Notes

Outline

Show Wethers 101 Tye Fowler Texas A&M University

Pre-Ownership Pens Shelter Equipment Show Information

Pens Built with 4x4 or smaller mesh wire Pens need to be at least 48” high Give your goats plenty of space At least 25 sq. ft. per goat

Shelter Goats need a solid shade built of wood, tin, etc. Have at least two solid walls for wind and rain protection. Build the opening of the shelter away from the weather.

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Equipment Water Troughs not too large built for easy cleaning Feeders shallow enough for the goat to eat out of with comfort hang level with the top of the goat’s shoulder Keep your pens free of objects that could injure your goat.

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Show Information Research the shows that you plan to attend. Know the validation and entry dates. Know all of the other rules such as: weight limits, weigh backs, horn rules, muzzles and drenching.

Nutrition Getting him ready to grow!

Ration Select a balanced feed made by a respectable feed mill. Pelleted ration is ideal 14-16% Protein 2-3.5% Fat Balanced Ca:P ratio Coccidiostat Ammonium Chloride or Ammonium Sulfate

Starting Off With Your Feeding If your goat doesn’t know how to eat a processed feed, start with a chip of green, leafy alfalfa, top dressed with about1/2 lb. of the feed that you have chosen. Then slowly feed less hay and more feed over a period of a week to 10 days.  By then, the goat should be eating pelleted feed well.

"When the goat is about..." When the goat is about 60 lbs., he should be eating approximately 2 lbs. a day.

Trust Your Ration The nutritionalists who formulate these feeds are professionals.  They are selling a balanced ration. When you add things to your goat’s feed, your throw many of the ratios out of proportion. It takes the balance out of the protein, fat, and fiber ratios, and most importantly the Ca:P ratio.

"Don’t switch feed on your..." Don’t switch feed on your goats unless you have to.  It hurts their nutritional intake,and can cause acidosis.

Diagnosing the Type of Your Goat All goats fall at either end or somewhere in the middle of the two extremes: Greyhound or Basset Hound type. Greyhound- Longer, taller-made, leaner conditioned, later maturing, harder to put finish on. Basset Hound- Shorter, more compact, early in their growth, quick to maturity, easy conditioning.

Greyhound Can be left on ad libitum (full feed) for a longer period of time. They are harder to finish correctly; however, they stay more trim looking. When feeding these goats, it always seems like you are pushing them to gain weight.

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Basset Easier in their condition Must be pulled off of full feed much earlier They are harder to keep lean when they reach maturity (which is usually at a smaller frame size.) Take more intense management, and are held back rather than pushed

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Hands on Feeding Generally, an 85-90 lb. goat should be eating about 2-3 lbs. of feed a day, if they are still growing and being exercised. A smaller framed goat may not be able to eat this much without getting fat; however, a large framed goat may need to be fed more than 3 lbs. to grow at the right speed.

Judging Condition Goats and other ruminants put on finish (fat) from front to back. When measuring fat, measure over the mid to lower section of the front few ribs. For the show ring, most goats look and feel the best with approximately .15-.25 in. of cover over the ribs.

"Goats need to be on..." Goats need to be on an increasing plane of nutrition (growing).  It is always best to have them reach their target amount of conditioning just before the show. You can hold a goat at a certain weight, but not for long and not very easily. It is very important to NEVER LET YOUR GOATS GET TOO FAT. When you try to remove fat, you also remove a degree of muscle expression and freshness that is very hard to regain.

"Divide feedings as much as..." Divide feedings as much as possible. Feed at least two and ideally three times per day.

Exercise A Must If You Want to Get to the Top!

The Track Should have straight paths for the goats to run. Most tracks are either straight or oval. Each lap should be somewhere around 100 yards long.

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The Theory Behind Exercise and Straight Sided Tracks A goat benefits more from running hard at his top speed for a relatively short distance and then resting, than if he is just loping at slow speeds for a long period of time.  That kind of running decreases expression and smoothes muscling. For example, look at an Olympic sprinter as compared to a marathon runner.

"A sprinter has more balance" A sprinter has more balance, expression, thickness, and overall total volume of muscling, where a marathon runner is longer muscled, more lanky, and has less expression.

"Exercise anywhere from 4 to..." Exercise anywhere from 4 to 7 times a week, depending on the nutritional intake, condition, and handling of the goat. When first starting, run the goats around 100 yds., let them rest, and run them more, for a total of 400-500 yds. After 20-30 days of exercising, they should be running about 600-800 yards. Be sure to let the goats rest every 100-200 yards. If they are breathing with their mouths open, they need MUCH more rest.

Ways to Exercise Dogs 4-Wheelers Horses

Health Keeping Them Alive

Getting to Know Your Goat Spend time just watching your goats. Watch their eating habits. are they picky eaters or hogs? The more often you check your goats, the earlier you will catch problems. Keep fresh water available at all times. Water troughs must be cleaned often. Ideally, troughs should be kept in the shade.

"Smaller water troughs usually stay..." Smaller water troughs usually stay cleaner. Free choice mineral should always be available.

Urinary Calculi Caused by an improper Ca:P ratio. Effected by diet, water, genetics, and maturity at castration. Stones lodge somewhere in the urinary tract, much like kidney stones in humans.

Symptoms Uneasy getting up and down Straining to urinate Pawing the ground, extreme tail twitching painful vocalization

Treatment Most treatment must be done by a veterinarian Removal of filiform blockage removed with a catheter

Prevention Proper ration with a balanced Ca:P ratio and added ammonium chloride Free choice mineral (Comstock by Southwest Livestock Mineral) Fresh, clean water all of the time

Pneumonia Caused by wet and muddy  or  dry and dusty pens

Treatment Nuflor, Excenel, Tylan 200, or other respiratory drug Consult veterinarian for dosages

Barn Itch and Ringworms Fungi family Caused by washing and shearing, then exposure to the fungus at shows or other contaminated grounds

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Treatment and Prevention Spray or wash your goats with Nolvasan, Captan, or other fungicide at arrival and departure from shows Scrape the heads off of the Itch spots.  It is painful, but it will quicken the healing process. Heat lard and mix in powdered sulfur.  Apply topically to the ringworms or Itch spots.

RINGWORMS AND ITCH ARE INEVITABLE IF YOU SHOW VERY OFTEN

Long Term Healthcare Deworm  approximately every 60 days with Ivomec, Valbazen, Safeguard, or other dewormer recommended by your veterinarian. Vaccinate for Overeating with Clostridium Perfringens with Tetanus Toxoid every few months, with a booster shot given 14 days after the initial shot.

Training Start by snapping your goat to a fence. Place his head high, being sure not to choke him.  Spend time ‘socializing’ with him: pet, scratch, and handle his feet and legs. Never leave a goat unattended while he is snapped to a fence. Start off with him snapped up for about 20 minutes, and increase that time to about 45 minutes over a period of about a week.

"Work with them every day..." Work with them every day for at least a week when you first start training them. After they are comfortable being snapped up, start trying to lead them.

Leading Always stay behind the goats head, and even with his shoulder, NEVER drag him behind you. If you are dragging a goat, he will never learn to lead. You must ‘push’ him while you are walking.

"Start with easy forward pressure..." Start with easy forward pressure on the chain.  Increase the pressure until he steps forward.  As soon as he steps, let off of the pressure.  If he stops, resume the pressure and let off when he steps, and so on, and so on. He will learn that pressure means to walk forward.

Setting a Goat Up A goat always looks the best when his feet are set at their natural positions at the corners of his body. When feet are set too wide, their front looks short and structurally incorrect, and the back loses muscle expression. If his feet are set too far back, it makes his topline sway.

"Leave enough space when you..." Leave enough space when you stop. Always stay in line. Set the feet that are closest to the judge first. It isn’t always necessary to set all four feet. Move two or three to match the others. !!ALWAYS!! Keep the goats head up.

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Fitting Making the Goat Look Like a Champion The appearance of any animal can be improved or hurt by the quality of a fitting job. Fitting techniques don’t have to be too complex.  A degree of simplicity is sometimes easier on you and the goat.

Washing Don’t wash your goats too much. Washing removes the natural oils and luster in the goat’s skin and hair, and it removes some of the resistance to fungus. If at all possible, blow the goats out with a cattle blower; then wash the dirty spots with a wet rag or a ‘wet-wipe’.

Shearing Shear all of the hair above the goat’s knees and hocks (except the tip of the tail.) The key to shearing is using your off hand to keep the skin tight. You must shear against the grain of the hair. Every hair on a goat’s body can be shorn; you just have to get your clippers into the. right position.

"Ideally," Ideally, you should shear with Laser Lister Stablemate clippers with a Fine, Medium, or Cover Coat blade up to two weeks before the show, depending on the blade you use. Fine- Up to two weeks- 1 week is ideal Medium- Up to two weeks- 1 week is ideal Cover coat- Up to one week- 3-4 days is ideal  Show your goats with no more than 3/8” of hair.

Pulling a Goat’s Weight Down The purpose is to lower the amount of food and water in the goat’s digestive tract for a short period of time to pull his paunch up, and therefore make him look longer and  trimmer. Generally, water should be taken away the night before the show.

"You can hand feed and..." You can hand feed and water the goats for a couple of days before the show. You will not really change the amount of feed and water that they are getting until about 24 hours before the show. You are just feeding and watering them in smaller portions and more often than before. Remove all feed and water approximately 18-24 hours before the show. You MUST keep the goats hydrated to keep them from melting down.

"Drench you goats with a..." Drench you goats with a 150 ml syringe- style drench gun. Find a good livestock drench such as: 4-Sure, NRG, or Vanilla flavored Ensure (NEVER drench with strawberry or chocolate Ensure.) Drenches give your goats nutrition as well as fluids, where water doesn’t. Watch your goats to see how much fluid they need.

"300-400 ml about every..." 300-400 ml about every 6 hours is plenty, unless it is extremely hot. If the goat starts to loose any muscle expression or freshness, then he is too dry, and needs to be drenched more often.

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Attitude in the Show Ring Always walk into the ring with Confidence, but not Cockiness. Be respectful to the judge and your fellow showmen. RELAX, don’t get Jittery- overworking your goat can hurt your success as much as underworking him. Don’t let ’em see you sweat.

Conclusion Showing goats is a sport that can bring more fun than many other activities. Work hard at doing well, but always remember, showing livestock is designed to give families the opportunity to spend time having fun together.

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