How to Make Hard Cuts on the Goat Farm: A Cull Calculator for Breeding Stock
It can be difficult to decide which of your goats make the cut as breeders, but selective culling is key to improving the genetics and overall productivity of your herd. This cull calculator was developed to help goat producers make data-informed decisions about which animals to retain as breeding stock. Ranking each of your does in the given categories will provide a way to objectively determine her value compared to that of her herdmates.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
We primarily raise Boer and Boer-cross goats on our ranch for meat, show, and brush management. With our current set-up, a herd of no more than 15 breeding stock does fit comfortably.
If I had unlimited amounts of land and money, I would keep all the goats that I started with and that were born on my farm. Since that is not the case, every year cuts have to be made to keep herd numbers manageable.
It can be difficult to decide which goats make the cut as breeders and which don’t, especially if you let your emotions get in the way, but selective culling is key to improving the genetics and overall productivity of your herd.
What is Culling?
Culling is a hard, but necessary part of farming. Culling refers to reducing the number of livestock on an operation for a variety of reasons. As it applies to breeding stock on a goat farm, cull does are those that you choose to remove from your breeding program.
There are several reasons why we may remove a doe from our breeding program. Does that are unthrifty, have a hard time getting bred, or are poor mothers don’t make the cut around here (even if they are a pretty color or have a sweet personality).
Although most of ours do because we have a market for goat meat, culled animals don’t have to go to slaughter. Instead, they could go to a pet home or breeding program with different standards or goals.
The Cull Calculator
It’s easy to get attached to animals as fun and personable as goats. I have been tempted numerous times to give that one doe another year or another chance, even when I know I shouldn’t. Instead of making decisions based on my feelings, I came up with a cull calculator to help me take a more objective look at my herd.
I created a simple calculator in Microsoft Excel to make data-informed decisions about which animals to cull and which to retain as breeding stock. By scoring each of my does in different categories and then adding the sum of their scores, I can rank my animals from most to least valuable.
Below you will find the categories and scoring criteria that I use to rank the does in my herd. You may find you need to add, delete, or alter these based on what is most important to your own operation.
Also provided is a sample spreadsheet with actual data from our farm from the past year. Feel free to download it, edit the names and scores, and use it to make your own herd management decisions.
Cull Category 1: Breeding Ease
We like easy breeders. When exposed to the buck, does that get bred on their first heat cycle are more desirable and therefore get a higher score. Enter the appropriate number in column 1 of the cull calculator using the scoring criteria below.
3: Doe got bred on her first heat cycle
2: Doe got bred on her second heat cycle
1: Doe took more than 2 heat cycles to get bred
Cull Category 2: Kidding Output
This is where we look at the productivity of the doe based on how many kids she produces. Does that produce multiples are scored higher than those that have a singleton. Enter the appropriate number in column 2 of the cull calculator using the scoring criteria below.
3: Doe had triplets or more than 3 kids
2: Doe had twins
1: Doe had a single
Cull Category 3: Mothering Ability
Does the doe deserve a “Mom of the Year” award? Does that kid unassisted, have ample milk supply, and take great care of their kids are worth their weight in gold. Enter the appropriate number in column 3 of the cull calculator using the scoring criteria below.
3: Mom of the year. Doe kids unassisted, has ample milk supply, and takes great care of her kids.
2: Doe needed some help kidding, doesn’t produce enough milk for twins, takes time to warm up to kids or plays favorites.
1: Doe required excess intervention at kidding, had poor milk supply, or abandoned or rejected kids.
Cull Category 4: Temperament
We like goats that are easy to work with. Does that are docile, easy to catch, and get along with others are scored higher than those that cause problems. Enter the appropriate number in column 4 of the cull calculator using the scoring criteria below.
3: Doe is calm, easy to catch, and gets along with other members of the herd and their kids
2: Doe is shy or a little flighty, or only gets along with a specific peer group with kids
1: Doe is feral or a danger to kids from other dams
Cull Category 5: Body Condition
Those animals that thrive on pasture and maintain body condition without tons of grain are our ideal meat goats. When in milk, we do supplement our goat’s diet, but after weaning her kids, we like does that can forage and stay fit. Use the Body Score Condition (BSC) ratings from Michigan State University and enter the appropriate number in column 5 of the cull calculator using the scoring criteria below. For more on body condition scoring, read my other article here.
3: Doe maintains a BSC of 4 or 5 throughout the year
2: Doe maintains a BSC of 3 throughout the year
1: Doe maintains a BSC of 1 or 2 throughout the year
Cull Category 6: Conformation
If your goats are purebred (registered or not) you can compare them to the breed standard. Even if they are crossbred, you can still identify good conformation with depth of rib, leg straightness, teat and udder structure, and overall balance. Enter the appropriate number in column 6 of the cull calculator using the scoring criteria below.
3: Doe has good conformation
2: Doe has a few conformation flaws
1: Doe has poor conformation
Cull Category 7: Hooves
Animals that have good feet and require no more than a regular hoof trim are more desirable than those that constantly have issues. For more information on hoof trimming, click here to read our other article. Enter the appropriate number in column 7 of the cull calculator using the scoring criteria below.
3: Doe has good feet and only needs regular trimming
2: Doe needed treatment for hoof issues once this year in addition to regular trimming
1: Doe is frequently lame or needs excessive hoof treatment in addition to regular trimming
Cull Category 8: Parasite Resistance
Internal parasites, especially barber pole worm, are a big issue in many goat herds. External parasites like lice and mites are also a common problem. Does that are naturally more resistant to both make valuable breeding stock. Enter the appropriate number in column 8 of the cull calculator using the scoring criteria below.
3: Doe required one or fewer treatments in the past year for internal or external parasites
2: Doe required 2-3 treatments in the past year for internal or external parasites
1: Doe required 4 or more treatments in the past year for internal or external parasites
Looking at the Cull Calculator Data
The sum of the scores in each category will give you a total score for each doe. When you order the animals based on their total score from highest to lowest, you will find your most valuable animals. The lowest scoring ones are going to be the least healthy or productive and therefore are ones you may consider culling.
If you take a look at the data I provided, you can see that the does in my herd score somewhere between 19 and 23 points, with a mean of 20.74. Since I invested in quality animals in the beginning and have been flushing, copper bolusing, rotationally grazing, and selectively culling for several years now, I don’t have any super low scoring animals. For my herd management calendar and more information on goat breeding basics, click here to read my other article.
The current top performer in my herd, with 23 points, Pearl (a Savannah) is my ideal breeding stock meat goat. Meanwhile, the four does that scored 19 points are the weakest links and will be the first to go to when its time to downsize before winter.
