DHIA & DHIR Test Recording
Official testing turns your production claims into records other breeders and registries accept.
What a Test Record Holds
| Field | |
|---|---|
| Test date and days in milk | DIM is calculated from the lactation |
| Milk weight | With separate AM/PM sessions where the plan requires it |
| Butterfat % | |
| Protein % | |
| Lactose % | |
| Somatic cell count (SCC) | |
| MUN | Milk urea nitrogen — a read on protein-to-energy balance in the ration |
| Total solids | |
| Laboratory | Who ran the samples |
| Notes |
That's the full component panel a lab returns, not a subset — so what you record matches what you were sent.
Test Plans
Test type is set when recording the test day and covers the standard ADGA plans: DHIR 20 (supervised), OS 40 (owner/sampler), ADGA ITP, DHIR 23 (one-day/one-trip), and group tests. Supervised plans also capture the tester's name and ID.
Why It's Worth Doing
- Star milker designations — ADGA's *M and *D awards come from official records
- Genetic evaluations — production data feeds PTAs and the herd-merit tools in genetics
- Sale value — a doe with documented production is worth more than one with a claim
- Your own decisions — culling and breeding choices rest on better numbers
Reading the Components
Butterfat and protein drive cheese yield and are heritable, so they're breeding-relevant rather than just interesting. SCC is an udder-health signal — understand goat SCC specifically, because the normal ranges differ from cattle in ways that matter.
MUN sits slightly apart: it's telling you about the ration rather than the doe. Consistently high or low across the herd usually points at feed, not genetics.