Notes from the NorthBranchWhen You Know Better, Do Better
By now, we are, all of us, aware of the American Nigora's claim to fame as (the one and only) dual-purpose animal for dairy and fiber. Although this breed has been 30 years in the making, we still need to get to the F6 generation in order to claim legitimate breed status. In other words, we need to knuckle down. As many of our members work independently to get there, it would be helpful to everyone if we also traded tips (and genetics) to help one another along the way. Breeding with an end-game is a complicated business, which commences with a clear understanding of the F-generation equation.
Through the years, I have noted a good deal of confusion over generation calculation, so it seems a good place to start, before we get into the murky business of breeding for select traits. When the American Nigora was a twinkle in the eye of the first breeders, it began with a cross breeding of a Nigerian Dwarf with a Pygora which produced the first Nigora doe, named "Cocoa Puff." The foundation breeds are referred to as the F0 generation, and also includes any goats that are "not quite Nigora," based on breed percentages. According to the ANGBA breed standards, a recordable Nigora goat must be AT LEAST 25% Nigerian Dwarf, AT LEAST 25% Angora, and NO MORE THAN 25% other allowed breeds (which consist of the Swiss Dairy breeds and Pygmy). The remaining 25% of the genetic make-up must be either Nigerian Dwarf or Angora. In accordance with ANGBA practice, all genetics are quoted with the ND percentage listed first, Angora listed second, and all "other" breed percentages listed last. So a goat having the percentages 45% ND/45%A/10%Pygmy would be a recordable Nigora; whereas one having 35%ND/35%A/30%Pygmy would not (but could be recorded as F0).
The F-gen equation works in such a way so as to weed out all possible impurities which may or may not be present in the earlier generations leading up to F6, and works thus: in breeding two F0 generation parents together, the offspring will be F1, so long as they are within the ANGBA percentage parameters outlined above. Following that first generation, you must breed two F1 goats to produce F2s, two F2's to realize F3, and so forth. Any time the breeding scale is interrupted by breeding backwards (for instance F1 to F0, or F3 to F1) the resulting offspring would record as one F-gen higher than that of the lowest parent. In the example, the F1 x F0 would result in F1 progeny; the F3 x F1 would produce F2s. Of course, again, the percentages of the parents must be considered when assessing each coupling to ensure the outcome will produce recordable offspring.
Since I am actively working towards the F6 generation, one might assume I am reckless (or witless) to consider breeding my higher F-gen goats back to a foundation animal, forcing me to start over with that particular line. But this is where selective breeding comes into play! Suppose I have an F2 Nigora that has outstanding fiber but gives lackluster performance on the milk stand? I would be further ahead to breed back to a 100% Nigerian Dwarf (F0) early on (or better yet, to an F1 75/25% 'light' Nigora from good milking lines) than to carry a line of substandard Nigoras through several generations.
The most important tip I can pass on to you (and at the risk of sounding like your mother) is to take your time and make good choices. This is especially important if you are working towards F6 - it is not a race, and rushing to an imaginary finish line would be counterproductive to our goal. It is so much more important to breed Nigoras that are biologically sound, conformationally correct, strong in both dairy AND fiber, and not too closely related (or consanguineous). The rest is cake... so enjoy the journey!