Registering your dairy goat herd is a good step in legitimizing your herd and increasing your sales and profit. It can seem overwhelming at first but these steps will help to guide you through the process. Each of these organizations has wonderful customer service, so if you get stuck, give them a call.
The very first step is to become an American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) member and, if desired, an American Goat Society (AGS) member. You can do this online at https://americangoatsociety.com/ and https://adga.org/
Note: Maintaining and registering goats with two organizations can get expensive. I strongly recommend doing ADGA as most breeders who show and performance test are ADGA registered and it is easier to transfer an ADGA goat to AGS than an AGS goat to ADGA. Both registries will honor the other’s registration papers but you will have an “AGS” before the goat’s name if going from AGS to ADGA.
If you decide to do both, you’ll need to call both registries and confirm that your herd name and tattoo are available with both.
You will need a tattoo ID code. This is a 3-4 character code that will be individual to only you. It’s easier to call ADGA and ask them to help you find a unique code and while you're on the phone, to run through some herd name choices instead of trying to do it online.
Picking Your Herd Name
The second step is to choose and register a herd name with ADGA https://adga.org/ and if you want, AGS, https://americangoatsociety.com/.
You’ll want to choose something reasonably short as it will be included in your minimum 30-character count for each goat’s name. For example, our herd name is “Red Rooster “, this is 12 characters including all spaces, leaving me with 18 characters for naming my goats.
You also want to choose something easy to spell and remember. Remember, this will be your brand and the name you use often, you want it to be memorable and simple.
You can check on the ADGA genetics website for herd names already taken. https://www.adgagenetics.org/ Under “pedigrees” Search “name starts with” and type in the herd names you’re considering. You can see what is already in use.
Note that this is also a great resource to plan breedings and look up goats you’re considering purchasing. You can check to make sure the parents of a kid are both registered prior to purchasing.
Make your list of 3-5 optional herd names and then call ADGA to see what they have available. TIP: If you have pending registrations to complete, you can ask ADGA to give you your ID# over the phone so you can get started.
Registering a new goat for the first time
Each of of boxes on the ADGA registration application has a corresponding instruction box on the form. If you are registering with AGS, you will need to fill out the AGS specific form. The information is the same but in a different format. ADGA Registration Form pdf link
Section 1: Birth Information
Goat Name: This is where you enter the goat’s name. You can do two options but I’ve never had the first one denied. Just stay within the 30-character limit including spaces and your herd name.
Many breeders use the initials of the sire in the kids’ names to help keep track of them. For example, our doe Baby’s Breath is sired by Ima Hustler Baby, so I put HB before her name. “RED ROOSTER HB BABY’S BREATH”
It’s fun to pay homage to the parents or ancestors when naming kids but not required. Some people like to have themes. We have themes each year (flowers/herbs, weather/seasons, sweets etc.) Other people like to have themes on certain lines. For example, one of my bucks is a name Kealoha because all of his dam’s progeny were named Hawaiian themed names.
Sire (father) & Dam (mother) Information: Note if your sire was leased or borrowed at the time of the breeding, you must submit a "breeding memo" (if he was borrowed) or a "lease agreement" (if he was leased) from the sire’s owner with the registration papers. Both of these forms can be found under the "Forms" link on the ADGA website. If the owner of the sire is willing to register the breeding memo online, then you can complete your registration online. Otherwise, it must be mailed in with the breeding memo. Lease agreements must be sent in via snail mail.
If you are borrowing a buck, be sure you check to see if the buck is registered and that you receive a breeding memo at the time of service.
If your dam was leased, be sure to have a lease agreement on file with ADGA or a copy mailed with the kid's registration.
Date of birth, Sex, and Litter Information: Each of these is to determine the individuality of each litter/kid born and prevent fake registrations. Be sure this information is accurate! We recommend creating a Google sheet or Excel file with all of the registration information for each kid listed. You never know when you will need to go back several years to correct or submit a registration application.
Section 2: Appearance
Breed Standard Conformation: This just means what breed your goat is. Only check one box.
Color & Markings: This can be a little tricky if you want to be exact in your color description. It’s fine to call a buckskin goat “tri-color” but it’s more accurate to use “buckskin”. You will want to include things like blue eyes (no need to note brown eyes), moonspots, frosted ears etc.
This website is great for Nigerian Dwarf color patterns: https://www.nigeriandwarfcolors.com/coat-patterns.html
Horns and ears:
Dehorned is when the horns were removed surgically on an older goat.
Disbudded is when the horns are burned off as babies.
Horns is checked when the goat has not been disbudded, dehorned and is not polled.
Polled is a naturally hornless goat.
Section 3: Identification
Herd Tattoo: This is the tattoo specific to your herd. You will have received this from ADGA (and/or AGS) at the time you registered your herd name. This goes on the goat's right ear and is the same for every goat with your herd name.
Birth Order Tattoo: This is the letter and number specific to that goat. The combination of the herd and birth order tattoo creates a unique ID that can not be duplicated by any other herd. The letter will be assigned by ADGA for each year and the number is the order in which that kid was born. This order number does not have to be accurate but it is helpful if it is. This is important information to keep in your records. We use Google sheets to keep these records.
You do not have to number your unregistered or deceased kids. Some herds do keep complete records. Every kid born here, even stillborns, will receive a number and be documented in our records.
You don’t have to actually, physically tattoo the animal in order to register it. There is no check done by the registries unless you are showing, milk testing or appraising. In these cases, the goats must be tattooed but it can be done a few weeks prior to the event. We no longer tattoo our kids. It’s a painful procedure and there is no reason to do it if they are a pet or not going to be in any performance programs. By the time the tattoo is needed, it has often faded and needs to be redone. Our kids are much too young when they leave to be tattoo'd.
EID Chip: Microchips alone will not be accepted as ID for shows or performance testing. If the goat’s tattoos are not legible, a USDA-approved microchip can serve as backup.
Section 3b: Breeder (owner of the dam at the time of service)
Breeder Name: This is the name on the dam's registration paperwork as of the date she was bred. If you purchase a dam who is already bred and the purchase date on your transfer is after that breeding date, her kids will retain the herd name of the owner at the time of breeding. You can always ask to have this transfer date backdated but the breeder does not have to comply.
If you purchase a doe and the breeding is included in the purchase price and to be completed before she leaves their farm, request that the purchase date be when your money was transferred, not when the goat was picked up.
Breeder ADGA ID & Address: Be sure these items are accurate and the membership is current.
Section 4: Transfer
If you are selling the kid in question, check the box YES to send the certificate to the new owner.
Transfer Date: This is the date of sale. It can be the date of monies received or the goat was picked up. This only matters if the goat is being bred prior to leaving the breeder's property. Typically, this registration application is for new kids, not adults.
Name, ADGA ID & Address of Purchaser: This is the information of the buyer and new owner of the goat. I often leave this space blank and have the buyer complete it as they may have their herd registered in another name.
Buyers: Be sure that any goats you purchase have this box completed and signed or the registration will be sent to the breeder in their name, not yours!
Signature of Seller
This is the number one mistake when submitting paperwork. The signature in this section is for transfers only. The signature in Section 5 is for ALL APPLICATIONS
Buyers: Make sure the breeder has signed both sections or your application will be returned.
Section 5: Payment
Be sure to send in the appropriate fees with your registration papers or add funds to your online account. The person submitting the application is responsible for the fees. It's a 50-50 split between breeders who will cover the registration and transfer fees and those who leave it up to the buyer.
Transferring registration of a goat already ADGA or AGS registered
Original Certificate: If you purchase a goat who is already registered, the process is slightly different than registering a goat for the first time. You must receive the original Certificate of Registry from the seller. For ADGA, the bottom section must be completed and signed by the seller. If the goat is AGS, there is not a place to sign on the original certificate and so a bill of sale must be submitted.
Bill of Sale - In an ADGA transfer, you may not receive a bill of sale becuase the signed original ADGA Certificate of Registry serves as a bill of sale and your application to transfer. AGS requires a bill of sale documentation as proof of sale to transfer ownership.
For both registries, you will need to mail in the original certificate of registration along with the appropriate fees. If you are using AGS, you will need to submit an application for registry, bill of sale, the original certificate, and the appropriate fees.
Transferring from AGS to ADGA
If you purchased an AGS-registered goat and you wish to register that goat with ADGA, you will first need to register the transfer with AGS. Send the original AGS certificate, the bill of sale, a new registration application, and fees to AGS. When you receive the new AGS registration papers in your name, send the new, original AGS certificate to ADGA with the appropriate fees. You will receive an ADGA certificate as well as your original AGS certificate returned to you.
TIP: You can call ADGA or look on the ADGA genetics site, and see if the parents are both ADGA registered. If they are, you can fill out an ADGA application form and send in your bill of sale. In doing it this way, you won’t have that “AGS” notation by the names of the goat and the goat’s pedigree will be more complete on the ADGA genetics website. An “AGS” goat on ADGA will not show any parentage in the online system.
If you purchase a new goat that comes with AGS paperwork, is not registered AGS or ADGA yet but you want it to be registered ADGA, first check to see if the parents are ADGA registered. If they are not, you will have to complete the AGS registration and then submit the original certificate to ADGA. If the parents are both ADGA registered, request an ADGA registration application from the breeder.
Note that “AGS” will appear before the name of your goat on the ADGA registry if you use the AGS certificate and not an ADGA application.
Transferring from ADGA to AGS
Mail a copy ADGA certificate of registry, an AGS application, and the appropriate fees to AGS. There will not be any notation in the AGS registry distinguishing this goat from any other goat registered directly.