Bloodlines

Shurley primarily chooses Spanish goats that are structurally sound. He likes large-framed and heavy-boned goats that show no signs of frailty. He prefers black coats, but does not breed for color. The goats are expected to be hardy—there is no deworming, and natural forage is only supplemented when necessary by 20% protein blocks.

Shurley’s long-term goat-ranching strategy lies in developing a composite herd that includes a mix of Boer, Nubian, Kiko, and Spanish in the mix. He’s not happy with guessing what’s best, he wants proof. He wants numbers, and has participated in goat performance tests since 1995. And Shurley’s willing to become actively involved with some very interesting studies to find out if his hunch about the perfect composite mix of goats is correct or not. In some on-farm testing in the mid-1990’s, some of his Spanish dressed out at 57% compared to his Boers who only hit around 52% on a live weight to hot carcass weight comparison. Unfortunately those ‘old’ Spanish genetics of his goats were lost due to out-crossing with Boers.

Shurley has seen the population of Spanish goats drop from well over half a million to today’s hard-to-find goats numbering perhaps 7,000 nationwide. Shurley has the experience to know that if you want to continue to keep Spanish blood in the herd, you’ve got to raise some purebred Spanish goats. Thankfully there are still a few isolated herds of Spanish goats running around in the Devil’s River area of Texas that aren’t being crossed with other breeds.

Shurley would like to state that many of the long-time breeders of Spanish goats listed on this website served as an inspiration to him in his meat goat ventures over the years. And he wishes to say, “Thanks to all of you who stuck with Spanish goats.”

History of Devil's Run herd by Marvin F. Shurley, February 2008




Kensing
Named after Robert and Doris Kensing, Menard, Texas

Robert Kensing was an economist for the Texas A&M Extension Service. One day in 1972 an extension agent called him in about horticulture——a local hobby farmer in Menard, Texas was considering growing pecans. When Kensing left that farm, he brought away 15 does and one buck. They were Kensing’s first goats. The Kensings had just purchased property in Menard, and although they still lived 60 miles away, they put the goats on the new land. The goats could eat brush and required very little maintenance. The Spanish goats were a weekend hobby, but right from the start Kensing began selective breeding and culling. When Kensing retired in 1986, he moved to Menard, expanded the ranch, and devoted his time to breeding purebred Spanish goats.

Robert Kensing had grown up with Angora goats, which were a popular breed in Texas when mohair commanded a high price, so he had experience. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, Kensing’s family were some of many ranchers who raised sheep and Angora goats in Texas. They also kept Spanish goats. When the shearers came, the crew would camp out on the ranch. Most were Mexican, and were very happy to eat goat meat. The ranchers ate it, too. That’s what the Spanish goats were for—you needed a small animal that you could eat before the meat went bad, because in the Kensing’s area, farms didn’t have electricity until the late 1930’s. Lambs were more expensive than goats. Angora goats were more expensive than Spanish goats, because Angoras could be sold for both meat and hair. Spanish goats were just for meat, so those were the ones for eating. And the Spanish goats could just take care of themselves.

Around the time that Kensing moved to Menard, meat goat ranchers in Texas were getting excited about imported breeds, specifically Boer goats. Boers became fashionable and popular, and most breeders chose to breed their Spanish goats with Boers. Not Kensing. He knew that very often that first generation of crossbreeding is very impressive, but as time goes on the crossbreeds may not prove to be everything hoped. So he kept his Spanish goats purebred, and added good stock to his herd. The additions were bucks. Two big, beautiful bucks from a Sonora breeder (no longer in the business), and some bucks from Bill Brown (now deceased) in Menard. There were also some from San Angelo. Kensing would pay the price for excellent bucks—$300 in the 1980’s to bring bucks of excellent conformation into his herd.

The Kensings had a friend out west who needed bucks, and that type of demand helped shape their breeding strategies. The Kensings breed for kidding in January and wean the bucklings in April. The bucklings are then kept separate from the herd, and given feed daily to help them fill out and to keep them gentled. In September, bucks are leased out for breeding, and in December they return home, and are left to forage. Of these bucks, some are culled in January or February, but the best live on to breed again.

The Kensings’ ranch features gently-rolling hills and great expanses of oak trees. Limestone rock in the hills has always kept the goats’ hooves naturally trimmed. There are no natural water sources for the goats, so they drink from troughs. Temperatures often reach 105 or 110 degrees in the summertime, which the goats seem to enjoy. The average annual rainfall is 20 inches.

The Kensings’ goats forage on “weeds.” Live Oaks and Shin Oaks factor greatly into their diets, and Robert Kensing keeps an eye on the Shin Oaks to make sure that the goats do not eat them all down to the roots. Mesquite and Prickly Pear also grow in abundance. The goats avoid eating the latter, but they will sometimes tiptoe in to eat the Prickly Pear fruit. Kensing has worked hard to control the cacti and Mesquite on his ranch. There is rarely snow in wintertime in Menard, and during winter months there are still tall, dried grasses standing, so cut hay is never used. When the goats’ feed is supplemented, Kensing uses 20% protein grain cubes and shell corn. The bucklings receive the supplemental feed, as do the does at kidding time. The amounts given depend on the quality of the natural forage available.

Weather plays a large role in the Kensings’ operation. Rain can bring worms, and Kensing can visually assess whether or not the goats need to be dewormed, primarily by looking at the pinks around their eyes. The forage is affected by the weather, too, which then in turn can affect the birth rate of the goats. Triplets are not unusual, but if the weather is tricky during the year and forage is poor, the goats mostly have twins.
If weather conditions through the growing season are normal, about 10% of the does will have triplets, most will have twins, and there will also be single births. The Kensings do not interfere at kidding time, and if a weak kid cannot make it through with normal care, it is left to its fate. Does are given shelter at kidding time, but usually take refuge in the shelter of the oaks.

The Kensing bucks weight in at 100 lbs when immature at eight months of age, and 175 lbs when full grown. The does weigh about 150 lbs at adulthood in good body condition.

The Kensings are fortunate in that they can manage predator problems. Eagles are rarely seen on their ranch, and the goats are safe from raptors beneath the trees. They keep one llama with each group of goats (groups consist of 50 goats running on 300 acres). The llamas are effective against the occasional coyote, and are easy to care for as they forage with the goats. The Kensings also have Texas Longhorn crossbreds who are fiercely protective of their calves against any dogs that may show up. As calving time coincides with kidding time, the cattle offer protection for the entire birthing herd.

Doris Kensing’s favorite Spanish goats were always the ones that were kind of different—the “furry” ones. These have a thicker cashmere undercoat which, Doris believes, protects the kids better from the elements. They have slightly different horns, and different, less gentle, temperaments than the rest. Their horns tend to grow more straight back than outwards, but there is only slight horn variation within their herd. The Kensings’ goats have small sideways ears. Cashmere is no longer tolerated.

The Kensings do not usually breed for color, but did have a client who preferred brown goats, believing that brown coats helped to camouflage the kids and keep them safer from predators. The Kensings obliged him, and ensured that their herd included mostly brown bucks to sell. Most of their goats are brown or dark tan with a black line down the back. Some are spotted.

Robert and Doris Kensing still raise purebred Spanish goats, but most of the herd is now in the hands of their nephew, David Whitworth, who is dedicated to continuing conservation of the Spanish breed.

History of Kensing herd from Robert and Doris Kensing, February 2008.




Old Georgia
Named after state of origin

The Old Georgia bloodline consists of two goats owned by two breeders. Story to come.



Pape
Named after Elgin and Shirley Pape, Harper, Texas

Shirley Pape was raised in Texas on a ranch that had bred sheep and Angora goats since the 1920’s, with Spanish meat goats kept separate from the Angoras. But Elgin and Shirley Pape did not raise goats themselves until one day, in the 1960’s, their daughter returned home with eight does and a buck, all purebred Spanish. She had been rewarded for her helpfulness by Mr. and Mrs. Midkiss of Kerville (now deceased), and thus began one of the largest purebred Spanish goat herds in Texas today.

The Papes added to their growing herd through the years, but only with stock from trusted friends and neighbors. They also raise Savanna and Savanna-cross goats, but the Papes keep the different breeds on separate ranches in the area. The Spanish goats are in ‘Hill Country’—a hilly area that is dry, rocky, and quite open, where Live Oaks, Shin Oaks, Mesquite, Yucca, and cacti grow amongst other shrubs and forage. It is a constant task to keep the Mesquite and cacti in check. The goats forage extensively on brush and Live Oak leaves, but the Papes supplement their feed with round bales of Sudan hay, protein blocks, cotton seed, corn, and grain cubes, which are a composite of pressed grain. The goats love the grain cubes, and the rustle of a feed bag will bring them running to their owners, showing them to be a pretty tame bunch. The goats have constant access to both mineral blocks and loose minerals, and drink from troughs as there are no natural streams or water sources in their pastures.

The Papes deworm twice per year, running the goats through a chute and using a worming gun to dose the goats with oral dewormer, usually Ivermectin. The availability of rocky surfaces in the area ensures that there is never any need for hoof trimming.

Buyers of their Spanish goats usually want weaned kids that are 30–50 lbs., and want them at different times of the year. The Papes meet this demand: most kidding occurs in January and July, allowing for the availability of young goats throughout the year. The bucks are never separated from the does, and mate selection occurs naturally. Because of this, the herd uses a mixture of inbreeding and linebreeding, which has worked well for decades. The Papes enjoy a reputation for having great goats, and have shipped goats to breeders throughout the United States.

The Papes do cull goats continually, but always for conformation, size, and udders, never for color. Their herd is comprised of a variety of colors, and includes slight variations in horn shapes, some curving slightly, some rising straight.

The success of the Papes’ Spanish herd is only marred by one thing—predators.
Bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, eagles, buzzards, and hawks have all taken their toll on the herd. When there are thousands of acres of pasture, pastures are hard to defend. The Spanish goats are now kept close to home and protected by one jenny per group. Each group consists of 300–350 goats and ranges over a few hundred acres. The Papes find that jennies stay more focused if not in pairs, but sometimes will run ragged protecting the herd and still have difficulty keeping coyotes at bay. Eagles pose another problem. There is no dense tree coverage protecting the land, and a constant supply of young goats also means that when the eagles return to the area after migration, there are kids to be had. Lately the eagles have been staying year-round. One day Mrs. Pape, grandchildren in tow, was horrified to find 16 kids killed by eight eagles who were perched at the water troughs. There may have been more kids missing—eagles will dive down at their prey and swoop back up, carrying it off in their talons. They’re daring and fast, and seem to defy the abilities of any livestock guardian.

In the early 2000’s, the Papes lost almost 60% of their stock to predators, but every year that percentage lowers. In 2007 losses due to predation still amounted to almost 20%. For Shirley Pape, who has loved goats since childhood, the losses are heartbreaking.

The Papes use government trapping and control programs, including aerial shooting, to help with predators, but these methods are not completely effective. The Papes have participated in many meetings with other Texan ranchers to increase government intervention in predation, but would like to see more results from the effort.

The Papes believe that predation is one of the main reasons why many local ranchers are giving up goat ranching, and see this as a great threat to the preservation of purebred Spanish goats. But the Papes won’t give up yet, and continue to do their best to conserve this endangered breed.

History of Pape herd from Shirley Pape, February 2008.



Rockingchair Ranch


Lloyd Whitehead of Rockingchair Ranch has been raising purebred Spanish goats since the 1960’s. He’s tried other goats as well—Angoras, Boers, Kikos, and crosses—but he always kept some pure Spanish around, knowing that there’s a place for them, too.

Whitehead’s Spanish goats are as hardy as they come. Whitehead does not deworm them or supplement their feed, he doesn’t help kidding or kill predators for them. This has led to a strong, resistant herd with the savvy to keep themselves safe and fed. His ranching style reflects the low-input management that has helped shape Spanish goats into the tough survivors that they are today.

Whitehead does rotate his goats through pastures. The goats are kept in groups that range in pastures of 400–1,000 acres. They are rotated according to the availability of good forage in each pasture. The land consists of rolling hills, with many Live Oaks. Predation comes from coyotes, bobcats, and eagles. Nannies with kids will hide their babies as well as possible, but the Live Oaks do not always provide enough dense cover to protect them from the eagles. A kid beneath a tree may still be a target: the eagle will attack from the tree, not from the sky above. Whitehead believes that the eagles do not migrate quite as much as they used to.

Whitehead culls primarily for udders and conformation and enjoys the variety of colors exhibited by Spanish goats. The Whitehead goats do not show much horn variation—their horns are all curved, a result of Whitehead’s preference for bucks who exhibit more horn curve. He finds that the increased space between horns enables the goats to extricate themselves more easily when caught up on brush or trees.

Billies are brought in every year for kidding in the winter months. Although Whitehead does not currently have any Spanish billies, he will be adding some soon to continue his conservation of purebred Spanish goats.

History of Rockingchair Ranch herd from Lloyd Whiteheard, March 2008



Sawyer
Named after Wesley E. Sawyer, Sonora, Texas

Wesley Sawyer, like most Texans of his day, kept Spanish goats. When Wesley Sawyer passed away, his nephew Ed Sawyer inherited the herd. Ed Sawyer had always liked Spanish goats, and began to breed the goats to bring out their vigor and strength, developing a line that both breeders of Spanish goats and non-Spanish goats want to breed into their herds.

Sawyer’s goats rotate pastures on a 14,000-acre ranch of rolling hills of rocky terrain, foraging on Live Oaks, Shin Oaks, and a variety of grasses. The goats are divided into groups, but the group sizes change according to the size of the pasture they are put into. Their feed is supplemented only if necessary in the winter with 20% protein blocks. Nannies tend to weigh 130–150 lbs, billies weigh approximately 200 lbs.

Billies are kept separate, and brought in early September for February kidding. The nannies kid in the pasture, and Sawyer obtains a kid crop of approximately 165%, with mostly twins and singles, and some triplets. Sawyer also keeps a “best” herd—those that he believes are superior to the rest. This herd is kept separate from the others and they breed amongst themselves, but some are also sold or culled. Sawyer breeds for good conformation, good udders, and “attitude;” he has no time for overly-wild goats. Color does not factor into Sawyer’s breeding choices at all, so his herd shows a great variety of colors. The horns are very consistent, and there are varying levels of cashmere on his goats. The culled does and wethers are sold at auction, and Sawyer also sells breeding stock to other goat ranchers. He is presently building up the size of his herd, but slowly and carefully, culling about 25% annually.

Sawyer deworms about three times per year, and the time for deworming is usually set to coincide with the handling and movement of the goats.

Sawyer uses only one method of predator control, which comes in the shape of his ranch foreman’s rifle. Although there are occasional attacks by eagles, bobcats, and foxes, there are no coyotes around. The foreman keeps an eye out for predators, but there has been very little problem of predation on Sawyer’s ranch.

Sawyer looks forward to continuing breeding purebred Spanish goats for years to come. He enjoys them.

Story by Ed Sawyer, February 2008



Smoke Ridge
The Smoke Ridge herd was started in 1991 with a small group of Spanish does acquired through Texas auctions. A new venture, the production of Montana-hardy meat goats with a cashmere byproduct was the original business objective. After a few years, Smoke Ridge concentrated solely on meat production, with fertility, maternal abilities, and longevity heading the selection criteria.

The Smoke Ridge herd resides in north-central Montana, at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The environment is dry (14 inches of precipitation per year) and holds great potential for generation of wind power! In the cold winters, with temperatures falling to 40 below zero, the cashmere undercoat that the goats still produce helps keep them warm and fuel-efficient while being fed grass-alfalfa hay (when the ground is snow-covered). Smoke Ridge feeds no grain or concentrates. The goats always have loose mineral available. The goats are used locally to help curtail the spread of weeds, including the noxious weeds Leafy Spurge, Spotted Knapweed, and Canada Thistle, and do brush reduction on nearby ranches, which benefits the community and provides extra forage for the herd. Smoke Ridge deworms their goats twice per year, one month before kidding and one month before breeding.

The original goats were trained to electric fences, subsequent generations were raised with them from birth. Although there are Golden and Bald eagles, Grizzly bears, wolves, coyotes, foxes and badgers, Smoke Ridge has no losses to predation thanks to their guardian dogs. Anatolians, Maremmas, and crosses thereof, guard the goats at home or off property at weed projects, at approximately one dog per 100 goats.

Nearly one third of the doe herd is purebred Spanish, and every few years those does are bred to a purebred Spanish buck to make a new batch of "mother goats." The entire Smoke Ridge doeherd is sorted into groups of approximately 75 animals, and a single buck is put with each group for three and a half weeks. Then all the does are put back together, with only a single cleanup buck, for another week Does are exposed to kid in the late Spring (May/June) so that the slaughter kids can be sold in the late Fall/Winter, when prices for milk tooth kids are highest. Even when more than 500 kids are born within four weeks, all kids are eartagged and recorded on the day of their birth. Does wean an average of 1.9 kids each.

Smoke Ridge primarily raises Spanish/Boer and Spanish/Savannah crosses for meat production, but maintains purebred Spanish does and bucks to keep the genepool available for the herd. Craig and Yvonne select does for fertility and their ability to successfully bring kids to weaning weight, on forage only, in half a year. They keep accurate records to monitor the performance of each individual goat. It is this attention to detail (and the bottom line), that enables Smoke Ridge to evaluate each goat and cull accurately. It also reinforces the decision to keep raising purebred Spanish goats, as they are such a valuable component of the enterprise which has been successful for over 17 years.

Story by Yvonne Zweede-Tucker, Fall 2008



Syfan
Named after Tom and Meta Syfan, Mountain Home, Texas

Tom Syfan has raised purebred Spanish goats for many years. During Syfan’s travels to destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, he kept searching for the better breed of goat. He feels that it is at home in Texas.

Syfan raises Spanish goats for meat, and pays attention to uniform conformation. Along the way he also began breeding for their coat quality. He sought to breed goats with good coats, and more hair. The result of his attention to their coats led to an all-black Spanish herd with heavy cashmere. The black coats are striking and accentuate the goats’ good conformation. The goats are medium-sized, with does weighing in at about 80 lbs and bucks average about 120 lbs at maturity.

Syfan’s herd consists of several groups: three groups of does, one group of bucks, a group of young bucks, and a group of young does. They live on 5600 acres in the Hill Country of Texas. Their diet is natural—the land offers Live Oak, Shin Oak, and many varieties of brush. They also nibble on the cactus. In the winter the goats eat a lot of Juniper sprouts, also known as cedar, which would grow extensively if it weren’t kept under tight control by the goats. Syfan only supplements their feed in the winter months, at which time he puts out corn. The goats drink well water due to an absence of natural streams in that area. The herds are continually rotated, with border collies to help.

Syfan uses six livestock guardian dogs and four donkeys to protect the herds. The dogs are Great Pyrenees, Akbash, and Anatolian, and Syfan asserts that it’s not necessarily which breed of livestock guardian dog is best, but whether or not the dog itself is effective. However, he prefers the Great Pyrenees, and finds that the Akbash (as a breed) will run off deer. Many Texans lease their land to deer hunters, and Syfan is among them, so the Akbash is not his first choice. His dogs (with help from the donkeys) deter and fend off coyotes, foxes, wild hogs, and they also watch for eagles. Syfan has successfully kept predators under control.

The herd is bred for springtime kidding. Syfan’s does usually have single births, which he attributes to the almost unsupplemented forage. If a doe has twins or triplets, she usually won’t kid out the following year. This is fine with Syfan, who finds that single-birth offspring tend to be extremely healthy.
Deworming is done on an as-needed basis, which depends on the results of fecal testing, performed a few times annually or depending on weather conditions.

Syfan has a lot of breeding experience. He was awarded the 1964 Ford Foundation National Award for Sheep Production, and applied his knowledge to goats. His methods are simple and effective. Here’s how it works:

The goats, male and female, adults and kids, are divided into three groups according to quality (conformation, size, etc.). ‘A’ does are bred to ‘A’ bucks, ‘B’ bred to ‘B,’ ‘C’ to ‘C.’ Once bred, the does are back to the brush, and resume their roles.
Every year, each goat is reassessed, and bred again using the same formula. A doe may drop from ‘A’ assessment to a ‘C,’ a buckling may come from a ‘B’ breeding and attain an ‘A’ status—whatever looks right in the eyes of a master breeder.

Syfan will only keep a limited number of bucks, so 80 percent of the buck kids will be castrated and kept for a year to control brush, and then sold as “mutton kids.” Culled does and doe kids also go to auction. When a good buck can be replaced with a better buck, so be it, and the culled older bucks usually go to hunting programs where their horns are prized by hunters.

Syfan sells mature does, bucks, bucklings, and a few doelings to breeders. His goats have gone to 27 states, and, although they are meat goats, many clients have bought them for their cashmere. Syfan maintains that Spanish goats are the best and most versatile goats in the Hill Country of central Texas, as they provide meat, cashmere, and have the unsurpassed ability to clear land and control brush.

History of Syfan herd by Tom Syfan, February 2008



Valera
Story to come.



Weinheimer
Story to come.



Willingham
Named after Jim and Elaine Willingham, Uvalde, Texas
In 1974, the Willinghams began their herd with Spanish nannies. The first billies they purchased at auction were part Nubian, and this crossbreeding produced a good, hardy goat with more body length and height than purebred Spanish goats. The Willingham cross is approximately 1/8 Nubian and 7/8 Spanish. Subsequent breedings were made with the best Spanish billies they could find. Dairy traits can be seen in larger udders, floppy ears, and often roman noses. They have selectively bred their herd to develop the 'Willingham' goat, to which they added, over the years, superior Spanish billies and nannies. Although Willingham goats may look Spanish and are often referred to as "Spanish" due to their ability to forage (much as they could be called "brush goats"), they are not being conserved as purebred Spanish goats.

History of Willingham herd by Jim Willingham, February 2008.

Return to Top            Contact Us