During the course of every business day, we receive numerous questions at the ABGA office concerning several topics. Below are a few of the more frequently asked questions. We hope these help you find a quicker answer to one of your questions. If you do not find your question listed, please feel free to contact us... we want to help you. Membership  How much does it cost to become a member, register a goat or conduct other business?     A schedule of fees can be viewed and printed by clicking on "Registration" from the homepage.  Then, select "Fees".  Here is a direct link:  ABGA Fee Schedule What do I get for my membership fee?   The membership fee includes many valuable opportunities, such as:   One herd prefix/herd letters (required to register animals) A subscription to The Boer Goat magazine (ABGA's Official Bi-Monthly Publication) The ability to conduct business at half the rate of non-members Participation in the nation's oldest and largest Boer Goat registry The ability to take advantage of the ABGA advertising campaign to educate and attract prospective buyers in your area. And much more! For a more detailed explaination click here:  ABGA Membership Benefits ABGA Online Premium I am an ABGA member, but my information isn't showing up on the website breeders’ directory.  Why?   Typically, the website directory is updated every 3 days.  If you joined prior to the last update, you may wait one to two more days and check again.  If it has been longer and your information is not present, you should check with the ABGA office to verify that our records reflect your information and that it is correct. My junior number is not on the breeder’s list, why is that? The junior members are all underage and ABGA is unable to post minor information on the website without written permission from the parent.  The junior, just like the adults, must be active in order to be on the website.  Registrations I received a Request For Information form, (RFI), with my paperwork.  What is it and what do I do with it?  RFI (request for information) means that we did not have the right information on your paperwork. We need you to fill out the RFI with the corrected information, sign and date it, and mail it back to the ABGA office so that we can complete your work.   Q: What does a Rush consist of?  “Rush” is a fee assessed to expedite your work ahead of other received work.  The “Standard Rush” fee is $5.00 per goat plus regular registration and transfer fees.  You need to write clearly on the outside of the envelope as well as inside, somewhere that is easy to see, that it is a “Rush Order”.  Our policy for “Rush Orders” guarantee a 3-business day turn-around in our office from time received to mailing, not including mail time.  This does not apply if there are problems or missing information for the work “Rushed”.  ***Please note that “Rush” fees DO NOT include any type of special mailing; Fed-Ex, UPS, Priority mail, etc.  When submitting the “Rush Order”, please specify what type of mailing you want, otherwise it is sent regular mail.  Please call for prices for UPS or Fed-Ex fees which are dependent upon zip code.***  I need my paperwork back the next day, is this possible?  ABGA does provide a “Same-Day Rush Order” service under the stipulation that your paperwork is received in our office by 1:00pm CST.  The fee applied to this service is $25.00 per goat in addition to applicable registration/transfer fees, etc.  This does not include work received after 1:00pm CST Friday afternoon or at anytime during the weekend or Holiday hours.  ***Please note that “Rush” fees DO NOT include any type of special mailing; Fed-Ex, UPS, Priority mail, etc.  When submitting the “Rush Order”, please specify what type of mailing you want, otherwise it is sent regular mail.  Please call for prices for UPS or Fed-Ex fees which are dependent upon zip code.*** I paid for a “Rush Order”; I thought that was an overnight delivery. A Rush fee is not the same as an overnight delivery.  If you need a Fed-Ex or UPS overnight or 2-day delivery, you must state that on the paperwork as well.  An overnight delivery is an additional charge averaging approximately $25; call our office for exact pricing. How do I read the pedigree to understand the registered ancestry of my goat?   Remember, all Boer Goats have roots that trace back to South Africa. Some came to the United States after traveling to different points and were noted as coming from these different points on their papers. The following list identifies some of the registries that maintained the animal's information at the time they came into the United States.   Reg. # Prefix Registering Organization and/or Breeder TR##### Canadian Boer Goat Association registration number K Keri Downs, Landcorp, New Zealand E Erewell, Landcorp, New Zealand O Olds College, Landcorp, New Zealand WW African Goat Flocks, New Zealand (full-blood) WG African Goat Flocks, New Zealand (percentage) A Australian Breeding Mgmt., Australia ###/### South African Breeder number and goat ID; i.e. 444/925 Any name given without an additional number is usually South African. Contact the ABGA office for specifics.  Transfers  I need to transfer a goat. Can I do this online?   No. The original certificate has to be mailed to ABGA’s office.  Transfers require the original paper with the seller's signature, sale date, name of the purchaser, and the transfer fee.   I want to fax my transfer, can I?   No.  We require the original certificate mailed to ABGA’s office with the seller’s signature, sale date, name of the purchaser, and the transfer fee. I purchased a goat and the back of the paper is complete with the buyer labeled as the person I bought the goat from.  How can I transfer ownership?  The seller must provide you with a second “Certificate of Transfer” form (which can be found on our homepage under "Forms") signing the goat over from themselves to you.  This costs only one transfer fee.  Tattooing Where can I get the tattoo guns?  Can I buy them through ABGA?  ABGA does not supply the guns, but we recommend that you go to your local feed stores or contact your local vet. We also recommend a website that you are able to order the guns from, go to http://www.caprinesupply.com   What is the size that I need to buy for the tattoo gun?  It really depends on your goat’s ear, but normally you would use a 5/16 inch tattoo.  Just check with your local vet, if you are not sure.  What do I tattoo in both the ears? Left & right is determined by standing behind the animal; in the right ear, you tattoo your herd prefix.  In the left ear you tattoo the birth year letter code followed by a herd number assigned by you.  (for example:  the animal was born in 2004 tattoos would be:  right ear = XYZ   left ear = S01) What is the letter that I tattoo in the left ear?    The year that the animal was born has a letter assigned to it. 1995-G    1996-H   1997-J    1998-K    1999-L    2000-M    2001-N    2002-P     2003-R    2004-S    2005-T     2006-V    2007-W    2008-X    2009-Y    2010-Z    2011-A    2012-B    2013-C   2014-D (The letters I, O, Q, and U are not to be used.)   Other My goat is sick.  What should I do?  When/Why/How should I vaccinate my animals?   Please remember, while we are here to help you with your registration questions as much as possible…we are not veterinarians. Your best bet for any medical advice for your animals is always your local veterinarian. How many goats can I put on my ranch?   That depends solely on your grazing conditions and management system. Generally, stocking rates are 5 to 7 goats per 1 cow unit that is supported by your environment. Contact your local county extension agent for help. What are the Record Kidding Books?  How much are they?  ABGA Kidding Record Books are a tool to record accurate performance data.  The American Boer Goat Association has recently engaged in developing a Kidding Record Book to which will provide organizational, accurate performance data for a producer’s operation.  The book includes items that will allow producer’s to record performance data and develop basic steps to an effective performance testing program.  The ABGA Kidding Record Book also contains features such as: birth weight, pre-weaning weight, post-weaning weight, management codes, disposal codes, kidding ease codes, birth codes, kid vigor and horn codes.  The book is also comprised of a gestation table and valuable information to help a producer make the most rapid progress in selection.  ABGA Kidding Record Books are priced at 5 books for $5.00 including shipping and handling.  The books can be purchased by calling the ABGA office at 325-486-2242.