Mitchell Family Farm
Adin, CA
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Goat Gab
WHAT IS MILK TESTING AND HOW DO I get SIGNED UP FOR IT?
DHIR definition directly from the ADGA website:
"DHIR is the registry form of Dairy Herd Improvement. Dairy Goat Herd Improvement is a commitment to production related goals. This program includes year round monitoring of milk volume, components and herd health. It is a nationally recognized system for evaluating dairy records. Careful breeding decisions result in ADGA registered animals having records that are consistently higher than the national averages."
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"The ADGA Advanced Registry and STAR volumes track generations of record information. Information obtained from DHIR:
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Values for each milking doe & total herd
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Completed & projected records
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Customized features including reproduction, health records, & young stock programs
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Somatic cell count
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Persistency
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Interface with type scores
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Sire/dam/doe genetic values
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Action lists
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Selection objectives"
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This is my third year with does on milk test and there is SO MUCH INFORMATION and I am still trying to learn what all the data means. I am looking for a mentor who can sit down and explain (in very simple terms) what I am looking at when I get all my papers back from the lab each month. With my very limited knowledge of breaking it down so far, I can see what each doe's volume, her butterfat, protein are and her somatic cell count (SCC), which as far as I know, gives you an insight if she may be suffering from mastitis or not. A high SCC shows that she may need treatment. There are many other things that one can learn about their doe and herd by being on test and I found this podcast and article from the Thrifty Homesteader very interesting, and she interviews Joanne Danielson at Curds and Whey Farm in Cedarville, CA which isn't too far away from us. It gets more into the protein, butterfat and casein side of things.
DHIR FAQ's - American Dairy Goat Association - ADGA
I'm going to break it down a bit more.
1. You need to let ADGA know that you are enrolling your herd in DHIR (and as a performance program if you know you want to participate in the Linear Appraisal progarm too). Forms - American Dairy Goat Association - ADGA
2. Choose your affiliate. I chose Central Counties DHIA and have been very happy with their service. They are great at communicating and answering any questions I have had. The other one I hear great things about is the Washington DHIA. REGIONAL AFFILIATES: (adga.org)
3. Read and decide which test plan will work best for you. DHI Record Plans (caldairygoats.com) My first year I enrolled for the OS-40 and it was very easy. The drawback is that you don't qualify for Top Ten awards if you think and of your goats might qualify and you have to milk each and every for about 9 months. This is my second year on the DHI-APCS-02 plan. I like it because I can test more often, thus being done sooner than the above mentioned plan. My does could qualify for Top Ten. The drawback to this plan is I need someone to come out once every test to take the sample for me versus just doing it myself and on top of all that I still have to have a verification test done by a completely different person. It can be difficult to find someone who will commit to doing that for you every so many days for months.
4. Your DHIA will assign you a herdcode that you will then share with ADGA. You will take a test through your DHIA (usually via email) and once you pass, they will ship you your milk sample vials. Be sure to buy an approved scale to weigh your milk and ship it to your DHIA to calibrate it for you. You'll get a sticker on your scale that says you're good to use it for a year and then you'll ship it back and repeat. It just needs to be calibrated each year by them. Once you have your herdcode number, scale and vials you are ready for your first test! Also, your doe(s) should be anywhere from 5 days to 90 days for your first test.
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Okay, now let's move on to how test days may look.
Click here to go to WHAT TEST DAYS LOOK LIKE FOR ME.
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