# Farm Name for registering kids



## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

OK, I am just learning this stuff so bear with me! Does a farm name for the purpose of registering your kids have to be completely origional? Everything I try I google to see if there is another one on the internet and everything so far has been taken somewhere! (not necessarily goat related though) Some of my ideas have been

Meadowlark Farm
Meadow Song Farm
Hidden Meadow Farm

I wanted to go with a Meadow theme because my favorite "thinking spot" is a small hidden meadow not far from our house.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

What goat registry are you looking at? I'm mostly familiar with ADGA and AGS.

ADGA is very strict with their herd names. I've been trying to get KW Farms registered with them for quite awhile and they said they won't because there is already one similar to that that is taken. I think you can go onto ADGA genetics and search the herd names? Not sure...haven't been on there in awhile.

AGS is more lenient and as long as your herd name isn't the same as one already taken then you are good to go. 

I would email the registries you are interested in. Email them your top 5 choices and ask which ones are available...if any. 

Good luck!


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Arabella is all set up to be registered with ADGA. I just have to send in her papers. She was born at another farm so I don't have to worry about a farm name until she has kids, but I've been trying to come up with ideas. thanks!


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## JessaLynn (Aug 30, 2009)

I like Meadowlark or Hidden Meadow.Maybe you can use extra letters or symbols when you register them like Hidden*Meadow.I have yet to register ours in our farm name so I'm clueless on how it all works.Since our farm is The Garza Homestead I was going to use a different name to register but haven't came up with one yet.Good luck!


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

Don't forget to check tattoo info too!! I failed to do this and now have a difficult conflict between ADGA and AGS...my farm name is fine in both registries, & all my animals are tattooed w/my ADGA tattoo, but AGS won't accept my ADGA tattoo now... ugh.... Was requested by AGS to change my ADGA tattoo to something accepted by both registries - which I can only imagine would create a complex situation w/re-tattoeing ALL my own goaties & also re-doing their ADGA papers. NOT looking forward to that!!


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

You might want to take into consideration the length of your herd name. ADGA only allows so many characters and that includes your herd name into the goats registered name. If your herd name takes up most of the characters you will be limited in the naming of offspring. I can't remeber if it's 30 or 35 characters for ADGA. You can email them as well to see if a name is taken. I chose one herd name with AGS and NDGA, then joined ADGA later and had to change everything! Don't forget to check the tattoo availabiltiy on all the registries you are joining. AGS and NDGA were very nice about changing ours to the ADGA tattoo.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

wow! what a pain in the rear! Is it better to be double registered? why register with more than one registry?


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

Different registries have different shows.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

If you are going to have to re-tatoo anyway why can't you just have 2 different tats for the different registries? (Sorry, I am a complete newbie, so that may be a stupid question!)


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

Yes, for us it was a pain to change everything. ADGA can be a bit difficult to deal with. AGS and NDGA were great and helpful.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Steph said:


> Different registries have different shows.


OH! Ok, so if I don't plan to show, but I want them to be registered then one registry is OK, or is it still better to have them double registered?


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

what is NDGA? I've not heard of that one.


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

It's too confusing to do 2 tattoos. And there's not that much room for tattooing. If you can get the same tattoo in all the registries you will only have to tattoo once. If the animal already has a tattoo not recognized by ADGA they will make you tattoo the tail web of the goat.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Ouch LOL!


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

Yes, Ideally you'd like ONE herdname and ONE tattoo... but it's like babysitting multiple kids...they don't always get along! LOL!!

NDGA is Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association
ADGA is American Dairy Goat Association
AGS is American Goat Society

here on the west coast, we have mainly ADGA shows, although there are AGS or Dual shows in California... in Oregon & Washington we only have ADGA, so our goats here are mainly just ADGA registered. I believe that backeast has mainly AGS (and pretty much all other states too???) but others can clarify that. Being dual registered/multiple registered means that your wins count across the different registries, not just one registry. Again, others I'm sure can clarify this. :thumb:


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks!


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

do spaces count in the total numer of letters allowed in a goats registered name?


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I thought it was just me regarding issues with the ADGA. I am new to all of this too and it has been very frustrating dealing with them. I haven't even gotten to registering a herdname yet because I am still trying to come up with a farm name. Glad to know I am not alone though.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

I thought the herd name WAS the farm name??? Now I'm confused! LOL! nothing new HA!


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I've been in contact with ADGA (Penny actually) who has searched several names for me.... I tried to get Milk and Honey.... Taken... Milkin' Honeys... sounds too much like it.... Etc...
I finally had her search for just initials, and had more luck.. I still haven't registered a herd name though... just became a member. But they (she) was willing the search several times for my requests... but most were denied.


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

Yes, spaces count. Your herd name doesn't have to be your farm name. Our original herd name was Honey Hollow until it was unavailable with ADGA. So, we changed everything to Gibson Farm which is our farm name. 

Devin what kind of goats do you have?


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Yep, spaces and herdname count as the entire name. You have 30 spaces to work with. 

Steph is right, some people have a farm name which can be used as the herd name, but doesn't have to be. You could have a certain herd name completely different from you farm name. Most people like to use the same farm and herd name though.

Nubians2...you're not alone at all. I have been so frustrated with ADGA. I actually purchased KW Farms back like 4? years ago, totally fine, everything was great. Didn't actually end up trying to register anything with ADGA until 2 years ago and I get an email saying I don't own that herdname and it was taken by someone else. Funny thing is KW Farms isn't taken...there's another farm that is "similar" to it which is K&W Farm. I mean come on...it's not even the same and the other people raise nubians. Also, I had to change my tattoo...and luckily I got my AGS and ADGA tattoos to match.

I keep bugging ADGA like every 6 months asking if KW Farms in available. This time they said they'd check...last time they told me it's not...so i'm crossing my fingers I can get it. Not gonna hold my breath though.

Anyway, so I just register everything with AGS now and when I have a show goat, I can send the AGS registration paper into ADGA and they will double register that goat as "AGS KW FARMS..." 
It's frustrating and I almost didn't renew my membership because i'm really tired of dealing with ADGA, but figured I probably should since we only have ADGA shows here.


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

KW Farms I had a similar experience with ADGA and my Honey Hollow herd name. According to what I can look up on their website it hasn't been used since the 80's. They wouldn't tell me why and if it would become available in the future. I would ask a question after question and never get answers. I am wondering why I went through the hassle of triple registering with ADGA.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

I have a nubian doeling that I just got a couple weeks ago, she is our first. I don't know if we will grow bigger than that,(besides the companion nigierian dwarf wether we are getting this week) but I want to be able to register her babies so they sell better.


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