Southern Oregon Clinic Packet

Fundamentals of Raising a Market Goat

Presented By Alyse Armstrong

Southern Oregon Livestock Show Field Day

Selection:  For those of you with experience showing other livestock, selecting market goats is somewhat similar to other species. Priorities such as structure, muscle, design, growth potential and bone remain the same when selecting a market goat. Evaluating for muscle is similar to evaluating lambs- you handle the rack, loin, and touch the ribs to check for fat cover. 

Exercise Programs: Once you have purchased a goat, selected a feed, and have the proper facilities, you need to begin considering different exercise programs. First of all, you should consider when you want to start the program; the general rule of thumb is to begin after first weigh in.

Think of your project animal as an athlete, specifically a short distance runner. Short distance athletes tend to have shorter, closer together muscle fibers that bulge-which is type of muscle we want our wethers to have. So in order to make a goat look like a short distance runner, we have to train them like a short distance runner, therefore SPRINTING IS THE BEST FORM OF EXERCISE!!!!!!! 

However, it can be difficult for humans to run wethers fast enough for it to be considered a sprint; so these devices may be used to exercise wethers:

·         Treadmill especially with an incline

·         Track Dog and safe track

·         Four wheeler 

·         Stair stepper

·         Hot Walker 

About two months prior to show, goats should be exercised daily. Programs should be adjusted for your wether specifically, i.e. a wether with too much cover needs more exercise, and a wether with too little needs less exercise. For more info on how to exercise wethers visit http://www.nisd.net/oconnor/organizations/clubs/FFAweb/Goat%20Lamb%20Exercise%20AgreementS.pdf.  

Training: Prior to show, you need to work with your goat and teach it how to lead. Since many goats can be resistant to this, I suggest using a prong collar for initial training and then practicing with a choke chain.  

You will need to practice setting up and bracing your wether prior to showing. You want your wethers legs to make a rectangle when set up in a brace. Initially some goats may be foot shy; to get your wether used to his legs being touched try slowly running your hand down his thigh then onto the lower leg.

Teaching goats how to brace is similar to teaching lambs. If a goat doesn’t want to push into your leg, back them into a wall or off the edge of a trailer. When bracing be sure to hold the head high, and make a 90 degree angle with the head and neck.   

The best form of practice is being in a real show; but to prepare yourself you should practice like it’s a real show and get a parent or friend to play judge. To check if you are bracing correctly, have someone take pictures of you showing and evaluate your position. You may also use a mirror to make sure you are correctly placing the legs.  

Sample Showmanship Questions

Introduction/General Knowledge:  The type and number of questions that will be asked during a showmanship competition vary widely depending on the judge; some judges may ask a large amount of questions, and others may ask few to none. I have organized this packet in order of most commonly asked to least commonly asked questions. While this guide will give you some information on what may be asked in the case of a close competition, the most important thing to study is your own animal! 

Things you should know about your goat prior to show day:

·         Age /DOB

·         Gender (Doe or wether)

·         Breed (Boer, Percentage Boer, or other meat breed)

o   Know if it is a fullblood (100%), pureblood (88% Boer), or a percentage goat 

·         Know your feeding program-what you feed , how much, what supplements and how often

·         Be able to explain what fitting you have done to your wether

·         Weight and Daily average gain

 In the Boer goat industry, there are 3 registration associations; the International Boer Goat Association (IBGA), United States Boer Goat Association (USBGA), and the American Boer Goat Association. It may be helpful to research your judge beforehand and find out if they belong to one of these associations. While the ABGA is the largest association, through my experience in showmanship contests, I have found that USBGA judges are more prone to ask questions about their registration association, so if you know you have a USBGA judge you might want to research their scorecard which can be found at http://www.usbga.org/forms/USBGA_JUDGES_GUIDE_BOOK.pdf. 

Parts/Cuts of Meat: The second most frequently asked type of question in the show ring is parts of the goat. Many judges both ask for parts on a live animal and for cuts of meat. Below are pictures that illustrate parts and cuts you should know.