To qualify for the sale, bucks must meet Gold, Silver, or Bronze standards of performance for growth, parasite resistance, and parasite resilience and minimum standards for reproductive soundness and structural correctness.
Seven bucks qualify
Seven bucks qualified for the 2012 sale. No buck met the Gold standards for all three criteria. This year's top-performing buck was #9, a New Zealand Kiko consigned by Sam Burke (DE). Burke is a six year consigner and was last year's top consigner.
The other Silver buck in the test was #21, a 75% Boer x 25% Kiko consigned by Verlin Garber. Garber is a first time consigner from Tennessee. #21 was one of the most parasite resistant bucks in the test, having an average egg count of only 293 epg.
Five bucks met the Bronze standards for all three criteria. They include two bucks consigned by Randy & Jodie Majancsik. #24 is a Kiko buck, while #26 is a 63% Kiko x 37% Boer buck. The Majancsiks are first year consigners from Kentucky. #24 was the most parasite resilient buck in the test. His average FAMACHA© score was 1.3.
The other consigners of Bronze bucks include Jarred Dennison (KY), Waldo Nelson (MD), and David & Dee Richhart. The Richharts are first-year consigners from Indiana. Dennison and Nelson have consigned bucks in previous years. Dennison's #17 buck is a New Zealand Kiko. Nelson's #30 buck is 75% Kiko x 25% Spanish. Richhart's #35 buck is Kiko x Oberhasli.
Six additional bucks
2012 proved to be a challenging year for worm parasites, making it difficult for many of the bucks to meet the standards for parasite resistance, which are quantified by fecal egg counts. In order to have a "critical mass" of bucks to offer for sale, six additional bucks have been added to the sale line-up. Five of the bucks had a single disqualifying data point.
#29, a Kiko x Boer buck consigned by the Majancsiks, was the most parasite resistant buck in the test, having an average fecal egg count of only 289 epg. He also had the highest rate-of-gain at 0.25 lbs. per day (182% ratio). #29 failed to officially qualify for the sale last week when his FAMACHA© score was 4 and he required deworming. The FAMACHA© score was perplexing since his highest egg count was 533 epg and he was displaying no other signs of clinical parasitism.
#39, #46, and #43, consigned by John Smith (VA), Hannah Zitta (VA), and Jill Zink, respectively, were added to the sale. Each would have qualified officially for the sale, except for a single egg count of over 2,000 epg (only 200-600 epg over). All three bucks are Kiko. John Smith is a long-time consigner to the test, with a history of qualifying bucks. Jill Zink is a new consigner from Indiana. She provided two of the best bucks for the pen vs. pasture study.
The final buck in the sale is #73, a 75% Kiko x 25% La Mancha consigned by Verlin Garber. It had the largest rib eye of any buck in the test, according to ultrasound. #73's rib eye scanned 1.8 square inches, resulting in a ratio of 143%. One of the larger bucks in the test, #73 met the Bronze standards for parasite resilience and growth.
Does
Jarred Dennison and Verlin Garber will both be bringing Kiko doelings to the sale.
Sale bucks (images + summarizing data)
Seven bucks qualify
Seven bucks qualified for the 2012 sale. No buck met the Gold standards for all three criteria. This year's top-performing buck was #9, a New Zealand Kiko consigned by Sam Burke (DE). Burke is a six year consigner and was last year's top consigner.
The other Silver buck in the test was #21, a 75% Boer x 25% Kiko consigned by Verlin Garber. Garber is a first time consigner from Tennessee. #21 was one of the most parasite resistant bucks in the test, having an average egg count of only 293 epg.
Five bucks met the Bronze standards for all three criteria. They include two bucks consigned by Randy & Jodie Majancsik. #24 is a Kiko buck, while #26 is a 63% Kiko x 37% Boer buck. The Majancsiks are first year consigners from Kentucky. #24 was the most parasite resilient buck in the test. His average FAMACHA© score was 1.3.
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| #30: Waldo Nelson's Bronze buck |
The other consigners of Bronze bucks include Jarred Dennison (KY), Waldo Nelson (MD), and David & Dee Richhart. The Richharts are first-year consigners from Indiana. Dennison and Nelson have consigned bucks in previous years. Dennison's #17 buck is a New Zealand Kiko. Nelson's #30 buck is 75% Kiko x 25% Spanish. Richhart's #35 buck is Kiko x Oberhasli.
Six additional bucks
2012 proved to be a challenging year for worm parasites, making it difficult for many of the bucks to meet the standards for parasite resistance, which are quantified by fecal egg counts. In order to have a "critical mass" of bucks to offer for sale, six additional bucks have been added to the sale line-up. Five of the bucks had a single disqualifying data point.
#29, a Kiko x Boer buck consigned by the Majancsiks, was the most parasite resistant buck in the test, having an average fecal egg count of only 289 epg. He also had the highest rate-of-gain at 0.25 lbs. per day (182% ratio). #29 failed to officially qualify for the sale last week when his FAMACHA© score was 4 and he required deworming. The FAMACHA© score was perplexing since his highest egg count was 533 epg and he was displaying no other signs of clinical parasitism.
 |
| Sale bucks: #26 (L) and #39 (R) |
#39, #46, and #43, consigned by John Smith (VA), Hannah Zitta (VA), and Jill Zink, respectively, were added to the sale. Each would have qualified officially for the sale, except for a single egg count of over 2,000 epg (only 200-600 epg over). All three bucks are Kiko. John Smith is a long-time consigner to the test, with a history of qualifying bucks. Jill Zink is a new consigner from Indiana. She provided two of the best bucks for the pen vs. pasture study.
The final buck in the sale is #73, a 75% Kiko x 25% La Mancha consigned by Verlin Garber. It had the largest rib eye of any buck in the test, according to ultrasound. #73's rib eye scanned 1.8 square inches, resulting in a ratio of 143%. One of the larger bucks in the test, #73 met the Bronze standards for parasite resilience and growth.
Does
Jarred Dennison and Verlin Garber will both be bringing Kiko doelings to the sale.
Sale bucks (images + summarizing data)
