Bathampton Commander (ATJ C068). He is in one of the pictures.

Year 1. 13.96 um, 66.3%, 252g

Year 2. 15.72 um, 65.3%, 816g

Year 3. 17.58 um, 62.67% 796g

EBVs -0.95 um, +91 grams, +79 MI

Bathampton Conqueror (ATJ C013)

Year 1. 16.41 um, 56.5%, 392g

Year 2. 17.32 um, 65.3% 1124g

Year 3. 18.00 um, 69.23%, 1167g

EBVs -0.11um, +221 grams, +146 MI

Bathampton Connoiseur (ATJ C055)

Year 1. 13.21 um, 35.3% 106g

Year 2. 13.94 um, 37.2g, 253g

Year 3. 14.74 um, 47.32% 234g

EBVs -1.78 um, -18 grams, +30 MI

Bathampton Byway (ATJ B037)

Year 1. 14.71 um, 59.7%, 254g

Year 2. 15.53 um, 57.9% 463g

Year 3. 15.93 um, 45.0%, 367g

Year 4. 17.39 um, 45.94%, 335g

EBVs --0.86 um, -15 grams, +12 MI

Bathampton Bunyip (ATJ B048)

Year 1. 14.11 um, 72.1%, 321g

Year 2. 15.48 um, 60.9%, 420g

Year 3. 15.03 um, 52.1%, 349g

EBVs -0.88 um, -74 grams, -24 MI

Bathampton Bomber (ATJ B052)

Year 1. 14.19 um, 72.1%, 313g

Year 2. 16.01 um, 63.0%, 545g

Year 3. 16.02 um, 62.9%, 591g

EBVs -0.48 um, +114 grams, +93 MI

Bathampton Ali Baba (ATJ A051)

Year 1. 13.74 um, 63.0%, 258g

Year 2. 14.91 um, 62.1%, 453g

Year 3. 16.44 um, 43.1%, 375g

Year 4. 15.24 um, 53.1%, 406g

EBVs -0.66 um, +62 grams, +58 MI

(EBVs updated using the 3 May 2016 data run)

Kidding

Kidding starts in September each year. Its a fun time of the year. Each kid is ear tagged and its sire and dam recorded. In this way I can keep their pedigrees pretty straight.

Performance Recording

We enter our fleece tests results and animal pedigree data into the ACGA Merrrit program. From that information, the program calculates estimated breeding values (EBVs) for each animal in the Australian herd. We then try to select the best to become parents of the next generation.

We were fortunate in the most recent analysis to have our bucks Commander and Conqueror ranked in the top 0.1 percent of animals in the whole country for their EBVs.

Our older buck Wedge (ATJ W052) is arguably the best buck evaluated in the University of WA, Cashmere Sire Reference program, being the better of only two bucks out of the 18 tested that simultaneously improved cashmere down weight, reduced fibre diameter and increased bodyweight of progeny. Wedge is Commander's great-grand sire. We think Commander is a big improvement on Wedge as he had about 30% more down weight at a finer micron as a two year old and much better EBVs!

Commander and Conqueror also came first and second in their class in the National Fleece competition, took out the most valuable fleece from Qld, the greatest weight of cashmere under 18.5 um and under 16.0 um, the Hazelgrove trophy,produced two out of the three fleeces awarded the Forte trophy for the most valuable three fleeces, the Gossamer Down trophy for the highest commercial value and the Sir Alan Smith Quaiche.

Our flock has been doing well in comparison with other Australian herds for some years now. In the Cashmere benchmarking project conducted in 2002, our animals (#6 in the data) were generally heavier, had higher yielding finer cashmere with lower curvature (thats means its softer) and were among the highest down weights. We've almost doubled down weight per animal at a slightly finer fibre diameter since then thanks to the ACGA Merrrit program. A pdf of the benchmarking results is here.

Joining

We pour over the performance records of our does and any bucks that are available to make selections of goats to put together. Joining occurs in April each year. Then five months later, well actually generally a week earlier than five calendar months, we have the first kids.