About Buttin'Heads
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Buttin'Heads Dairy Goats were started by Tom
& Sue Rucker and our son, Eric, who also had his own herd of purebred
Oberhasli and Nigerian Dwarves for which he used the herdname Buttin'Heads
Too. In 2004, following a house fire that left the previous home
uninhabitable, we purchased a new (to us) farm near Marengo, Ohio which is
about 30 minutes north of Columbus. Year pass and changes occur. In 2005
Tom and Sue split up. We continue to co-own the herd, but Tom and the
Oberhasli moved about a half an hour north to near Galion, while the
Nigerian Dwarves remained with Sue and Eric in Marengo. In 2007, after
obtaining his Associate' s Degree, Eric moved out to pursue a career
in computers
Buttin'Heads started in 1991 with the purchase of "a couple of goats for the backyard." During the height of the kidding season the caprine population reaches around a hundred, but we try to maintain a milking string of 25-30 adult does. |
| We strive to breed the all-around dairy goat, placing equal emphasis on milking ability, conformation and temperament. We were on continuous DHIR test from 1993 to 2002 to prove the milking ability of our animals. Our goal has never been to be number one in production, but to have animals that milk well in relation to their size. We have been fortunate to have one Oberhasli and several Nigerians obtain Breed Leader (Top Ten) status. Unfortunately, due to the expense and the inability to retain a tester, the herd has not been on DHIR test since 2002. We feel that the information provided is invaluable and hope to return to DHIR test in the future. |  |
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The herd is exhibited at shows throughout the area and to date we have had 17 Nigerian does, 15 of them homebred, complete their American Goat Society Master Championships including four different doe lines having three generations of Master Champions with one line now with the fourth generation. As all but three of these does have also met the minimum requirements in milk production for Advanced Registry status, they now carry the prefix of ARMCH before their names. We've had an AGS National Junior Champion doe and had the BOB doe for both preview rings at the 2003 AGS National show. Since ADGA acceptance in 2005 we've finished the ADGA Championships on 14 does and 1 buck, and brought home 6 all-breed Senior Doe or Combined Doe Best in Show awards. Although we rarely show bucks as we feel their value is better determined by the success of their daughters, we did have the 1997 AGS National GCH Nigerian buck, 1 ADGA permanent Champion Nigerian buck, and 1 Oberhasli ADGA Best in Show winning buck. We have also had 15 Oberhasli does (14 homebreds) complete the requirements for their American Dairy Goat Association Championships, 5 in 2007. We have several more animals in both breeds with legs toward their permanent championship status and are hopeful that we'll be adding to the ranks of permanent champions in the the herd soon. |
As you navigate through our site, you'll find we don't give the usual "glowing" descriptions of our goats. We realize that no animal is perfect, so rather than bore you with our view of the animals, we provide you with pictures, pedigrees, linear appraisal scores and milk and show records and allow you to reach your own conclusions. Of course, if you have questions about specific animals, we'll be glad to provide you with additional details.
