Conformation

I am going to type this in because I cannot get it to print large enough to read easily.

The angle of the rump or pelvis from hooks to pins has a direct bearing on the reproductive performance of a goat because it influences the ease of kidding and drainage of the reproductive tract. he Angle of the rump is also related to the length of udder from foe to rear, strength of for udder attachment, and udder depth. Observing the goat on the move from the side, this is a way to evaluate the angle of the rump from hooks to pins. Rump angle is measured from steepness, which is assigned 20 or less points, to levelness, which is assigned 30 or more points. Rumps intermediate in slope (30 to 20 degrees)are assigned 20 to 30 points. Each difference of 5 degrees in the rump angle, plus or minus, results in a difference in the score of 5 points. A rump angle of 50 or more is assigned 1 point.

I feel sure there are those saying that they just want their goats for milk and really don’t care if the udder is well attached because they are not going to show. Those low floppy udders can cause great pain and suffering to that doe. A low hanging udder that floppies around causes a much greater chance of injury to the udder and also mastitis. We all want the best for our goats.

If you have a doe with a poorly attached udder this can be corrected in the next generation by using the right buck. But using a buck with a sloping rump and poorly attached scrotal will only result in more does with bad udders.

The angle of the rump has a great bearing on both udders of does and scrotal attachments on the buck. A buck who has a sloping rump will probably have a loose scrotal attachment, it will look similar to the udder of this doe in the photo. Bucks with loose attachments will produce daughters with the same trait. Loose udders!

Please be very careful of the slope to the rump on your goats. The first of the three illustrations is very sloping this will never give you a highly attached udder. It is going to put that udder in harms ways because the medial suspensory ligament can never hold the udder up and tight with a rump like this.

The front end of the first one on the left is much too pinched. The heart and lungs cannot function properly when pinched as shown in the first illustration.