Goat Registries Compared: ADGA, AGS, MDGA, TMGR and NDGA

Choose a goat registry by the breed, documented ancestry and program you intend to use. The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA), American Goat Society (AGS), Miniature Dairy Goat Association (MDGA), The Miniature Goat Registry (TMGR) and Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association (NDGA) do not accept the same animals, and a herdbook label does not have one universal meaning. Keep each certificate and registry number distinct on the goat’s Creatures record, with the source papers behind the parent links.

Registry-owned rules and pages checked November 12, 2026. The guide compares registration scope and terminology, with each registry’s own rules linked below.

Start with the goat’s papers and your next breeding

List the goat’s breed, parents, current registries and the exact category written on every certificate. Then ask what you want from another registry: a particular herdbook, show program, production program or a consistent set of papers for the offspring you breed.

A registry accepting a parent certificate as evidence does not mean it automatically accepts every animal, category or cross from that organization. Before buying a service or planning a mating around a registration outcome, show the registrar the actual papers. A question answered before breeding is easier to act on than a missing signature found when kids are ready to leave.

Use the goat pedigree guide to read the ancestry, and keep uncertain exposure histories clear with the breeding exposure record guide. A chart should preserve the evidence, not fill unknown parents with convenient names.

Registry scope at a glance

The breed lists come from ADGA breed standards, AGS’s purebred page, MDGA breed standards and Nigerian registration instructions, TMGR registration and NDGA’s registration FAQ.

ADGA: a dairy registry with breed-specific herdbooks

ADGA’s breed list includes Guernsey as well as the longer-established dairy breeds. It does not list Mini Nubian or the other developed mini breeds as separate breed herdbooks. Nigerian Dwarf is its miniature dairy breed.

Under the 2026 ADGA Guidebook, “American” is a breed-herdbook category with ancestry and conformation requirements, rather than a description of where a goat was born. Its Experimental Register takes crosses of registered Purebred or American parents of different ADGA standard-size breeds, and offspring of same-breed parents that do not meet the breed standard. The Guidebook keeps these recordation and experimental programs to the standard-size breeds: an application showing Nigerian Dwarf or non-ADGA breed percentages in the sire or dam is not accepted. For a Nigerian Dwarf cross, use a miniature registry’s own eligibility rules. Grade Experimental is a distinct female recordation route. Check the actual section for your breed and parents; a miniature registry’s F-number is not an ADGA eligibility rule.

The ADGA registration guide covers the application, breeder identity, ownership evidence and dated fees. Keep the entire registry number and category rather than shortening every ADGA animal’s status to “registered.”

AGS: purebred, with a different breed list

AGS lists nine breeds, including Pygmy. Its Americans and Grades page states that it does not maintain American herdbooks or record grades. Do not read an ADGA “American” certificate as if it were AGS purebred status.

The AGS registration rules define its recognized purebred through registered purebred parents of the same breed and the relevant breed characteristics. Re-registration has its own requirements. Ask about the particular papers you hold instead of treating registration with another organization as a blanket pass.

MDGA: generations, percentages and the breed standard

MDGA develops miniature dairy breeds from documented standard dairy and Nigerian Dwarf ancestry. Its registration guidelines identify acceptable dairy parent breeds and exclude non-dairy ancestry such as Pygmy or Boer from that program. This is a different question from AGS listing Pygmy among its own recognized breeds.

MDGA’s Experimental Herdbook usually holds F1 and F2 animals; later generations that fail the applicable standard can remain Experimental. Its American Herdbook usually covers F3 through F5 animals that meet the breed standard and the 70/30 rule: neither original parent breed exceeds 70% or falls below 30%. Its Purebred Herdbook begins at F6, with the standard and percentage requirements still applying.

Generation alone does not settle the category. Keep the registry’s own category, percentage record and any asterisk exactly as issued; do not promote the record yourself because another generation has been born.

TMGR: a separate advancement process

TMGR registers eight developed miniature dairy breeds. Its current registration rules put every goat under one year into Experimental, including animals with more advanced generations. MDGA dual-registration applications are assessed under TMGR’s rules rather than simply carrying the other registry’s herdbook across.

The handbook currently linked by TMGR, revised February 2022 and checked here in November 2026, describes F1/F2 as Experimental. An F3/F4/F5 animal may move to American at one year or older with documented breed-standard conformity, including height. F6 or higher Purebred advancement also requires conformity evidence for the animal and the preceding three generations at one year or older. An advanced F-number without that documentation can remain American. Follow the registrar’s documentation process rather than assuming a birthday changes the papers automatically.

NDGA: Nigerian Dwarf registration and the parent record

NDGA’s registration FAQ accepts purebred Nigerian goats from parents registered with NDGA, AGS or ADGA. It also explains that an AGS/ADGA dam must first be registered with NDGA before her kids can be registered there. For re-registration, the new-animal application, copies of the existing papers and the applicable fees are part of the process.

For a purchase, distinguish an unregistered kid’s breeder-signed application from an already registered goat’s certificate and seller-signed transfer. “Can be registered” is not the document itself. Ask for the paperwork you will actually need.

Keep several registration records on one goat

A doe can have different numbers from different organizations. On Creatures, add separate registration records with each registry name and number, and retain a clear copy of each certificate with that animal. Include the herdbook wording in the relevant notes. Connect the known parents to the same profile rather than creating a second goat just to hold another number.

Paper or PDF import can help bring the details into a review screen. Sign in with a free account before opening Import; the import guide lists the file types and limits. Compare names, IDs and parent links with the originals before saving. This organizes your records; the relevant registry still decides eligibility, receives the official application and issues or changes its certificate.

Keep tattoo locations and characters consistent too; the goat tattoo guide explains ADGA’s pattern without assuming every registry uses the same policy. The goat app comparison covers organizing a larger herd’s records.

Questions breeders ask

Is American the same as Experimental?

They are different categories. Read the issuer and its current rule first: ADGA, MDGA and TMGR attach different requirements to those words. AGS’s current page says it has no American or grade books.

Will dual registration preserve the same category?

Do not assume it will. The receiving registry assesses the application under its own rules. Keep both certificates and category wording when their outcomes differ.

Browse the goat species guides for the pedigree, breeding and milk records that go with the certificates.

Do this next on Creatures

Keep the paperwork with the goat it identifies. Start with one animal and the certificate or identification record you need to keep next.

• Add your goat’s profile with its existing name and ID. The adding an animal guide walks through the form.
• Add a registration or ID record. The form opens for visitors; a free account is needed to save. Follow the record guide.
• Create your farm profile. This has a guest signup path; the breeder directory guide explains the listing.
• Save a goat listing alert if you are looking for breeding stock.
• Browse current goat listings and ask each seller for the animal’s actual papers.
• Browse the breeder directory to contact farms about their herds.