How do I begin?

Print a Breeder Application form , fill it out completely and send to Pedigree International with your initial account/breeder fee. PI will enter your herd prefix, herd name and other information into its database. PI does work for approved active clients only. The $35 initial fee opens your account and gives you an active account for the balance of the year you apply. If you are applying after Oct 1 of any given year your account will remain active for the balance of the following year as well. If you are submitting your application to open an account prior to Oct 1 of any given year you will receive and annual fee invoice sometime in November for the following years fee.

Read The Policies

It’s important to understand our policies before you register your goat(s).

How do I register a goat?

Fill out and send in the Animal Registration Application form and correct fees. We also have an ‘electronic’ version (eApp) of our application that can be emailed to PI. When using the eApp to register your goats and invoice will be emailed to you.

The pedigrees of the sire and dam will be entered into Pedigree International database for you and a new certificate for the offspring will be issued and mailed to you. Note: The breeder of the animal to be registered is the only one that may present the animal for registration (exception is the offspring of does that were purchased already bred). The seller is the only one that may submit the animal for transfer.

Pedigree International will register its goats in the following way:

• 100% Full Blood. All animals designated as 100% Full Blood must be the offspring of 100% Full Blood parents.
• 100% Full Blood Savannas. All Savannas goats designated as 100% Full Blood must be the offspring of 100% Full Blood goats that can trace their pedigrees to any of the South African imports or genetic material and have no other animals in their pedigrees. They must also conform to the color standard as described in the Savanna Breed Standards. Goats displaying any amount of solid color that are produced from two 100% FB Savannas will be registered into the American Royal herdbook.
• Purebred. Does designated as Purebred must be at least 15/16 or 93.75%. Bucks must 31/32 or 96.87%. No progeny of Purebred animals shall be registered as 100% Full Blood.
• Percentage. All animals designated as Percentage animals will have their bloodline percentage calculated from the sire and dam.

Pedigree International reserves the right to accept or decline clients without cause. All decisions by PI are final.

Transfer of Ownership.

All transfer documents must be submitted by the seller. A transfer of ownership form (located on the back of the certificate) should be completed, signed and dated by the seller. The original Pedigree International registration certificate with completed transfer of ownership form must be submitted with the appropriate fees.

Identification.

All animals must be identified with both permanent and external identification. Acceptable forms of permanent identification are tattoos in the ear or tail web and/or microchips. Animals that are permanently identified must also have some form of external identification such as a tag in the ear.

Tattoos.

The herd prefix should be in the right ear; the left ear should be tattooed with a letter to indicate the year the animal was born and a unique identifying number (usually the ear tag number or sequence of birth for that year).

Year Indicator.

The meat goat industry standard alphabet identifiers indicate the year in which a goat was born.

2017 — G

2018 — H

2019 — J

2020 — K

2021 — L

2022 — M

2023 — N

2024 — P

2025 — R

The Letters I, O, Q and U are never used.

What if I am selling a bred doe?

When selling a bred doe, the seller will still be responsible to transfer the doe to the buyer. The seller must provide a service memo with the exposure dates of the doe to the mating buck to the new buyer and to Pedigree International during the dams transfer. Completion of the back of the registry certificate (service memo section) will satisfy this requirement. Both the seller and the buyer should maintain a copy of the service memo with the required data. If progeny is conceived, the buyer of the doe must then present a copy of the service memo when registering the new offspring.

What kind of documentation will I need to register kids out of artificial insemination and embryo transfers?

See requirements for AI and Embryo Transfer programs for your specific breed under the POLICIES menu. A complete registration application is required with copies of the genetic transfers. These transfers are contracts between individuals and are not the responsibility of the registering service. DNA parent verification is required on all kids produced by either AI or embryo transfer. PI will not enter disputes between buyer and seller of genetic material.

What does PI do to prevent possible fraud and corruption on the part of some unscrupulous breeders?

No amount of policing from a registry organization has ever been able to weed out bad unethical breeders. Due diligence by the buying public is how unethical behavior is exposed. Pedigree International is a privately run business and can cease business at any time with any client that PI believes to have committed fraud. PI retains the right to revoke a Certificate of Registration on any animal if it is determined that said certificate has been issued on false, misleading or incorrect information or documentation. PI may also deny or revoke the account of any client, at anytime, for any reason, including for behavior PI views as inconsistent with good business practice.

What is a VGL number?

VGL is the Veterinary Genetics Lab at the University of California­ Davis, the genetics testing service used for goat breeds. When a breeder has a goat DNA tested, it is issued a VGL or file number.

Does Pedigree International need my goat’s VGL number?

Yes, a copy of the report must be submitted to Pedigree International. The VGL number will be needed if the breeder wants to compare the animal’s DNA to another animal’s DNA to confirm parentage. Depending on whether the sire and dam both have VGL numbers, it is possible to have a goat sire verified, dam verified or parentage verified. This data will be noted on the certificate and in the database.