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Pedigree Acronyms Explained

This shows the common ADGA/AGS Performance (milk) and Show pedigree acronyms that permanently become a part of the goats' name:

*M or *D

STAR MILKER - A doe who has been on milk test and that has met the minimum requirements for milk production set by ADGA and/or AGS.  A doe can also earn her stars without being on milk test if she has 3 daughters who earn their *M/D; 3 bucks who earn their +B/S through their daughters; or 2 *M/D daughters and 1 +B/S son  The number preceding a doe's star represents the number of consecutive generations of qualifying does.

+B or +S 

PLUS BUCK - Pluses on bucks are earned by virtue of offspring meeting ADGA requirements (buck needs at least 3 *M/D daughters from different does; at least 2 +B/S sons; or has 2 *M/D daughters and 1 +B/S son).

*B or *S

STAR BUCK - Stars on bucks are earned by virtue of parents with production records meeting ADGA minimums (Dam has earned her *M or *D and Sire has either *B/S or +B/S).  

GCH or ARMCH

GRAND CHAMPION - Same as a CH but also means the goat has earned its milk star (*M or *D). Some goats are shown in both registries and earn the title for both AGS and ADGA.

CH or MCH

CHAMPION - A goat must win Grand Champion of a show that has at least 10 does of breed 3 times to earn their permanent Champion status. 

SG

SUPERIOR GENETICS - This designation is earned through milk production testing. The animal must be in the top 15% (85th percentile ranking or higher) of their breed according to the Production/Type Index (PTI) ranking at least once during the life of the animal. The ranking may be either in one area (PTI 2: 1 or PTI 1:2) or in both areas. 

SGCH

SUPERIOR GENETICS PERMANENT GRAND CHAMPION - A goat that has earned their Superior Genetics designation and is a permanent Champion from showing.

This list is in reference to pedigree lineage, going back 4 generations and relates to the goat's pedigree you are viewing:

SS

SIRE'S SIRE - The goat's paternal grandsire (grandfather)

SD

SIRE'S DAM - The goat's paternal granddam (grandmother)

SSS

SIRE'S SIRE'S SIRE - The goat's great grandsire (or, sire's paternal grandsire)

SSD

SIRE'S SIRE'S DAM - The goat's great granddam (or, sire's paternal granddam)

SDS

SIRE'S DAM'S SIRE - The goat's great grandsire (or, sire's maternal grandsire)

SDD

SIRE'S DAM'S DAM - The goat's great granddam (or, sire's maternal granddam)

S

SIRE - The goat's father

DS

DAM'S SIRE - The goat's maternal grandsire (grandfather)

DD

DAM'S DAM - The goat's maternal granddam (grandmother)

D

DAM - The goat's mother

DDD

DAM'S DAM'S DAM - The goat's great granddam (or, dam's maternal granddam)

DDS

DAM'S DAM'S SIRE - The goat's great grandsire (or, dam's maternal grandsire)

DSD

DAM'S SIRE'S DAM - The goat's great granddam (or, dam's paternal granddam)

DSS

DAM'S SIRE'S SIRE - The goat's great grandsire (or, dam's paternal grandsire)

And so on... you get the idea!

These are in reference to individual show wins (these titles do not become a permanent part of the animals' name unless the before mentioned criteria mentioned above is met):

GCH

GRAND CHAMPION - To be named GCH, the goat must first win 1st place for their class of same breed (for example; winner of Nigerian Dwarf 3 yr old Milkers) and then go on and compete against all the winners of the other classes/same breed (all ages come together) to take Grand Champion of the Nigerian Dwarfs.  If a goat only wins their class then they are 1st place in their class, not "Grand Champion" for the show. 

RCH

RESERVE CHAMPION - 2nd place win behind Grand Champion

BOB

BEST OF BREED

BOBU

BEST OF BREED UDDER

BDIS

BEST DOE IN SHOW

BUIS

BEST UDDER IN SHOW

*UPDATED 2022 (ADGA revised a Category Designation)
This list is in reference to Linear Appraisal scoring.  Animals will be scored by an ADGA trained official based on conformation in the following categories (and are listed in this order):  General Appearance, Dairy Character, Body Capacity and Mammary System (not in bucks); followed by a numerical Final Score.  Adult animals can be scored Excellent (E) with young stock being designated Extremely Correct (EC) for similar quality.  Final Scores in the Poor category will receive only the "P" designation. The following standards apply to both the Final Score and the Category designations:

E

EXCELLENT - Final score of 90 points and above

V

VERY GOOD - Final score of 85-89 points

+

GOOD PLUS - Final score of 80-84 points

G

GOOD - Final score of 70-79 points (*formerly "A" for "Acceptable")

F

FAIR - Final score of 60-69 points

P

POOR - Final score of 59 points or lower

An animal who scores 93 or higher will have to be reviewed by senior ADGA Appraisers to confirm that the score given is appropriate. 
 
The highest score a first freshening doe can receive is 89 unless she has been in milk for 365 days or more and is in milk at the time of appraisal. The appraiser will record a Final Score of 89 and note that a higher score may be given if verification of lactation length is confirmed by the Performance Programs Manager. Verification must be confirmed by official DHI records, offspring registration or other verifiable information.

Fun fact:  The only Nigerian I'm aware of that has scored an E93 is Old Mountain Farm Swift-Leigh as a 4 year old.  

For a complete breakdown of the ADGA Scorecard, click HERE.

For the ADGA Standard Operating Procedures For Linear Appraisal Evaluations, click HERE. 
Conventional naming:
A registered goat's name will typically start with the breeder's registered herd name, followed by the goat's name.  Some breeders will include initials of the sire following the herd name so that they could easily be identified in listings/shows.  If a breeder does not have a registered herd name, then "The" will be used at the start of the name. For example, my lovely SG The Solway Farm Marigold +EEE88, her official registered name would have been Solway Farm Marigold (as her dam's begins) except that Solway Farm was no longer registered as an official herd name with the ADGA at the time of Marigold's registration so the prefix "The" has now become apart of Marigold's permanent registered name. As you can see, the breeder of the goat is not readily identifiable when a herd name is not used, especially when reference ADGA's Genetics page.  Using a herd name is your way of "branding" your goats so everybody knows they came from your breeding program. 
Alpha s1 Casein Testings (AS1C):
"Alpha s1 Casein is one of the four casein proteins found in goat's milk and is the most important of the four for cheese making. The Alpha s1 Casein gene (CSN1S1) that produces the protein shows polymorphisms which affect the amount of protein and fat produced, with higher levels associated with the best cheese making. Research suggests that low levels of Alpha s1 Casein, may be associated with reduced milk sensitivities for some people.
 
DNA tests have been developed which can allow breeders to select production levels of Alpha s1 Casein. The VGL offers tests designed to detect variants E, F, and N which are known to be correlated with low production. High level variants are reported as A or B, which represents several known alleles. For the reports, two alleles are reported, one inherited from each parent. The result interpretation is as follows:
​
A and B variants, are associated with high content of alpha s1 casein.
E, F and N variants, are associated with low content of alpha s1 casein.
Any combination of "high" variants will produce high amounts of alpha s1 casein.
A combination of a "high" variant and a "low" variant will produce intermediate amounts of alpha s1 casein.
Any combination of "low" variants will produce low amounts of alpha s1 casein."
​
Alpha s1 Casein Source:  UC Davis Veterinary Medicine
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