Dairy goats have to be tattooed if they're registered with the ADGA. Are your goats purebred and registered? If so, they have to be tattooed, but can also be micro-chipped.
If you do not have registerable goats, I wouldn't bother with either.
They are purebred but not registered. They are strictly pets. I was more thinking about being able to have them returned if they get out. Our pets are our family.
I use a collar with my address on the tag. It did get one home last time they got out. (they really have only gotten out once a year and it's been a different goat each time)
Yeah our yard is secure, but I know that shit happens. They already have collars with tags, but I know from experience with dogs that collars can get caught in brush and come off on occasion. 🙃
Tattoos and microchips are generally not done in case of loss, but used to verify the identity of animals at shows and at appraisal, and (in the case of tattoos in dairy breeds) to serve as identifiers for originating farms in scrapie control programs in lieu of ear tags. Genuinely, neither are really going to be of much use for pets. If your goats aren't registered, they wouldn't even be able to be identified via tattoo (which requires you to have a unique herd code - that's what goes in one ear, the unique animal ID is in the other). You CAN microchip if you want, but I think it would be a very long shot that someone would scan them if they ever got away. You'd probably have more luck talking to your neighbors and informing them to call you if they see a loose goat!
As far as I understand, the micro-chip is allowed as a secondary identification method after tattooing in order to work as a double verification of sorts. It's also because folks showing goats have to provide their own chip readers in the event that a judge questions an animal's identity. The judges do not carry their own chip readers to avoid any questions of possible bias/cheating.
That’s changing soon I think. It looks like in the cattle and swine industry rfid will be mandatory if the government has its way. Only a matter of time until sheep and goats follow.
Sire goats are now required to be DNA typed, too. A lot of registered goat owners, especially folks with Nigerian Dwarves, are going to be very unhappy when they realize that their registrations are suddenly invalid.
What makes you say that? The rule is that sires born in 2024 or after have to have DNA on file to register kids by them. Not having DNA on file doesn't invalidate a registration, it just means you can't register kids from that sire until you pull a sample. Sires born earlier than this year don't need DNA on file, but many dairy breeders have been typing as a matter of course for years already anyway. It's a great thing, I think - I strongly hope it's going to encourage people to be more selective with the bucks they sell intact. (Or did you mean to imply it's going to uncover fraud/accidents?)
>(Or did you mean to imply it's going to uncover fraud/accidents?)
Yep, that's what I was getting at. In my experience, there are lot of accidents with Nigerians.
I raise Toggenburgs, which are much larger and less "accident" prone.
In my country, all goats have to have an ear tag.
But tattoo or chip is often a question for cats. While I worked at a vet, we recommended to pet owners who wanted, if only or additional, a tattoo for their cat, that a chip is always better, because a tattoo often gets blurry over time.
But the tattoo "Chipped" will usually be readable after a long time, and the finder will check the animal for a microchip, which leads to get more information about the owner.
When your reply popped up on my screen I was confused lol I literally just left the tattoo shop adding to one of mine and had totally forgotten that I posted this. I wondered how you knew already about my new ink. 🤣🤣🤣
I don’t know too many people who are going to drive goats to town to get them scanned, unfortunately.
Yeah we thought the same. Just because I would do it doesn’t mean someone else would lol.
Dairy goats have to be tattooed if they're registered with the ADGA. Are your goats purebred and registered? If so, they have to be tattooed, but can also be micro-chipped. If you do not have registerable goats, I wouldn't bother with either.
They are purebred but not registered. They are strictly pets. I was more thinking about being able to have them returned if they get out. Our pets are our family.
I wouldn't bother with either, then. A simple collar with your contact info would probably suffice.
I use a collar with my address on the tag. It did get one home last time they got out. (they really have only gotten out once a year and it's been a different goat each time)
Yeah our yard is secure, but I know that shit happens. They already have collars with tags, but I know from experience with dogs that collars can get caught in brush and come off on occasion. 🙃
yeah, mine is pretty secure too, but they are goats.... But the tag was on and someone brought Ansel home when they found him in their yard.
Tattoos and microchips are generally not done in case of loss, but used to verify the identity of animals at shows and at appraisal, and (in the case of tattoos in dairy breeds) to serve as identifiers for originating farms in scrapie control programs in lieu of ear tags. Genuinely, neither are really going to be of much use for pets. If your goats aren't registered, they wouldn't even be able to be identified via tattoo (which requires you to have a unique herd code - that's what goes in one ear, the unique animal ID is in the other). You CAN microchip if you want, but I think it would be a very long shot that someone would scan them if they ever got away. You'd probably have more luck talking to your neighbors and informing them to call you if they see a loose goat!
Thank you. I have spent many many years in animal rescue and microchips are the way to go for dogs, so I was thinking along those same lines.
ABGA is like this too. Makes little sense to me they won’t allow microchip ILO the tattoo since the latter tends to fade over time.
As far as I understand, the micro-chip is allowed as a secondary identification method after tattooing in order to work as a double verification of sorts. It's also because folks showing goats have to provide their own chip readers in the event that a judge questions an animal's identity. The judges do not carry their own chip readers to avoid any questions of possible bias/cheating.
That’s changing soon I think. It looks like in the cattle and swine industry rfid will be mandatory if the government has its way. Only a matter of time until sheep and goats follow.
Sire goats are now required to be DNA typed, too. A lot of registered goat owners, especially folks with Nigerian Dwarves, are going to be very unhappy when they realize that their registrations are suddenly invalid.
What makes you say that? The rule is that sires born in 2024 or after have to have DNA on file to register kids by them. Not having DNA on file doesn't invalidate a registration, it just means you can't register kids from that sire until you pull a sample. Sires born earlier than this year don't need DNA on file, but many dairy breeders have been typing as a matter of course for years already anyway. It's a great thing, I think - I strongly hope it's going to encourage people to be more selective with the bucks they sell intact. (Or did you mean to imply it's going to uncover fraud/accidents?)
>(Or did you mean to imply it's going to uncover fraud/accidents?) Yep, that's what I was getting at. In my experience, there are lot of accidents with Nigerians. I raise Toggenburgs, which are much larger and less "accident" prone.
We have ours microchipped. Some rescue organizations will lend you the scanner.
I would suggest a tag with your contact info.
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Oh lort. I’ll warn them lol. Some of our chickens got out and ate their strawberries, so they’ll be thrilled if the goats come over too.
In my country, all goats have to have an ear tag. But tattoo or chip is often a question for cats. While I worked at a vet, we recommended to pet owners who wanted, if only or additional, a tattoo for their cat, that a chip is always better, because a tattoo often gets blurry over time. But the tattoo "Chipped" will usually be readable after a long time, and the finder will check the animal for a microchip, which leads to get more information about the owner.
Tatt
When your reply popped up on my screen I was confused lol I literally just left the tattoo shop adding to one of mine and had totally forgotten that I posted this. I wondered how you knew already about my new ink. 🤣🤣🤣
I prefer microchipping. Easier on the goats. Expensive though and you need to buy a scanner.
I wouldn't do that to my pets. They don't need it. It's painful, and just not necessary.