Milk testing sounds intimidating because people explain it backwards. This page walks through how dairy goat milk testing actually works, who does what, which choices matter, and how the data turns into usable records and recognition.
Whether we just want reliable production data for our own herd or we are aiming for milk stars, finished records, or Top Ten awards, the same systems are involved. The difference is knowing which steps matter for our goals before we start.
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Milk testing is how we stop guessing. It turns “she seems like a good milker” into numbers we can track, compare, breed toward, and show buyers without asking them to take our word for it.
One test day can be weird. A doe that’s off her feed, just came back into heat, had a stressful week, or got bumped at the feeder before test day can produce numbers that don’t reflect her actual capability. The trend across multiple test days across the lactation is what matters, not the outlier high, not the outlier low, and definitely not a single number taken in isolation. Milk testing is most useful as a pattern over time, not a snapshot.
If we are brand new to milk testing, the process is easier to understand when we see it in the right order. Here is how it actually works in practice.
Milk testing for personal herd records does not require enrolling in any registry program. Registry enrollment is only required for official recognition, milk stars, Top Ten awards, finished records, or other formal designations. If the goal is better herd management data without registry recognition, the process is simpler. Know which path we’re on before starting so we’re not doing extra work we don’t need or missing a step that turns out to matter.
Before picking a test plan, we need a DHIA. Milk testing works because different parts of the process are handled by different organizations, and each one has a specific job. Understanding who does what prevents a lot of confusion when trying to figure out why something isn’t working.
In most cases the DHIA already works with one or more labs and sets up that relationship for the herd. This is why most people effectively choose a DHIA first and the lab gets decided as part of that process rather than as a separate decision.
Even though the lab does the actual component analysis, sample transit time matters. The longer a sample box spends in the mail, the higher the risk of heat exposure, delays, and results that get flagged or rejected. This is especially relevant for SCC analysis, which is more sensitive to sample handling than fat and protein.
The quickest way to evaluate a DHIA: ask which lab samples go to and how long shipping typically takes from the local zip code. A DHIA that works with a lab two states away may not be the best choice if there’s a closer option that gets samples there in one day instead of three.
There are two separate pieces to official milk testing: the DHIA manages the paperwork and data flow, and the registry uses those results for production records and awards. They work together but they are not the same organization and both need to be lined up before the first test day if official recognition is the goal.
Tell the DHIA which registry goals matter, then confirm the test plan qualifies for those specific goals before beginning. Registry rules vary and not all test plans are accepted for all forms of recognition. This is the step that prevents the “we tested all year and none of it counted” situation, which is a real thing that happens to people who skip this conversation.
ADGA recognizes official DHI records for production awards and recognition including milk stars and Top Ten. If our does are ADGA registered and official production records are part of our breeding program goals, ADGA is the primary registry to coordinate with.
We are not currently using AGS for our herd but many breeders do, and AGS has its own DHI rules and production recognition options that are worth understanding for animals that are AGS registered or dual-registered.
MDGA has milk test rules designed specifically for miniature dairy goats, with clear requirements for approved test plans, milk stars, and official records. For Mini Nubians, Mini LaManchas, or other miniature breeds registered with MDGA, this is the registry whose rules govern production recognition.
TMGR is a good fit for miniature and experimental herds and publishes clear, accessible milk test guidance that is especially useful for people newer to the process. If animals are TMGR registered, or if a beginner-friendly entry point into official milk testing is what we’re looking for, TMGR’s documentation is worth reading even if a different registry ends up being the right fit.
Once milk leaves the barn and results come back, there is a data pipeline behind the scenes that most people never see. Understanding how it works explains why paperwork accuracy, verification requirements, and test plan choices matter so much, and why a mistake early in the process can have consequences that show up months later.
CDCB ↗, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding, manages national dairy data infrastructure. Despite the name, CDCB is involved in goat testing when milk test data is used for ADGA-recognized production records and genetic evaluation tools. The DHIA submits processed, official milk test data to CDCB, and CDCB then makes that data available to participating breed associations like ADGA. Most goat breeders never interact with CDCB directly. It runs in the background between the DHIA and the registry.
ADGA uses official DHI data routed through CDCB for production recognition, rankings, and earned production titles including M-Levels. See: ADGA M-Levels ↗
This pipeline is why ADGA places strong emphasis on:
Each of these requirements exists because data flowing through a national infrastructure needs to be consistent and verifiable, not just accurate within our own records.
If a test is rejected, miscoded, or missing required verification, it does not just affect that single report. Depending on the error, it can remove eligibility for awards, rankings, and genetic data use, sometimes retroactively affecting results from a test that seemed fine at the time. A test year with one critical paperwork error in the middle can unravel records that appeared to be building correctly.
This is not meant to be alarming. Most errors are preventable with basic attention to process. But it is why we recommend confirming award goals and test plan requirements before the season starts rather than assuming everything will sort itself out at the end of the year.
Depending on the registry, program, and test plan, official milk test data may appear in:
For most small herds, the immediate practical value is the production reports and the registry recognition. The broader data infrastructure matters more as the herd grows and animals’ records become part of the genetic evaluation picture for the breed.
Test plans are the part people hear about and immediately want to run away from. Don’t. It’s just picking the plan that matches the operation, how much help we want, how much certification we want to do ourselves, and what level of recognition we’re aiming for.
Quick Reference: Common Test Plan Types
Plan names and codes vary by DHIA and registry. The core question behind all of them is always the same: who is doing the official weighing and sampling, and what verification is required? Once we know the answer to those two questions for a given plan, we understand what we’re committing to.
A certified supervisor or tester oversees the official test milkings, weights, samples, and paperwork. The owner is present and doing the milking, but the supervisor handles the official data collection. This is usually the easiest entry point for beginners because there are fewer ways to accidentally make an error that disqualifies a test. There’s no certification required and no verification to manage. The tradeoff is scheduling dependency. Getting a supervisor out for every official test day can be logistically challenging depending on who is available in the area.
Owner-Sampler means the owner weighs and samples their own milk on test day. Certification through the DHIA is required, and periodic verification tests are mandatory, meaning a supervisor comes out occasionally to confirm the process matches official standards. Verification is not constant, just periodic, and it exists to protect the credibility of the data rather than to create extra work. For herds that test frequently or are in areas where finding a supervisor for every test day is difficult, Owner-Sampler often makes more practical sense once we’re comfortable with the process.
Group testing is an official test plan where multiple herds rotate testing each other on a set schedule. Each herd gets tested by someone from another participating herd, and everyone acting as a tester must be certified. The group follows the same timing, ID, and sampling rules as supervised testing. This is a budget-friendly option because costs are shared across the group, but it requires coordination and reliable participants. If someone in the group doesn’t show up on their scheduled test day, it affects everyone.
These plans divide responsibilities between the owner and a certified supervisor in some structured way, AM/PM splits, alternating months, or other arrangements. The exact rules depend on the DHIA and the registry recognition being targeted. Some versions require verification testing. If a split plan sounds like it might fit the situation, confirm the specific structure with the DHIA and then verify with the registry that it qualifies for the goal before committing.
If the goal is basic production recognition or milk stars, there may be more flexibility in which plan is used. If the goal includes Top Ten rankings, advanced awards, or data that flows into genetic evaluation, expect stricter requirements and additional verification steps. The rule is not that stricter plans are harder. It’s that higher-level recognition requires a higher standard of data integrity, and the plan requirements reflect that. Know the goal, confirm the plan qualifies, and then pick the option that fits the actual life of the operation.
Verification tests exist for one reason: credibility. An independent person confirms animal identity, paperwork accuracy, and that the testing protocol was actually followed. This is what separates official production data from self-reported numbers that anyone could write down.
Owner-Sampler plans require periodic verification by someone not affiliated with the herd. This is not optional. The verification person confirms animal identification through tattoos or EID, observes the required milkings, and completes the official paperwork. The frequency of required verification depends on the DHIA and the registry program. Confirm the schedule with the DHIA at enrollment so it doesn’t catch us off guard mid-season.
The verification person must be independent and have no financial interest in the herd. That generally means not a spouse, not a child, not an employee, and not someone currently in the process of buying animals. The DHIA will define what qualifies as independent for the specific plan and area. When in doubt, ask the DHIA before scheduling someone. Finding out after the fact that the verification person doesn’t qualify means that test doesn’t count.
Verification is not a quick pop-in during morning milking. It follows the same 24-hour protocol as an official test day, which means the night-before timing matters and the verification person needs to be available for multiple milkings over roughly 24 hours.
Plan the logistics well in advance. Asking someone to give up an evening, a morning, and an evening on short notice is a bigger ask than it sounds.
In some programs a verification test can also be submitted as an official one-day milk test for an additional fee. When this option is available and executed correctly, it can allow a doe to earn production recognition, including a milk star, more quickly than waiting for a full test season to accumulate enough data.
This is useful for does that are early in a lactation, for testing a single standout doe, or for establishing eligibility without committing to a full test year. It’s also a way to get double value out of a verification visit that requires scheduling an independent person anyway.
This option is not automatic and not available in all plans, DHIAs, or registries. Eligibility depends on the specific DHIA, the lab they use, the registry rules for the program, and how the verification is scheduled and submitted. Always confirm ahead of time whether a verification test can count as an official one-day test before scheduling it that way. Assuming it will work and finding out afterward that it didn’t is exactly the kind of preventable heartbreak this page is trying to help avoid.
Some awards and recognition levels have stricter verification requirements than a standard test month. For Top Ten rankings, advanced production titles, or other higher-level recognition, assume additional verification rules may apply and confirm those requirements with the DHIA before the season starts. What qualifies data for a basic milk star may not be sufficient for a Top Ten submission, and discovering that difference at the end of the year is too late to fix it.
This is what most people mean when they say they are on milk test. Repeated DHI tests are completed during a lactation and that data is used to build a standardized 305-day production record, a consistent, comparable measure of what a doe produced across her lactation.
Quick Reference: 305-Day Testing
ADGA Season Timing Rules: The Windows That Matter
These rules apply to ADGA DHIR. MDGA and other registries have their own intervals. Confirm current rules with the DHIA or the current ADGA Guidebook before the first test season.
A 305-day record is a standardized calculation, not a promise that a doe milks for exactly 305 days. Records can be completed based on actual test data through 305 days, projected from earlier test data if a lactation ends before 305 days, or adjusted based on lactation length and test coverage according to the program’s rules. Understanding which type of record is being built and what the registry requires for the recognition being pursued matters. Completed records, projected records, and adjusted records are not always treated identically.
Owner-sampler and certain shared plans still require verification testing during a 305-day test season. Verification may also be required for specific awards or higher-level recognition regardless of test plan. Plan for it as part of the season schedule rather than being surprised when the requirement comes up mid-year.
For MDGA-specific 305-day rules and verification requirements: MDGA 305-Day Milk Test ↗
A 1-day test is exactly what it sounds like: one supervised 24-hour testing window used to capture milk weights and components from a single day. It is not the same as being on monthly test throughout a lactation, but it can earn certain types of production recognition depending on the registry, and for small herds or specific does, it is often the most practical entry point into official milk testing.
Quick Reference: 1-Day Test
Supervision is focused on the required milkings and paperwork. It does not mean someone is in the barn for 24 consecutive hours. But it does mean the supervisor needs to be available for the pre-milking the evening before and both tested milkings the following day.
MDGA provides a detailed walkthrough of their 1-day test process: MDGA 1-Day Milk Test ↗
In some programs a supervised 1-day test can also serve as a required verification test for Owner-Sampler plans. With advance coordination and sometimes an additional fee, this can allow a doe to earn production recognition, including a milk star, more quickly than waiting to accumulate enough monthly test data. It’s a way to get double value out of a single supervised visit when both goals align.
This option is not universal. Whether a 1-day test can count toward verification, official recognition, or awards depends on the specific DHIA, registry, and test plan. Always confirm ahead of time whether a 1-day test will serve the purpose it’s being planned for. Assuming it will count for something it doesn’t qualify for is a common and entirely preventable mistake.
Milk test day is not just the morning the tester shows up. Milk testing measures production over a full 24-hour window, and timing mistakes are the most common way tests get invalidated, not paperwork errors, not sample handling, just people not understanding that the night milking is as important as the morning one.
The Rain Gauge Problem
If we want to measure how much rain fell today, we can’t start with a bucket that’s already half-full from yesterday. We have to dump the bucket out first, that’s the milk-out, to reset the gauge to zero. Only then do we start the timer. The milk-out is not a milking we’re throwing away. It’s the step that makes the measurement valid.
We are measuring what a doe produces in a 24-hour period. That means the night milking matters just as much as the morning milking. Both tested milkings are part of the official record. A test where only the AM weights were taken or where the timing between milkings was significantly off is not a valid test. The 24-hour protocol exists to standardize what we’re measuring so results are comparable across herds and lactations.
The protocol starts with a milk-out, also called a pre-milking. This milking empties the udder completely and establishes the official starting point for the 24-hour window. It is not sampled or weighed for the record. It’s the reset. The next two milkings are the ones that get weighed and sampled.
If we remember nothing else about timing: the night milking is approximately 24 hours before the next night milking. The interval between the milk-out and the second tested milking should be as close to 24 hours as the normal milking schedule allows.
Accurate weights are not possible if kids are nursing during the test window. Any milk the kids consumed during the 24 hours is milk that doesn’t show up in the weigh bucket. Most herds separate kids from does for the test window so the doe can be fully milked on schedule at each required milking. Plan this separation in advance so the doe isn’t stressed by an abrupt overnight change right before test day.
On test milkings we do the same milking we always do, same routine, same order, same does, with a few extra steps added for accuracy and documentation. The milking itself is not different. What’s different is what happens with the milk before it goes anywhere.
Quick Reference: Each Tested Milking
The Salad Dressing Rule
Italian dressing separates in the bottle. Pour it without shaking and we get all oil or all vinegar, not a representative sample of what’s actually in there. Milk does the same thing, and it does it fast. Butterfat floats to the top almost immediately. If we scoop a sample without mixing first, we’re sending the lab a cup of fat and the butterfat results will be significantly wrong in ways that affect the production record. Shake the bottle before we pour.
Milk separates quickly. Fat rises and the composition at the top of the bucket is not the same as the composition throughout. Sampling foam or the top layer before mixing can significantly inflate butterfat results and push protein results in the other direction. Always mix gently but thoroughly immediately before drawing the sample. This is not optional and it is not a step that can be done halfway.
A 1-day test uses the same full 24-hour window with observed milkings. It is not a shortcut version of the protocol. The most common mistake is forgetting that the supervised night-before milk-out is still required and still matters. The supervisor needs to be there for the pre-milking, not just the morning weigh-in.
For registry-specific details on 1-day test requirements and flow: MDGA 1-day milk test 
and TMGR milk program
Most milk test heartbreak is not from the milking itself. It’s from warm samples, loose caps, missing paperwork, or boxes that sit in a warehouse over a long weekend. The testing is the easy part. The logistics around it are where things go wrong.
Quick Reference: Shipping Milk Samples
If there’s any uncertainty about what the specific lab expects, ask the DHIA for their exact sample handling and shipping instructions before the first test day. Labs differ in their requirements for storage temperature, acceptable transit time, packaging materials, and paperwork. Following a helpful tip from an online forum written for a different lab’s protocol can invalidate results in ways that are frustrating and entirely preventable. Get the instructions from the DHIA and follow those.
Most milk testing problems are not bad goats, bad milk, or bad luck. They are timing mistakes, ID mistakes, and sample handling mistakes, all of which are preventable with a little preparation and attention to process.
Quick Reference: Mistakes to Avoid
Timing Mistakes That Kill Records
The full interval rules with context are in the 305-day testing section ↓.
Every item on this list has happened to someone and every item on this list is preventable. Read the instructions from the DHIA, confirm the plan qualifies for the goals before starting, and do the night-before milk-out. The rest is mostly just showing up consistently.
The report is not just milk pounds. It’s production plus components, and the pattern across multiple test days over the lactation is almost always more useful than any single number taken in isolation.
SCC, somatic cell count, is one of the most misunderstood numbers on a milk test report. A single elevated result does not automatically mean mastitis, but it is a signal that something deserves a closer look. Knowing the difference between a smoke alarm and a fire is the skill.
Quick Reference: SCC
The Smoke Alarm Problem
A smoke alarm goes off for fire, but it also goes off for burnt toast or a steamy shower. A high SCC is the alarm going off. It tells us the immune system is active in the udder, but it doesn’t tell us whether we’re dealing with a serious infection or something much more minor. The alarm demands attention. It doesn’t demand panic. The job is to figure out which kind of smoke we’re dealing with.
SCC rises when the udder is responding to something. That something may be infection, but it can also be entirely non-infectious. Common non-infectious causes of elevated SCC include:
A single elevated SCC in an otherwise healthy doe with normal-looking milk is worth noting. It is not automatically worth treating.
Any of these patterns should be treated as mastitis until proven otherwise. The combination of two or more is reason to act the same day rather than wait for the next test.
Milk testing tells us that something is elevated. It does not tell us what organism is involved, whether it’s contagious, or what treatment is appropriate. Elevated SCC is the reason to investigate, not the diagnosis itself.
If SCC remains elevated across multiple tests or clinical signs appear, culturing milk from the affected quarter is the next step before making any treatment decision. Treating without knowing the organism means guessing on a treatment that may not work, and in some cases, treating the wrong organism creates resistance problems that are harder to manage than the original issue.
Full mastitis guidance including when to culture, how to interpret culture results, and treatment considerations: Udder and Reproductive Health: Mastitis
ME stands for Mature Equivalent. It is a calculated adjustment applied to production records, not a real milk weight, and it exists so that records from does at different ages and stages of development can be compared more fairly against each other.
A Head Start
We wouldn’t race a toddler against a teenager and call it a fair comparison. We’d give the toddler a head start to account for the developmental difference. ME is that head start applied to milk records. It calculates what a young doe would likely produce if she were fully mature, so her genetics can be compared fairly against an older doe who has had more time to develop her production capacity. Without ME, first fresheners would almost always look worse on paper than mature does, not because their genetics are worse, but because they haven’t finished growing yet.
A first freshener, a second freshener, and a mature doe are not on equal biological footing. A first freshener is still developing body capacity and mammary tissue. A mature doe has had multiple lactations to build toward her genetic potential. Raw production numbers from these animals aren’t directly comparable in a meaningful way without some adjustment.
ME adjusts production data to account for age, season of freshening, and lactation length, producing a standardized number that represents what that doe’s production would look like on a level playing field. This is what makes breed rankings, Top Ten lists, and cross-herd genetic comparisons possible in a way that doesn’t systematically favor older animals.
ME is a useful tool for rankings, genetic comparisons, and evaluating breeding potential over time. It is not a tool for day-to-day herd management. Using ME where actual milk weight should be used leads to decisions that don’t reflect what’s actually happening with the animals.
Use actual milk weights when:
The rule of thumb: manage the herd with real milk numbers. Compare genetics with ME.
This is where everyone wants a simple answer, a single minimum number to aim for. The reality is that each registry has its own award rules and production minimums, and those minimums vary by breed, age at freshening, and test type. The good news is that milk test data can usually be submitted to multiple programs from a single test, as long as the test type qualifies for each award being pursued.
Production minimums are almost always based on the doe’s age when she freshened, not her age today or her age at the end of the lactation. Most minimum tables express this as year.month. For example, 2.04 means she freshened at 2 years and 4 months old. Find where she falls in the age-at-freshening table for the registry and breed, and that row shows the minimums that apply to her current lactation record. Using the wrong age group, even by one month, means looking at the wrong minimums.
These change periodically. Always use the current official source rather than a screenshot someone shared in a Facebook group two years ago.
Milk stars for does all mean the same thing regardless of which registry issued them: the doe met official production minimums on an approved milk test. The only real difference between registries is the letter they use and the specific minimums that apply.
Quick Reference: Doe Milk Stars
Regardless of the letter, a starred doe has proven she can produce milk and components at or above her registry’s published minimums for her age, breed, and lactation. The star is not an opinion or a show placing. It’s a documented production threshold met under official conditions.
Each registry chose its own letter. That is the entire explanation. The letter does not mean one registry is easier, harder, more prestigious, or less valid than another. A starred doe is a starred doe. The letter simply reflects which registry issued the recognition based on their own minimum tables and program rules.
If a doe is registered with more than one registry and her milk test qualifies under each program’s rules, she can earn more than one star designation from the same test data. This does not require separate milkings or separate test seasons. It requires correct enrollment with each registry, appropriate paperwork, and confirmation that the test type qualifies under each program’s rules.
A doe does not have to hit minimums in every production category to earn a star. Depending on the registry, stars can be earned through different production pathways, which means a doe with lower milk volume but high components, or vice versa, may still qualify through a different category than expected.
The exact pathways and how they’re calculated depend on the registry. Check the current minimums directly rather than relying on what someone else’s doe qualified under.
Stars are sometimes referenced alongside AR or ST in a pedigree or production record. These labels describe how the record was categorized, not whether the milk was real or the star was legitimate.
Both AR and ST stars are legitimate production recognition. They simply reflect how the doe earned her star, which is useful context when evaluating a pedigree but not a hierarchy of value.
Does earn milk stars from their own production records. Bucks don’t make milk, so their production designations come from two sources: the milk records already present in their pedigree, and the milk stars earned by their offspring. The letter combinations look complicated at first but the underlying logic is consistent once you see it.
The Coach Analogy
A buck is like a football coach. He never plays the game – he never makes milk – but he gets a trophy based on what his team does. The designations reflect where the proof comes from: behind him in his pedigree, or in front of him through his offspring.
A buck earns *B based on production proof already present in his immediate pedigree. He does not need daughters in milk to earn this designation – the proof comes from the female lines directly behind him. Specifically, *B is awarded when:
*B tells you the production potential was there in the lines that produced him. It does not tell you whether he is passing it. That is what +B is for.
A buck earns +B once his offspring prove he is passing milk production to the next generation. He earns +B by meeting one of the following:
The requirement for different dams matters – it prevents the designation from being built on one exceptional dam producing all the proof. The goal is to show the buck is transmitting production across different genetic backgrounds, not that he crossed well with one particular doe.
++B is a higher designation that requires proof from both daughters and sons – it cannot be earned on the basis of daughters alone or sons alone. A buck earns ++B when he has three Advanced Registry daughters from three different dams and two Advanced Registry Sire sons. The second plus must be earned through a different qualifying pathway than the first, meaning the offspring used to earn ++B cannot be the same group that earned the first +B.
++B is relatively uncommon and represents a buck with a documented track record of transmitting production quality across multiple offspring types over time.
+*B combines both designations – the buck has proof behind him through his pedigree and proof in front of him through his offspring. His dam was a star and he has earned his +B through daughters or sons. It is not a separate award with its own requirements – it is simply what a buck’s designation looks like when he qualifies for both *B and +B simultaneously.
When you see +*B on a pedigree, you’re looking at a buck who comes from documented production lines and has demonstrated he is passing that production to the next generation. It is the most complete single-line summary of production proof a buck can carry.
When evaluating a buck for purchase or lease, +B is the designation that tells you the most about what he actually passes. *B tells you where he came from. +B and ++B tell you what he does.
If we only click a few things from this page, make it these. Official rules change. Screenshots and Facebook comments live forever, but they are not rules. Always go to the source.
These are the questions we hear most often from people getting started with milk testing or trying to make sense of production records and pedigree designations.
Milk testing for personal herd records does not require enrolling in any registry program. The DHIA manages that process and provides production reports useful for feeding and breeding decisions. Registry enrollment is only required for official recognition: milk stars, Top Ten awards, or finished records. Know which path we’re on before starting so we’re not doing extra work we don’t need or missing a step that turns out to matter.
DHIA stands for Dairy Herd Improvement Association. The DHIA handles enrollment, test plans, barnsheets, and processing results into reports. They also submit official data to CDCB and registries when enrolled for formal recognition. The DHIA is picked first and the lab relationship comes with it. We use Indiana State Dairy Association DHI. Choose one with good logistics for the local zip code to minimize sample transit time.
Ask the local dairy goat network or registry what other breeders in the state are using. Regional word of mouth is often the fastest path. Langston University Goat Research has national reach and is commonly used regardless of location. When evaluating options, ask how long samples typically take to reach the lab from the local zip code. Transit time affects sample quality.
Yes, if official recognition is the goal. Test days that happened before enrollment cannot be retroactively qualified. Tell the DHIA which registry goals matter before starting, confirm the test plan qualifies for those goals, and enroll with the registry before the first official test day. This is the step that prevents the “we tested all year and none of it counted” situation.
It depends on the goals and how much supervision we want to manage. Standard or Supervised plans are the most straightforward for beginners. A certified supervisor handles the official weighing and sampling. Owner-Sampler lets us test our own herd once certified, with periodic verification. Group plans spread costs across multiple herds. The core question behind all of them is: who is doing the official weighing and sampling, and what verification is required? Confirm with the DHIA and registry that the plan qualifies for the recognition we want before committing.
The milk-out, also called the pre-milking, empties the udder completely the evening before test day and starts the official 24-hour clock. Without it, we’re not measuring what a doe produces in 24 hours. We’re measuring whatever happened to be in the udder when we started. A test without a proper milk-out has invalid timing and can’t be used. The pre-milking is not optional and the supervisor needs to be present for it on verification and 1-day tests.
An uncertified scale produces uncertifiable data. For official records and registry recognition, milk must be weighed on a dairy scale that has been calibrated and certified by a technician within the last 12 months. We bought our scale from our DHIA and mail it in for recalibration annually. A kitchen scale that’s perfectly accurate for cooking is not an acceptable substitute for official milk testing purposes.
Samples collected Thursday evening and shipped Friday can sit in a distribution center all weekend before reaching the lab. Heat exposure over that window degrades component data, especially SCC analysis, which is more sensitive to handling than fat and protein. We plan test days so samples travel Monday through Wednesday whenever possible. Get the specific instructions from the DHIA before the first test day and follow those rather than general advice.
ME stands for Mature Equivalent. It’s a calculated adjustment that accounts for age, season of freshening, and lactation length so production records from does at different stages of development can be compared fairly. A first freshener’s ME is adjusted upward to reflect what she would likely produce as a mature doe. ME is useful for rankings, genetic comparisons, and evaluating breeding potential. It is not a tool for day-to-day herd management. Manage the herd with real milk weights. Compare genetics with ME.
It means the immune system is active in the udder, not automatically that the doe has mastitis. SCC rises from infection but also from stress, physical trauma, late lactation changes, early freshening, and equipment issues. A single elevated result is worth noting and watching. Consistent elevation across multiple tests, one-sided elevation, high SCC combined with abnormal milk, or high SCC paired with a production drop are the patterns that suggest mastitis until proven otherwise. Milk testing tells us that something is elevated. Culturing the milk tells us what organism is involved and what to do about it.
AR stands for Advanced Registry, stars earned through ongoing DHI testing such as a 305-day record where the doe met minimums for both milk volume and butterfat. ST stands for Star Volume, stars earned through approved routes that are not full lactation records, most commonly a one-day milk test. Both are legitimate production recognition. AR stars count toward genetic evaluation and can be passed to bucklings. ST stars generally do not count toward genetic evaluation. The designation tells us how the star was earned, which is useful context when evaluating a pedigree.
They all mean the same thing. The doe met official production minimums on an approved milk test. The letter reflects which registry issued the recognition: *M is ADGA, *P is MDGA, and *D is TMGR. A doe registered with multiple registries can earn more than one star designation from the same test data if her test qualifies under each program’s rules.
+B means the buck has proven he passes milk production to his offspring. He earned it by having three starred daughters from three different dams, or a qualifying combination of starred daughters and +B sons. The different dams requirement prevents the designation from being built on one exceptional dam. +B tells us what the buck does. *B tells us where he came from. When evaluating a buck for purchase, +B is the more informative designation.
++B is a higher designation that requires proof from both daughters and sons. It cannot be earned on daughters alone or sons alone. Specifically it requires three Advanced Registry daughters from three different dams and two Advanced Registry Sire sons, earned through different qualifying pathways than the first +B. It’s relatively uncommon and represents a buck with a documented track record of transmitting production quality across multiple offspring types over time. A buck who also carries *B alongside ++B would be designated ++*B.
+*B is not a separate award with its own requirements. It is what a buck’s designation looks like when he qualifies for both *B and +B. His dam was a star milker giving him his *B, and he has earned his +B through starred daughters or qualifying sons. It is the most complete single-line summary of production proof a buck can carry, proof behind him in his pedigree and proof in front of him through his offspring.
Yes. A doe can earn a *M designation based on her progeny rather than her own test record. The specific progeny pathways vary by registry but generally involve enough starred daughters or +B sons to demonstrate she’s transmitting production. This is why a *M designation sometimes appears on a doe who was never officially on test herself.
Always go directly to the registry source, not screenshots, not Facebook posts, not what someone said was true last season. Minimums change and secondhand information is frequently outdated. ADGA minimums are at adga.org/m-levels ↗, MDGA minimums are at miniaturedairygoats.net/production-stars-faqs ↗, and TMGR minimums are at tmgronline.com/milk-test-production-minimums ↗. Age at freshening is what determines which row of the minimum table applies, not the doe’s age today.