Angora Buck Field Trial and Sale

December weighing

The bucks were weighed this morning, 5^th December. The average weight was 55.9kg with a SD of 8.6. The average gain from the last weighing was only 2.8kg though all animals gained some weight. The early part of the period was dry with feed quality falling away but in the recent 2 weeks rainfall has been high and the Lucerne pasture is again growing rapidly.

 The team weights are plotted on the graph below. It can be seen that the teams have stayed in the same order compared to previous weightings’.

Buck weights as at 5^th December

Mid term fleece tests

Here we have the first set of data which can be used to assess animal quality.  While team body weights have been used in previous graphs (to indicate general growth) it is individual measurements which are of importance in animal quality. You will see that there are big differences between animals, even from within each team.

These results are brought to you courtesy of Pam Goble (Viewbank Angora Stud)  – a proud sponsor of the Australian Angora Buck Field Trial.

The table below presents the body weight at the last weighing (8^th November) and the fleece test results from the mid side, with the indexes. An index of 100 is average for the trial. Indexes above 100 indicate an “above” average values and indexes below 100 indicate “below” average values.

Perhaps this table demonstrates the need for an overall index like the South African Fineness Index so, at very least, some overall summary of “quality” can be seen without the confusion of too many numbers.

Of some importance is the relationship between Body Weight and Fibre Diameter. This is plotted on the graph below. The correlation is not strong (r=0.36) so there is a good scatter. Five animals at the extremes have been identified as animals of interest.

The bucks will be weighed again next week.

November weighing

The bucks were weighted today (8th November) and averaged 53.1kg with a Standard Deviation of 8.5kg. The gain over the last 5 weeks was 10.9kg reflecting the excellent seasonal conditions.

The graph displays the team averages. It can be seen that the teams have remained in roughly the same order since delivery to the trail in August. From top to bottom in order the teams are Cudal, Alamo, Willean medium, Viewbank, Willean fine, Alamo/Cudal "Low line", Coolbaroo, Cabalo, Dulark, Phezulu, Winder, Kameruka Ln, Currajong, Rosemar and Rivers. It should be noted that these results are just body weights and do not represent an answer about performance by any means. Individual body weights are tabulated below.

The workshop on the 22nd November (see program below) will see the animals wigged and participants will be able to assess the animals in half fleece. All welcome from 11am for a BBQ (please bring something to cook).

(The season has "hayed off" Bucks in November)

October Weighing

The bucks were weighed on the 3rd October. The average body weight was 42.2 kg, up 7.4kg reflecting the spectacular spring conditions.The Standard Deviation was 7.6kg which was not a lot different from that at the September weighing. All animals gained weight though several still show some dagginess from the lush conditions. The animals were drenched again (just in case) and given a booster vaccination with 6 in 1.

It should be remembered that the object of the trial is to look at overall productivity of these bucks. Body weight is not the most important character so heavy animals should not be seen as "superior" at this stage. No doubt some of the heaviest animals will produce stronger fleeces of lower value.

Please attend the Workshop on the 22nd November to get your hands on these animals.

The Australian Angora Buck Field Trial and Sale 2nd August 2008 to 1st February 2009 at CUDAL

Sires Represented in the Trial (20/9/08)

Ancor Charles          182700                                          Phezulu Bernard          183363

Ancor Cicero             175894                                         Phezulu Sir Galahad    183365 

Ancor Tito                174067                                          Phezulu Bentley           172146

Cudal Buzzie 9          177616                                          Phezulu Fritz                183366

Cudal Foreman 15    177528                                          Rivers 3015                 174176

Currajong Aladin       184785                                          Rivers 3032                 176922

Dulark Leigh              178173                                          Rivers 3041                 174139

Mallee Park Ned       177785                                          Rivers 4458B               175923

Mallee Park Rastus    175860                                          Viewbank Malleescrub

Mallee Park Sachin    174965                                          Yandiah 3453               179349

Mallee Park Waldo    177782

The progeny of these bucks came together in August and will be shorn on the 1st February 2009. The Performance catalogue for the sale will include measuremnts and indexed values for Body Weight, Fleece Weight, Staple Length, Micron, CV, and $ value, as well as Fineness Index combining Body weight, Fleece Weight and Fibre Diameter in a single index. Fleeces will be displayed at the sale.

This will be your chance to select bucks on real performance.

Mid Trial Workshop Saturday 22nd November 2008.

Saturday 22nd November will see a workshop to look at the trial animals and discuss performance recording and the sale.

Program

• 11am Introduction and BBQ Lunch
• 1.30pm Weighing, Crutching and examination of bucks
• 2.30pm Discussion - so far, what's next, the sale
• 3.00pm Practical Performance Recording and fibre testing for classing fleeces
• 3.30pm The Cudal flock and the Cudal Database
• 4pm Close

(Bucks on clover - well, Lucerne (20/09/08)

September weighing (3/9/08)

August saw the settling in of the Trial bucks. We had a lot of cold cloudy weather but only a little real rain. The bucks spent a lot of time under shelter. Quite a number were still rutting

but that has stopped now. The animals were moved onto grazing lucerne in the last 10 days but they were still fed oaten hay. Two animals continue to scour a little but this is clearing up with the warmer weather and the different feed. Fleece growth seems rapid with all animals now showing a good tip. 

The animals were weighed this morning and the weights and index values are presented below. The average weight was 34.9kg with a Standard deviation of 7.3 so we have seen an increase in weight of 2.6kg with all but the heaviest team gaining weight. This resulted in the lower SD as the animals begin to adjust to the same feed and the same conditions.

 Body weights and indexed weights as on 3rd September

Tag               Body weight Kg     Indexed wt %

* indicates "low line" animals selected on the second shearing for the lowest South African Fineness Index. The inclusion of these animals is by way of a control. These animals are expected to do badly. If they do, this would be further proof that the SAFI is a powerful method of assessing performance and expressing it in a single value. The second shearing measurements and SAFI values of the Cudal, Alamo and Low Line team animals are presented in the Animals for sale page of this site.

Trial starts on 2nd August.

Forty four bucks have been installed in the trail. Saturday 2nd August saw the delivery of the majority of animals and by Monday, with the help of 7 Year 11 Agricultural Students from Canobolas Rural High School, these bucks had been identified, tagged, treated for non existant lice, vaccinated, drenched and inspected. The photos at left and below show the trial bucks settled into a paddock of grazing oats with range shed and oaten hay.

Body weights ranged from about 17kg to 53Kg. This is quite a large variation and the entry weights and indexed values are listed below with identity and tag numbers.

Tag numbers will be used as a single means of identifying animals during the trial.

As the registrations of the animals are completed, the sires represented in the trial will become available.

This project is a remarkable innovation for an industry which traditionally uses show preparation as a key aspect of assessing animal quality. What is hoped to be demonstrated with this trial is the appearance of high productive animals raised under uniform conditions and not subject to extensive preparation techniques.

Buck Trial Animal Identities, Entry Weights and Indexed Entry Weights.

The average body weight of the 44 bucks in the trial was 32.27kg with a SD of 8.64. This variation is quite high. While some animals were very heavy, others demonstrated extreme fatness. A number of animals were quite light in body weight. It will be interesting to see if high entry body weight are associated with high fibre diameter or whether fibre diameter and fleece weight are related more to final body weight or more closely related to growth rate during the trial.

 * indicates team of "low line" controls selected with lowest SAFI on the second shearing

# indicates team selected subjectively for medium fineness and large body weight by breeder

! indicates team selected subjectively for fineness by breeder

JD Vaccination in the Angora Buck Field Trial and Sale.

Biosecurity is a big word but it just means being careful when introducing new animals to your property. The Angora Buck Trial presents a few potential problems for me, for my flock, for participants in the trial and for potential buyers of the animals in February. That’s why we are using a declaration and disclaimer form (see below) and treating all animals for a number of potential problems on arrival. I don’t want to introduce footrot or lice, I don’t want animals to die from Pulpy Kidney and I don’t want to get sued for accidental losses. And, I want to ensure buyers that the animals are safe.

So what about Johne’s disease. A few years ago this was touted as a major threat to the goat industries. While it now seems that this is not the case, it is wise to be careful so I proposed that all animals in the trial be vaccinated with the Gudair ® vaccine on arrival. The animals would be tagged with a “V” tag (the tag has a "V" on it as well as my PIC) indicating that they had been vaccinated. An application has been made to the NSW Chief Veterinary Officer for a permit to do this and it is expected that this will be approved.

It is worth summarising the implications of this vaccination.

Effectively there are very few, except that vaccinated animals would probably show positive to a blood test for Johne’s Disease. This would indicate that the vaccination had raised antibody levels and was at least partially effective against exposure to the real organisms. Since blood tests are proscribed by most potential importing countries, the specific animals would likely not pass the test and so could not be exported. The “V” tag would indicate that such animals would should not be tested using a blood test under the MAP provisions should a buyer or owner of such animals seek NM status in the future. Faecal culture test could be used on these vaccinated animals but not for export.

The vaccine is not a live vaccine and vaccinated animals cannot pass the disease to other animals. Vaccinated females may pass antibodies to their kids in colostrums but these are passive and would disappear quickly. Kids would have to be vaccinated themselves for them to become “positive” to a blood test. Such tests are not done until 12 months of age anyway.  Of course we are not talking about females in this case anyway.

Normally vaccination is done (in sheep) before 16 weeks of age.  Such animals are regarded as “approved vaccinates” and give the same status as “free” animals. In sheep, vaccination at later age is believed to reduce the possibility of the animal shedding the bacteria, and, with vaccination of their lambs, also produce “approved vaccinates” for sale purposes. It is assumed that vaccinating bucks at 12 months of age would reduce the shedding of bacteria should the animal(s) be infected.

It is generally believed that goats are poor shedders of the bacteria anyway and that this is the reason that JD does not seem to persist in goat flocks even when infected from sheep or cattle.  The fact is that there are so few detected infections that such ideas can’t be tested in the first place.

So why do it? Well, firstly to do everything possible to reassure entrants and potential buyers that they are being protected. Secondly to test the system – there is nothing like making an application to see if the Biosecurity bureaucracy actually works. And thirdly, to raise awareness of the issue.

I await the CVO’s approval for the use of the Johne’s Vaccine in the Buck trial starting on 2^nd August.

Doug Stapleton

Alamo / Cudal Mohair Studs.

Declaration and Disclaimer form used in the Buck Trial

click here  Declaration and Discaimer