# G6S (Nubian owners read)



## Texasgirl (Feb 28, 2013)

I just learned about this genetic disease that is common with Nubians but often breeders do not know about. Please take the time to read this article on the subject.

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/g6s.shtml


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## Epona142 (Sep 2, 2009)

Thanks for posting. When I first started, I wanted Nubians because of all the beautiful colors. Ended up going with Nigerian Dwarves but had two Nubians I got from "trusted" breeders.

Both ended up being CAE+ and G6S affected and I put them both down and learned a valuable lesson. Sucks because they were sweet girls.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

G6S is quite the bummer, but thankfully with testing it is easily eradicated by breeding Normal animals... Even if you can't afford to test your entire herd, if you can just start with your bucks, that's a good place to start.

I just had to test my 2 Nubians with unknown status who had Carriers behind them... Thankfully both came back NORMAL so now all the Nubians born here will be G6S Normal by parentage 

For those interested in testing for G6S, I just put up a picture "Hot To" blog on doing your own goat blood draws.... About 3/4 of the way down the post, I discuss G6S testing, have links to the forms needed to test, and instructions on filling out the G6S submission form, as well as cost and such.... It's pretty easy to get your goats tested for G6S by yourself without having to have a vet do it 

http://noodlevilleadventures.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-noodleville-how-to-goat-blood-draws.html


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## Brigitte (Feb 14, 2014)

Anything that can avoided with a simple blood test, makes sense. Thank You for the link!


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

We tested our whole herd for G6S and so we know the status of our herd. We do not sell buck kids that are carriers and would only sell a carrier doe with full disclosure. There is only one doe in our herd that is a carrier and her kids are tested soon after birth so that we will know their status. Being SGCH and 2nd place 4 year old at the Nationals, she has earned her place in our herd. She is an outstanding doe and the dam of two of our herd sires who by test are normal.

That being said, I don't think that G6S is something to make a bunch of hoopla about. It is pretty much self eliminating as far as the affected ones. Carriers can live long productive lives. Affected kids rarely reach 3 years of age and usually they are showing unthriftiness long before then which will cause them to die or otherwise be culled. What is important is that your herd sires be tested for the gene. If the herd sires are not carriers, then none of the kids will be affected. 

In my opinion, it is kind of like knowing your goat is a carrier for extra teats. If bred to another carrier of extra teats you might get extra teats and what do you do with these extra teated goats? You cull them. The same with G6S. 

As for me, I would only rarely use semen or the service of a known G6S carrier buck as the chances of getting carrier kids are about 50-50 when bred to a non-carrier doe. With the test being around $50 per kid, you could easily spend $150 on a set of triplets. For me, it is more trouble than it is worth.


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## Texasgirl (Feb 28, 2013)

Last summer I purchased 3 Nubians from a respected breeder of Nubians. She had been in the goat business since childhood and had switched from meat goats to Nubians over a decade ago. When I learned about this disease a few weeks ago I quickly sent her the link. The exact same thought came to her mind as it had when I read the article. She had sold me 2 bred older does and a doeling that has struggled with worms and gaining weight her entire life. The breeder thought the other goats just weren't letting this timid goat eat, but I went though hoops, treating her naturally and bringing her into the milking stall by herself to eat in peace. Nothing I did helped. When my 6 month old mini started outgrowing this 12 month old full blooded Nubian, I decided to return to her. BTW, her mother had gotten sick and died while the breeder was recovering from surgery. My breeder friend has since resold the doeling (with full disclosure). Upon reading the article she decided to track down the doeling and pay to have her tested, even though due to health problems she is getting out of the goat business (only has 2 bucks left to sell-Texas). 

The first step in eradicating this disease is getting the word out. My breeder/friend never heard of the disease and now is looking at past losses wondering if she was to hard on herself. I have done a lot of research educating myself on goats as I got into the business when a homeless very tamed Boer doe walked by the house and I was able to escort her into my spent vegetable garden. Everyone talks about CAE and a few other diseases but never did anyone tell me to ask about G6S. If we truly want to eradicate this disease we need to tell everyone looking at Nubians to make sure they are purchasing a G6S-free goat. We need to get the word out, which is why I started this thread. If when I was asking questions about what diseases to ask about/test for before I went out and purchased my Nubians, I would not have taken that doeling without asking more questions. I spent a lot of money on that girl trying to help her when there is an excellent chance nothing will help her. Hopefully the new owner will agree to have her tested and we can find out if G6S is the cause of her problems. 

So Nubian owners, let us all make an effort to get the word out about this disease. Assume the person you are speaking to, even if they have had Nubians for decades, might be ignorant about G6S.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

You are making a lot of assumptions based on a test that hasn't yet been done there. In all likelihood the goat is stunted from coccidia. What I have read is affected goats don't live very long. I agree with Tim 's perspective on this. I haven't yet tested my buck because the cost of the test is so high. I'm open to doing so in the future. There are a lot of small Nubians out there, and with minis having such hybrid vigor, it is not unusual for a larger mini to outgrow Nubians in the first year in my experience. It's actually been a frustration for me as I've purchased Nubians and added them to my herd. But they grow for three years. I find the minis stop growing so fast cause they are minis, and the Nubians keep growing. A good thing to have on your radar, but realize there are a lot of simply stunted animals out there - especially in Texas where parasites are such a battle.


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