# Just brought home my new Guernsey buckling!



## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

My partner drove all the way up to WA and picked up our new BG2 British Guernsey herdsire. He is about 6 weeks old and is still adjusting, i.e. screaming his head off. At least he took to the bottle with no issues. He will be bred this fall to my 2 HB1 Guernsey does and possibly one of my Alpines to start breeding up a new line.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

he's adorable! congrats on the new addition!


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

He is so cute! Refresh my memory, what traits are Guernseys bred for?


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## DappledBoers (Feb 10, 2013)

What is a geurnsey goat?


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

Guernseys are a rare dairy breed.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

From wiki:
"As its name suggests, the goat is golden in color, with hues ranging from pale blond to deep bronze. They are smaller and more fine-boned than other British milking goats, and there is great variety in coat length. The males are sometimes horned but the vast majority are not. Their personalities have been described as "very docile, very friendly". The males have been said to be unusually smelly.[3]

The goat is efficient milking livestock for its relatively small size, producing an average yield of 3.16 kilograms of milk per day; this is less than most Swiss goats, but the milk's high butterfat and protein content (3.72% and 2.81%, respectively) [4] makes up for the small yield."

And here is a link to the Guernsey Goat Breeders of America page and the breeding up program.

I haven't freshened my does yet, but they are said to have a great yield for cheese making, which is my focus.


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## In_Clover (Feb 28, 2013)

Adorable little guy! Look at that darling face. I've heard of a Guernsey cow, but no goats. Please do tell us more.


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

Congrats, he's beautiful! I love Guernsey goats, maybe I'll have to buy a kid from you


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Very cute!


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## mayia97420 (Apr 22, 2014)

Here is a link to Wiki about Golden Guernsey goats

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Guernsey


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Thanks  Golden Guernseys exist only over in Great Britain, expcept for one herd that imported embryos. The breed up program creates what are known as British Guernseys. It's like the difference between say a French/Purebred Alpine and an American Alpine.

They are a total pain in the butt to register, since you have to do it by mail to the British Goat Society. The ADGA does not recognize Guernseys at this time.


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Jealous !!!


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Hmmm...the bucks are extra smelly???? That's funny.

Congrats, he's a handsome little guy.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

lottsagoats1 said:


> Hmmm...the bucks are extra smelly???? That's funny.
> 
> Congrats, he's a handsome little guy.


We'll see about the smelly. I bet it's just because they have long hair and thus more for the smell to cling to.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Awww , he is cute  Good luck with him ! Funny , my husband was just talking about this breed and then i find your thread , lol.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Here's the picture thread I started last year when I brought home my does in case anyone wants to look. They were 3 months old at the time.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

He is really gorgeous


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Can you post the picture thread ? I would love to see it


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Sure! If you click on the first part of my last post it will take you to the thread. : ) I just took some pictures of them today at 1 year old. I'll post them in a bit.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Oh , lol , I didn't know that , lol. Im going to check it out 
Thanks


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Wow , they are gorgeous ! Something about that color i really love !


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Okay, here are the girls today. They were bred up to HB1 from a Toggenburg doe I beleive.They are keeping him company in quarantine until the new Alpine buckling and doeling I'm getting arrive next week.

Dashi:


















Danushka:


















And one more of little GoldBug. He struts around like a rooster!:


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

The breed as a whole has pretty poor conformation, especially feet and udders. A big part of the goal with breeding up is to take the strengths of other breeds(Alpines in my case) and influencing the conformation of the Guernseys in a positive way. My Alpines are strong overall in feet, udders, toplines etc. and it will be a lot of fun (and sweat!) to breed up my own line of does that reflect those strengths.


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Nice! Love the color


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

They are All very cute!! Enjoy your new little guy!!


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## DappledBoers (Feb 10, 2013)

This is really cool! I don't have any experience with dairy goats except for a Nigerian dwarf doeling... They look a lot alike (in my opinion). Are they similar in size? Or are they more of a standard breed? Do you have general weights of adults?

What are these goats going for money wise? I'm not interested to see how much money I can make, I am just curious since you said they are a rare breed.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

DappledBoers said:


> This is really cool! I don't have any experience with dairy goats except for a Nigerian dwarf doeling... They look a lot alike (in my opinion). Are they similar in size? Or are they more of a standard breed? Do you have general weights of adults?
> 
> What are these goats going for money wise? I'm not interested to see how much money I can make, I am just curious since you said they are a rare breed.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


So, Nigerians according to the ADGA are to be no more than 22.5" at the withers, while Alpines, a standard size dairy goat are to be no less than 30" at the withers. The Guernsey is a mid-size goat and is to be no less than 26" at the withers, so larger than a nigerian, but smaller than standards.

I'd say a Guernsey of HB1 level would go for between $300-$400, going up as they get higher in Guernsey percentage. A full British Guernsey would go for around $500-750.


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## DappledBoers (Feb 10, 2013)

What is HB1?


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

HB1 is the label given/herdbook designation for the percentage of Guernsey blood the animal has. This link explains the levels.The buck is BG2, meaning his dam reached BG status and was then bred to a Golden Guernsey or British Guernsey sire, further concentrating the Guernsey genetics. The does are HB1 bred up from Toggenburg, meaning they are genetically 7/8 British Guernsey and 1/8 Toggenburg.


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## oakshirefarms (Jul 5, 2013)

Very interesting information. He is a great looking lad. Congratulations.


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

He is so adorable! And already getting hairy...My buck didn't seem any more stinky than any other buck, and he is so sweet you just didn't care. These are all Guernsey goats picture taken in like January.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Your goats are so pretty! I love how they all have the darker golden coat tone. Some do not prefer the white patches my new guy has, preferring a solid golden coat, but I figure the extra kids will be easier to sell if they are flashy anyways. The rules are that bucks cannot have dominant white, and does are strongly faulted for it. He is not dominant white, so it shouldn't be an issue.

The Alpine doe I am planing to breed him to happens to be heavily pied, though, which won't help the white patches, though her dam and sister had VERY minimal white. Her dam looked more like an Oberhasli!

This is Camas, who I want to breed up from. She is much smaller in frame and height than my other Alpines, so I would prefer her first freshening to be to the Guernsey buck, since the kids are so much smaller. She does have her faults, which I am well aware of, but she comes from pretty good milk lines and would be a great improvement to the average Guernsey.


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

Camas is very pretty! I think she will make beautiful half Guernsey kids.


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