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Linear Appraisal as a Management Tool
by Marilyn Grossman

My personal favorite in the barn is a big, sweet Saanen who answers me when I holler "Crissy!" and will do anything at all that I ask of her. In fifteen years of goats, I've never seen such gentleness and sweetness in such a large body. I have great difficulty accepting that she has any faults at all. At my appraisal session this past spring, the appraiser "coded" Crissy for having an incorrect nose for breed (she has a slight Roman nose). Crissy is a 2 year old that was born on my farm. I swear I never noticed that curve on her nose before. As it was, I had difficulty seeing it on that day of my session. Not my perfect Crissy!

This is where linear appraisal comes in as a management tool. Appraisers are trained professionals who analyze our goats' type. We get an unbiased evaluation of our herd.
The first area in the appraisal system is the linear traits. Linear traits are functional traits that are moderately to highly heritable and have an economic value (longevity, production). They are physically measured, and assigned numbers of 1 through 50. This scale is simply the extremes of the trait, with 1 and 50 being the furthest extremes, and 25 being the middle range of the trait. The ideal score varies trait to trait. The ideal scores are listed in the chart below.

The next section is structural traits. These are rated with poor, fair, acceptable, good plus, very good, or excellent. Following this area, is a place for the appraiser to notate up to 3 faults/defects that the appraiser feels are serious enough to merit examination by the owner. These structural ratings are more subjective. They are intended for herd owner use, and are not used in USDA sire summaries.

The last area of the appraisal sheet is the 4 major category scores: general appearance, dairy character, body capacity, mammary system. The linear and structural traits are examined trait by trait. In these 4 categories, those parts are put back together for an overall look at the animal. Then, those scores are put together for a Final Score for the animal.

We can take these linear scores, and trait by trait, find where our does are weak and where our does are strong. We can then take these numbers and systematically improve our herds by choosing a buck that is strong where our does are strong, and strong where our does show a weakness. This is what makes linear appraisal such a reliable tool.

Let's walk through an example

Assuming that the dam's scores are all the information we have, let's see what we could reasonably expect from these bucks. I could lose a little stature from either buck, but not much, and still be within breed standard, which is 30", or 25 points, for my breed. Of the body traits, other than udder, my does are all within the ideal range, except for a few does with rumps that are steeper in their angle than the ideal. Buck #1 would not be able to correct this, but #2 is likely to correct angle. In the udder traits, fore udder is my does greatest weakness. Both bucks are strong in this area, with #1 being slightly stronger. My does need improvement in rear udder height. #1 is in the ideal range, and #2 is even lower than my does. Rear udder arch is likely to stay the same with either buck. #2 has too much medial, where #1 is in the ideal, where most of my does are. Teat size and placement are likely to be affected adversely by buck #1, being both too small and too far out to the side of the udder. Side view of rear udder is not likely to change with either buck.

Both bucks are priced the same. Buck #2 has a fancier, showier pedigree. But in looking at the numbers, #1 is more likely to improve my does where they are weak and not hurt them in the areas where they are already strong. The 2 areas where #1 is likely to do damage, rump angle and teat shape and placement, are less important than the other areas in what I am choosing to improve, and what I personally find important. I am concentrating on udder improvements, so #1 is my choice. If I had just looked at pedigrees, photos of the dams, their milk records & show wins, I would have chosen #2, and not even considered #1.

And, as a bonus, #1 has a Good Plus rating in head (from the structural categories), no Roman nose. We could possibly even fix Crissy's nose while we're at it. Even though the shape of her nose has more to do with breed character than with function, it is still of value for the show ring and something I would like to correct along the way.

Linear Appraisal has much more value than just in advertising our does and promoting our herd. If we use it as the tool it was intended, we can make greater strides, more quickly in our breeding programs. It will soon be time to sign up for appraisal sessions with ADGA. I highly recommend that you all participate! Give yourself the edge in choosing your matings with the numbers.