Nubian, LaMancha, Miniature, and fiber or meat goat breeds are not allowed).

2) SR (Supplementary Register) – female of any ages with a GG sire.
1/2 British Guernsey

3) FB (Foundation Book) – female with GG sire and SR dam.
3/4 British Guernsey

4) HB1 (Herd Book) – female with GG sire and FB dam.
7/8 British Guernsey

 5) HB2 (Herd Book) – female with GG sire and HB1 dam
15/16 British Guernsey

 6) BG (British Guernsey) – female or male goat with GG sire and HB2 dam.
Full British Guernsey

I am on step one.  I have purchased a Saanan Doeling (young female) and a wether (castrated male).  This little doe, will become my IR doe and the foundation of my eventual Guernsey Goat herd.  I plan to document the entire process.