Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Dan Waldron, 325-653-4576, d-waldron@tamu.edu
SONORA – The 2013 Angora Goat Performance Test is set to begin with delivery of the bucks on Feb. 26 to the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Station at Sonora, located 28 miles south of Sonora on U.S. Highway 55.
Breeders should notify Dr. Dan Waldron, AgriLife Research geneticist at San Angelo and test coordinator, of their intent to enter goats as soon as possible by contacting him at 325-653-4576, d-waldron@tamu.edu.
“The cost of entering bucks on this year’s test will be $340 per head, which is due when the animal arrives for the test,” Waldron said. “The fee is to cover feed, shearing and laboratory work on the fleeces and other costs.”
Waldron said the test helps breeders and prospective buyers make valid comparisons among animals for mohair quality, production and growth rate, when they are all growing in the same environment.
Individual breeders can enter no more than 12 animals except by special permission. A minimum of four animals per owner and sire group is suggested but not required, according to Waldron.
The Angora bucks are scheduled to be shorn March 5, then weighed on March 6 to start the test. The bucks will be weighed and their mohair sampled midway through the test on May 1. The test will conclude with a final shearing set for June 26.
The annual field day and potential sale, which is determined by the cooperators, is set for July 25.
Test entry forms and other information can be found at: http://sanangelofiles.tamu.edu/genetics/angoratest.htm then click on the Performance Tests link.
For more information, contact Waldron or Dr. Frank Craddock, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state sheep and goat specialist at San Angelo at 325-653-4576 or email Waldron at d-waldron@tamu.edu.
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