Courtesy the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office.

by Sarah Carr, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Kentucky State University Figure 1: Crossbred Boer x Kiko kid. Crossbreeding is not just randomly mixing breeds and hoping that the offspring do well. Rather, crossbreeding is a deliberate management technique that can have significant impacts on production outcomes. Generally, when implementing a crossbreeding program, the goal would be to maximize specific attributes such as carcass characteristics or material traits. Crossbreed

By Kelley Yates, Executive Director, Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office Sarah Carr, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Kentucky State University Purpose of the Ram The rams in our operations do not get all the attention they deserve because we use them for a short amount of time each year. However, the rams are the ultimate deal breakers for producers, because 50% of genetics of their offspring come from the ram (and 50% from the ewe). Therefore, rams need to be in our

By Catherine Riley To develop an elite herd of small ruminates, artificial insemination and embryo transfer offer the most economical way to infuse superior genetics into the herd or flock. While not inexpensive these two reproductive avenues allow the producer to select from numerous sires that can be matched to the needs of the herd, rather that using a one size fits all philosophy of one buck or ram for the entire group. When considering AI or ET, the producer has to t