[HoosierShadow]

I know I've been asking a zillion questions...

My kids should get their clipper comb set Tuesday, and want to clip their does.

We're unsure how exactly we should clip my daughters Nubian/boer. She's not really show material, haha, but she's going to show her anyway.

I'm wondering if we just clip the 'wild hairs' and leave the rest, because I think she'd look really funny if we did a full body clip. Her hair isn't too long, and I think the more we leave on, the bigger she'll look.
She has a sunken look we can't seem to get rid of, as with the kids red paint doe. They eat as much grain as they want a day, get a good horse supplement, and have hay. So I don't see that there is much else we can do about that. But keeping the hair will help hinder that a little bit.

They really aren't that yellow lol

She has some goofy black hair on her spine, not sure if we should try to clip that?

Underneath her coat is really light, and my daughter doesn't want to ruin her color with clipping.

Should we just try a minimal clip - cleaning her up?

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Is she being shown breeder or market? Surprisingly clipping her will make her coat look better, crisper pigment, and a cleaner sleek look, but it wil change the color.
I do full blody clips on all my goats (bucks, does, and kids), sometimes if they look skinny, I shave them because sometimes they really aren't that skinny, it's just all their hair standing up off their bones that makes it look worse than it is.
What precent protein grain is she on?

You have to shave for shows, unless it is a fuzzy goat show.

 

[GTAllen]

You don't shave meat does shown for breed. Only market meat goats get cut slick.

You need to leave as much hair as you can to make her look like she has some cover.

Clip long at first. you can clip more but you can't put it back on. Clip her neck so to it flows into her shoulders smoothly and blends. Clean up the underline. Smooth the chest floor. between her hind legs trim it so it makes her look wide. Leave as much hair on her hind end so she looks like she has a butt. Clean up the legs from the hock down so it makes her butt look bigger, but don't take too much off or her legs will look small. Clean up around her hooves(some people use scissors for this) Clean line around the horn. Clean up that tail(be very careful here because mistakes are glaring)

Clip 3 weeks before shows and clean up a few days prior.

 

[Tenacross]

Is she going against market wethers?
If she is going against percentage breeding does, I would start with about a 3/4 inch just behind the shoulders and work that forward. Then go to a 1/2 inch guard at about the middle of the shoulder and work that forward. Then I'd blend to a 1/4 inch in front of the shoulder and on up the neck. I would do her chest with the 1/4 inch. I would take the hair high on her forehead, just in front of the horns, *short* (1/4 to 1/8), to give her head a more circular Boer look. I wouldn't do much at all behind where you started, other than to clean up her belly and whatever else has the "crazy" look. I'm still learning, but I've done does like her.

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

You don't shave meat does shown for breed. Only market meat goats get cut slick.

I have never heard that. Any breeder animal out here gets a full clip, some clip less, some clip more, but everything out here has to be clipped.

 

[GTAllen]

When you wash and blow her out, blow the hair out on her hind quarters upward to give a more full look. Try to Trim the feathering off what sticks out behind straight and you can give the impression of a little more butt and overall length. For ABGA shows you can trim on the face a little bit to make the nose and horn set look better. I don't think it will matter outside of an ABGA show.

 

[Tenacross]

GT was hinting at this, but it will make them look wider if you take the hair INSIDE THE LEGS just above the hocks in back and just above the knees in front SHORT. There is kind of a "swerve" there that is full of fuzzy hair and if you remove it, Viola, wider.

 

[GTAllen]

I wouldn't clip those black hairs. It could make her topline look bad. When your daughter sets her up have her just stop the doe and place the legs a little back to try to make her not look like she is running down hill. Don't brace her like a wether. Make sure she has the chain well up under her head to hold that does head up also. She also looks toes out in back. You maybe able to make it less noticable with some hoof wall trimming. See if you can drench that goat and make her looked fill better.

I also lightly sand horns and dress them.

 

[Tenacross]

I have never heard that. Any breeder animal out here gets a full clip, some clip less, some clip more, but everything out here has to be clipped.

Are you talking about dairy?

 

[HoosierShadow]

Wow thanks so much you guys!
My daughter has her heart set on showing her as a % breeding doe. They are showing at county fair shows only, There is an ABGA show next month the kids 'might' go to, but I doubt she'll show this doe there if we go.

I typically in the past would take too much off, but I also had lousy clippers and it was hard to get a nice, even clip.

I will write down the suggestions and as soon as we get the comb set we'll work on her and the red/paint doe.

The red/paint doe standing next to her looks rough after being extremely sick <feed ordeal that I posted about a few days ago in the health section>, she's better now, but I hope she looks better/fills out more when it's time to show.

We feed 16% medicated pelleted feed, They get some Stamm 30 horse supplement, and in the evenings we add in some rice bran oil. We feed a clover/grass hay, but lately the girls haven't gotten too crazy about it, so I may try to find something else just for them. Everyone is selling fresh cut hay, we've never given fresh cut hay before so I'm not sure if it's good to let it sit or if it's okay to feed it right after baling? I don't want to pay $8 for a year old bale of hay 20 miles away, if I can get something for $3-5 a bale 5 minutes away lol.

 

[Tenacross]

I wouldn't clip those black hairs. It could make her topline look bad. .

Why?

 

[HoosierShadow]

I wouldn't clip those black hairs. It could make her topline look bad. When your daughter sets her up have her just stop the doe and place the legs a little back to try to make her not look like she is running down hill. Don't brace her like a wether. Make sure she has the chain well up under her head to hold that does head up also. She also looks toes out in back. You maybe able to make it less noticable with some hoof wall trimming. See if you can drench that goat and make her looked fill better.

I also lightly sand horns and dress them.

Thanks! We'll trim her feet again when we clip her. I've been trimming in a grassy area, so I'll get her on the sidewalk and see if we can straighten her up.

I'm going to get Gatorade and see if I can get them to drink it. So far none of our goats seem to like anything in their water.

 

[GTAllen]

If you start feeling really bold with the clippers you can take the guard off and clean up the line down the twist to define it more.

 

[GTAllen]

Why?

I would clip what is sticking up like a mohawk down her back, but I wouldn't go to cutting the black out. It might make her look weak at the shoulders.

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Are you talking about dairy?

Not specifiaclly, no.
Any animal, wether it is dairy, or meat, breeder or market, everything gets clipped out here. Pigs, horses (to some extent), goats, cows, etc. All get a shave.
I suppose it is all about which fair/show you are at, I guess not all are the same as far as clipping regulations go.

 

[GTAllen]

GT was hinting at this, but it will make them look wider if you take the hair INSIDE THE LEGS just above the hocks in back and just above the knees in front SHORT. There is kind of a "swerve" there that is full of fuzzy hair and if you remove it, Viola, wider.

^^This is a must do and do it right.

More hair the better on does. Gives you something to work with. I see shows where the judge never puts his hands on a single doe. Some of the big time fantic show people keep does inside under the AC or at least mister fans. They travel in an AC trailer and are under mister fans. They keep the cashmere under coat growing almost year round. This gives them a lot of hair to shape and fit. It cover flaws and weakness. It highlight strengths. So think when you clip that you want to highlight her strengths and hide weak points.

 

[GTAllen]

Thanks! We'll trim her feet again when we clip her. I've been trimming in a grassy area, so I'll get her on the sidewalk and see if we can straighten her up.

I'm going to get Gatorade and see if I can get them to drink it. So far none of our goats seem to like anything in their water.

Drench her. A lot animals will not drink at a show. Goats think they are camels and that they can go to the next oasis without drinking.

If there is nothing in the rules against it, drench something to her. I like Essential Keep n On. But, gatorade will work. Do it well before hand so you know how much you will need to drench her with. Drench her the night before and several hours before each trip to the ring.

 

[HoosierShadow]

Thanks Dani! I'd love to get the Essential Keep n On, so I will definitely consider ordering it if there isn't a supplier around here.
Problem might be not having it in my budget. Replenishing the medicine box this week killed my bank account lol.

If we try drenching with Gatorade/water, any idea how much would be ideal to start with? I may just try giving them a little bit of Gatorade in their water first to see if they will take to it.

Camels....LOL!!!! very true!!!
We had that happen the year before last with my son's doe, she wouldn't drink at all, and we had to drench her.
I'm thinking if we have to venture this route with drenching, we'll do it before we leave, and again when we get to the show.

I've also had no luck finding any decent hay around here other than what we use, which is fine, but I thought it would help a little if I got hay that was a little more exciting lol I may call about some orchard grass hay tomorrow if they have any left.

 

[Tenacross]

I typically in the past would take too much off, but I also had lousy clippers and it was hard to get a nice, even clip.
The red/paint doe standing next to her looks rough after being extremely sick <feed ordeal that I posted about a few days ago in the health section>, she's better now, but I hope she looks better/fills out more when it's time to show.
.

The first couple of times I clipped I took way too much off. I don't even touch their butt cheeks anymore no matter what. Ha.
You guy's red doe might have been sick, but she will do much better than the spotted one. I know it's not all about that though.
Also, one more trick. Right where the loin meets the rump... Pretty much between the hip bones, but on the top line... if you sort of file the hair down there with a slightly shorter guard, or use pinking shears, or the best is a blocking blade used back handed... anyway, it makes the hip/rump "flatter" or "less steep" looking.

 

[HoosierShadow]

Thanks for that info Tenacross! Yeah, I told my daughter not to expect too much from her little spotted doe because she's so 'fine boned' compared to a boer. Body-wise she's starting to fill out and get some width, but as soon as you get to her legs, they are like pencils lol
When she sets her up, she is pretty level. If she could, I'd just have her show her in a dairy class LOL She's about 3 1/2 months old.
The only thing I don't like about her is her horns, but that's the Nubian in her.
We plan on filing the tips, and trying to make them look a little nicer.

Hopefully the clipper comb's come early enough tomorrow that we might be able to work on her, and the red/paint doe.

I think I am going to end up getting the stuff Dani recommended for getting them to look filled out. The red paint doe, once she puts on some more weight from being sick, she's really nice. Her only fault that I can see is just that sunken look and she does have a teat I'm not crazy about, but shouldn't be a disqualification.