Breeding program formation for the German Fawn Dairy Goat

Structural deficits of Dairy Goat breeding (German Fawn Goat) in Germany caused by small fragmented populations, high cost sensitivity of performance recording and breeding activities, decentralized information collection, data analysis, and selection of breeding animals are major constraints to current and future performance improvements. Attempts to overcome these limitations are targeted at concerted actions of  regional goat breeding societies to implement a standardized identification system, a common data bank and systematic utilisation of available milk recording data, and a common platform for buck selection. Progeny testing schemes are less appropriate for small fragmented breeding populations, thus, young-buck selection scheme is evaluated. Simulation calculations indicate a reasonable selection response irrespective of the numbers of selected bucks. Progeny testing schemes achieve a higher accuracy of BW prediction but because of the longer generation interval due not attain a higher selection response. Due to the easier implementation and comparable efficiency the young buck breeding scheme should be adapted in the German Fawn goat breeding.

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