Altrece LaManchas
Herd Information
In 2012 we will be offering buck kids from outstanding
dams, as well as many of the doelings born. We want our animals to contribute to the further
improvement of the LaMancha breed, so we only sell buck kids from select breedings. We
usually raise
a large portion of the kid crop to gather
information on our herd sires and then keep all of the milking yearlings
that show potential. This year we need to continue to reduce our herd size so we plan
to retain only 20 LaMancha doelings.
All kids offered for sale are raised on a CAE prevention program separate from adults. We have been pasteurizing milk and heat treating colostrum for over 20 years. We do allow some kids to nurse but do not offer those kids for sale. Most of our bloodlines tend to be slow to mature, so please keep this in mind when ordering a kid from us. We do not push our kids to mature quickly and we feel we gain longevity and structural correctness, especially in the shoulder assembly and in feet and legs by allowing for a slower growth pattern. We suggest that you do not overfeed and push your Altrece kid to grow quickly if you want it to look like the animals represented on our website once it is mature.
We are very particular about udder health and we do all that we can to keep mammary systems healthy. All does are pre-stripped, washed with iodine based udder wipes (or pre-dipped then washed if it's muddy out) and post dipped with Bovidine after milking. We monitor bacteria levels in our bulk tank monthly and do individual cultures on the does every 1-2 months depending on our bulk tank results. We also use the CMT regularly to monitor the does individually. Our tank is routinely tested for Mycoplasma and we have also tested the does individually and have had 100% negative results. We are tested yearly for TB and Brucellosis and we were tested by the AZ Dept of Agriculture in 2007 and 2009 for Johnnes with 100% negative results. We will be testing for CAE this year when our TB and Brucellosis tests are done. The last testing was done in February 2009, all of the does 1 year and over were negative. We didn't test the younger does.
We feed top quality alfalfa hay and have recently added wheat hay to our goats diet when it's available. Our milkers are fed a small amount of a basic grain mix. Because of our large herd size, our animals have become extremely hardy. We cull any does that cannot handle being in a large herd situation.
We have not been on DHI test for many years due to the difficulty in testing so many animals. We hope to be able to add milk meters to our in-line system some time in the future. With our Grade A dairy, milk production is very important to us; we strive to increase production while maintaining quality conformation. We cull does that are not "paying their way" in the milk parlor. We are breeding for does who fill their udders well in 12 hours, and do not need extra hours of milk to be show ring ready. We do not over udder our does for the show ring at any time.
Prices quoted are for pre-ordered kids and do not include health papers, shipping crate or shipping fees. We prefer to ship kids at 3 weeks of age. We ship out of Tucson International Airport. We require a $100 deposit per kid ordered with the balance due 10 days after notification of birth. We ask that you send us a shipping crate once the kid is born or we can purchase one for you locally to avoid the cost of shipping the crate. We like to use American airlines whenever possible. Deposits are refunded if your choice is not born or if the animal is not up to our standards of quality. Deposits are NOT refunded on canceled orders.
Please let us know if you would like any further information regarding our animals or our herd management practices.
