Performance-tested buck brings $1,400

The top-performing buck of the 2010 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test brought $1,400.  The buyer was Troy Probst from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.

Top-performing buck

The Purebred Kiko buck was consigned by Craig Adams from Litchfield, Illinois. Adams had both the top-performing buck and the top consignment of bucks, this year and last year.

The Adams buck excelled in every performance category.  Besides having the highest rate-of-gain (almost twice as much as the test average), the buck had the largest rib eye (according to ultrasound) of any buck in the test. His FAMACHA© eye anemia score was 1 every time it was evaluated.  His average fecal egg count was only 243 eggs per gram.

The purpose of the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test is to measure the post-weaning performance of bucklings managed in a pasture environment with no supplemental feed.  This year's test conditions were particularly difficult with the extreme drought and heat.

The test is open to male goats of any breed or breed cross, with or without registration eligibility.  For the 2011 test, bucks (or wethers) should be born between December 15, 2010, and March 20, 2011, and weigh between 35 and 70 lbs. at the start of the test (late-May or early-June).