# Shaved my first goat today - Shame on you all for not warning me...



## KellyHM (May 5, 2011)

...about how freaking long it takes!    I spent close to an hour shaving her down, getting in all the little nooks and crannies, like under her armpits, etc.  I'm just glad it was one of my Nigerians and not a Nubian.    3 more to go before LA...


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## freemotion (May 5, 2011)

Used to take me over 4 hours to show clip a horse.  Not a track in site, however, and the faces were quite sculpted when I was done!  So sorry, no sympathy here!


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## helmstead (May 5, 2011)

You'll get faster...takes me 30 mins TOPS these days...zip zip zoom


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 5, 2011)

And how many pokey goat hairs did you end up with in your BRA?    I groom professionally so I should know better than to not wear a smock when I clip mine, but do I always think to don one?  That would be a no... Awful, just awful.   But don't they look gorgeous when you're done?


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## KellyHM (May 5, 2011)

Ummm, I don't know about looking gorgeous.  I can kind of see clipper tracks, although not horribly.  She has 2 weeks to correct it.    And yes, I had hair EVERYWHERE.  I went straight from there to the shower. 

And on a side note, while she was screaming for her baby, baby was happily nursing from my other nigi doe (that got attacked by the dog and lost her kids).


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 5, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

> Ummm, I don't know about looking gorgeous.  I can kind of see clipper tracks, although not horribly.  She has 2 weeks to correct it.    And yes, I had hair EVERYWHERE.  I went straight from there to the shower.
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> And on a side note, while she was screaming for her baby, baby was happily nursing from my other nigi doe (that got attacked by the dog and lost her kids).


Did you reverse a blade?


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## KellyHM (May 5, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

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Do what?


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## PattySh (May 5, 2011)

I groom all my own dogs and after doing standard poodles and cockers, I find goats a breeze! I shaved down my buck last weekend in about 20 minutes with a #7 blade. Doesn't  tend to leave "track" marks. It's my favorite blade for the dogs too. HOWEVER, a day later I looked at him in the paddock and he had a "skirt" on one leg. Seems somehow I missed a spot! Guess it is a 30 minute job lol.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 6, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

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Try getting a slightly longer blade (#7 or #5) and clip against the grain.  You won't get any "corduroy" this way.  I typically rough them in with a #7 skip tooth reversed, wash them, then use the finish cut blades.  Since you're clipping them a couple weeks ahead of time and it will grow back in relatively quickly I'd use the #7 reversed rather than a #5.  If I'm doing it at the last minute I like to use a 5 rev on our black doe so she doesn't look washed out, but after a few days it's already too long again.  We reverse a #40 on udders and reverse a #10 on legs and bellies.  You get clean, smooth results.

Edited to add: Be super careful to keep the skin stretched taut when using a skip tooth on dairy bucks with a whole lot of loose, pliable skin.  It wouldn't take much to nick them!


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## helmstead (May 6, 2011)

I prefer a T84 reversed for finishing - actually I have like 8 of them LOL and use them for the whole shebang except legs and udder/danglies.  But I do have/have used a #7 reversed which is also a very nice finish.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 6, 2011)

helmstead said:
			
		

> I prefer a T84 reversed for finishing - actually I have like 8 of them LOL and use them for the whole shebang except legs and udder/danglies.  But I do have/have used a #7 reversed which is also a very nice finish.


A T84 is most definitely on my shopping list when I drop off my shears for sharpening next month.


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## Melissa'sDreamFarm (May 6, 2011)

Okay, now that I've picked myself up off the floor from laughing so hard. 
helmstead:  I had a mental picture of someone shaving ........ "danglies" and I just about snorted the coffee I was drinking. I have never attended a show and NEVER knew danglies were shaved.


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## helmstead (May 6, 2011)

Melissa'sDreamFarm said:
			
		

> Okay, now that I've picked myself up off the floor from laughing so hard.
> helmstead:  I had a mental picture of someone shaving ........ "danglies" and I just about snorted the coffee I was drinking. I have never attended a show and NEVER knew danglies were shaved.


You should see the look on the owners of the danglies faces when that occurs, too!  They can't believe it either.


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## Squirrelgirl88 (May 6, 2011)

OK stupid question from a newbie - if i'm not going to show my goats I don't have to shave them right?


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## chandasue (May 6, 2011)

No, not unless they get really hot in the summer, then you might want to. I'm shaving the buck I'm getting just to keep the smell down, and since I'm not showing him I'm taking away his oh-so-manly smelling beard. Cruel of me... I know.


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## adoptedbyachicken (May 6, 2011)

Clipping danglies??  That's it, I'm never showing goats!  

I thought some of the things I did for showing horses was bad enough to get out of showing!  Your sure not making me want to return to the ring with a goat!


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## julieq (May 6, 2011)

helmstead said:
			
		

> You'll get faster...takes me 30 mins TOPS these days...zip zip zoom


How about doing a video on goat clipping so the rest of us can do it in under three hours?!  I've got ten adults and a few kids to clip next month and I'm dreading it.

In fact, maybe you could fly out to Idaho and I'll videotape you clipping my goats!


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 6, 2011)

julieq said:
			
		

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I'll do it Julie, I sure wouldn't mind a vacation.  Wait... if I groom for a living then I guess grooming a herd of goats wouldn't feel much like a vacation...   Oh, but Idaho is so pretty!


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## helmstead (May 6, 2011)

Being 30 minutes away from home - these days - for an overnighter is a vacation


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## julieq (May 7, 2011)

I've forgotten what a vacation is.  The last time DH and I went on a road trip it was to Texas to pick up goats!   This time of the year even trips to the grocery store in 'town' have to be planned around kid feeding times.  

Seriously, I'd pay for a video that showed a professional clipping technique on goats, as opposed to just 'getting the hair off'!


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## freemotion (May 7, 2011)

The right tools are critical to speed, too.  When I worked full-time with show horses, a wall-mounted clipper sped up my clipping time big time.   The clipper head stayed cool and the unit was quiet and the handset was quite mobile.  This also led to more cooperative horses.

Someone could make a tasty wad of cash by traveling to farms and clipping goats....if you charged only $20 per head and could get two done an hour....not a bad deal on both ends.  If it saved the owner 2-3 hours per goat, they would consider $20 to be a great deal.  Hmmm.....


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 7, 2011)

freemotion said:
			
		

> The right tools are critical to speed, too.  When I worked full-time with show horses, a wall-mounted clipper sped up my clipping time big time.   The clipper head stayed cool and the unit was quiet and the handset was quite mobile.  This also led to more cooperative horses.
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> Someone could make a tasty wad of cash by traveling to farms and clipping goats....if you charged only $20 per head and could get two done an hour....not a bad deal on both ends.  If it saved the owner 2-3 hours per goat, they would consider $20 to be a great deal.  Hmmm.....


$20 per goat would be way cheap for the groomer.


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## Livinwright Farm (May 7, 2011)

I was shaving our new buck Falkor just now, and had to stop for a bit! Between trying to comb out his THICK udercoat from over winter, and the animal clippers not wanting to operate correctly... it is a pain. He is everything you could ask for though! He just stands there feeling the vibrations from the clippers and has this,"I'm in goat heaven" look on his sweet little face!    Washing will tell for sure, but it appears that this "dirty white" buck is actually a light to medium caramel(going by the first inch of hair going out from his skin)


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## freemotion (May 7, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

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$40?  Would people pay it or just muddle through?  If someone could do 2 goats an hour and had, say, 8 goats to do, they could make a nice hourly wage for a morning's work.  

Of course, travel would be taken into consideration.  I charge about double and have a 2 session minimum to take my massage table out to a person's home.  I end up getting about $50 per hour or more for driving, essentially.  Not my highest hourly pay, but a nice wage for sitting and listening to the radio or books on tape!


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## julieq (May 7, 2011)

I'd pay 20.00 per goat just to not get goat hair down my shirt!


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 7, 2011)

A typical groom on a dog that takes under an hour is $40-$60.


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## KellyHM (May 10, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> A typical groom on a dog that takes under an hour is $40-$60.


  Last time I called one of the groomers down here they told me around $25.


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## freemotion (May 10, 2011)

Yes, but what will the market bear?  Goat owners are probably mostly do-it-yourselfers.  Let's say one can make $30-40 per hour.  Still a nice wage.

And a goat is less likely to shred you like a dog would.   Well, depends on the goat.....


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## chandasue (May 10, 2011)

Someone near here posted on craigslist that they'd do shearing for $10/animal + $50 trip charge with a max of 15 animals to give you an idea of the going rate here in MN.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 10, 2011)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Yes, but what will the market bear?  Goat owners are probably mostly do-it-yourselfers.  Let's say one can make $30-40 per hour.  Still a nice wage.


I mostly agree with you, but it's important to factor in the cost of the equipment and major wear and tear on your blades.  If you were bringing home $30-$40 per hour after your costs are covered it'd be worth it, provided it wasn't a wrestling match!

KellyHM, $25 for a full service groom is nuts!  I'd have quit my job long ago.


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## helmstead (May 10, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> I mostly agree with you, but it's important to factor in the cost of the equipment and major wear and tear on your blades.  If you were bringing home $30-$40 per hour after your costs are covered it'd be worth it, provided it wasn't a wrestling match!
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> KellyHM, $25 for a full service groom is nuts!  I'd have quit my job long ago.


You couldn't PAY me to groom someone else's goats, dogs, horses, etc.  I used to be really really good at mane plaits and tail rolls for hunters and people offered big bucks for me to do theirs at shows.  NOPE.  NADA.  NOT ME!  Y'all can save the finger cramps and yarn burns for  your own stinkin' horses!

And, yeah, I spend enough on blade sharpening, replacement parts, etc etc that I'd be right in the $50 per goat, too.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 10, 2011)

Yeah, wear and tear on the GROOMER is something that folks don't always think about.  Ask my hands and wrists about it after a week in the middle of shave down season when I have does in milk.  I had a wrist injury earlier this year from work that took weeks to heal because I wasn't able to stop using it long enough for it to do so.  Us groomers have to make enough to retire before arthritis sets in or we're in big trouble.


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## KellyHM (May 10, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

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I sure as heck wouldn't do it.  I wouldn't do it for $100/animal, but that's just me.


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## freemotion (May 10, 2011)

You have to remember that the person doing the fantasizing about a goat clipping business (me) has never clipped a goat and probably never will!   

I clipped a lot of horses and was really good at it but no, I would never do it for any amount of money.  I also pay a groomer to clip my two dogs.  I can do one of them, but it takes me hours and lots of tears and she does it in a flash, comes to my house, and no one is stressed.  Least of all me. 

Someone could do it, though!   In theory!


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 10, 2011)

Yes, if it brings you to tears it is best to call your groomer.   There have been a few other people's dogs that have nearly driven me to tears, so I hear you loud and clear.

Actually, if you were to set up pre-show and you were FAST you might have a good opportunity.


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## KellyHM (May 10, 2011)

So, what you all are telling me, is that the #40 blade that came with my clippers isn't what I should have used?


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 10, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

> So, what you all are telling me, is that the #40 blade that came with my clippers isn't what I should have used?


  

Did you REALLY shave your goats with a 40?!    Seriously though, get those gals some sunscreen right away or they're going to be miserable.  Oh, I sure would love to see some pics.


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## KellyHM (May 10, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

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Umm, yes, I did.    Only one of them though.  She has dark skin, so hopefully she won't get burnt.    How about a #10?  That's what I have access to at work and I still have to do the other 3.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 10, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

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Yes, a 10 is fine.  Just use it with the grain on the body coat.  Some folks do reverse it even on the body, but it's not my preference.  Even with a #7 rev they're at risk of a sunburn, just more so with a #40.  No worries, it's just the visual made me crack up.  Your goat is nakey!   I'll bet you can find some spray type sunscreen at the feed store...


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## KellyHM (May 10, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

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I don't know what either of those statements mean.    Told you I was new to this!


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 10, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

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That's ok!  With the grain is with the lay of the hair.  Against the grain is just the opposite, you shave in the direction against the natural lay of the hair.  As a general rule, reversing a blade (shaving against the grain) will give you a cutting action 2 steps shorter than if you were cutting with the lay of the hair.  So, a #7 blade reversed (the bigger the number, the shorter the blade) will give you approximately the same length as a #10 blade used WITH the grain.  Does that make sense?


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 10, 2011)

I actually like to reverse a #10 the legs on some of my goats and blend into a #7 reversed on the body.  I think it looks really clean.  I leave a little more hair on my black does or they look washed out, or my one white doe because I don't want her to be pink.  I use a #40 on udders.  There isn't one "right" length to use, it just sorta depends on the goat and what your preference is, how close you are to the show/LA date, etc.


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## KellyHM (May 10, 2011)

Yep, makes sense.  I shaved EVERYTHING AGAINST the grain with a #40.    My poor goat.


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## BetterHensandGardens (May 10, 2011)

My goats are very thankful for this forum - otherwise they'd probably be wearing a reverse 40 cut!


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## cindyg (May 10, 2011)

Hi all, Newbie here and Im wondering why is it that you all are shaving your goats?  I brush mine, but never thought about shaving them.  Gotta learn this stuff.


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## KellyHM (May 10, 2011)

cindyg said:
			
		

> Hi all, Newbie here and Im wondering why is it that you all are shaving your goats?  I brush mine, but never thought about shaving them.  Gotta learn this stuff.


Only if you're showing them.


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## helmstead (May 10, 2011)

I even shave my goaties that aren't showing, every spring, every one of them.  A) to give the skin some air B) to help them blow that winter fuzz and C) to make sure they're conditioned the way I FEEL they are or should be.


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## freemotion (May 10, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

> Yep, makes sense.  I shaved EVERYTHING AGAINST the grain with a #40.    My poor goat.


Sounds surgical to me....


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## KellyHM (May 11, 2011)

helmstead said:
			
		

> I even shave my goaties that aren't showing, every spring, every one of them.  A) to give the skin some air B) to help them blow that winter fuzz and C) to make sure they're conditioned the way I FEEL they are or should be.


Ummm, b/c you're crazy.


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## KellyHM (May 11, 2011)

freemotion said:
			
		

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Did I mention I'm a vet?  Surgical is all I know.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 11, 2011)

Yes, that IS surgical length!    Oh well, hair always grows back.   I'd be keeping her in the shade for a few days though if it were me.

Like Kate I shave all my goats in the Spring and Summer as well.  Not only do they look better, but I like to be able to see condition at a glance.


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## cindyg (May 11, 2011)

I see.....hmmm, think I'll stick to brushing.  My goat is a Pygora so if I wanted to use her hair (is it called hair, or something else?) for actually spinning, it's better for it to be brushed out I think?  And my ND doeling is just so beautiful, I don't think I'd want her shaved.  Also, she loves loves loves to be brushed, stands like a statue with her head up high as long as I'll brush her.  Then she wants to get up on my shoulders!  I'd like to see some pics of shaved goats tho, I've got the clippers, shave my DH's head regularly so maybe some day.


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## currycomb (May 11, 2011)

met and married my hubby, he had a 12yr old daughter in 4-H. i had the clippers from showing horses. first year, i shaved the goats,(sunbeam clipmasters) on the body, against the hair, then smaller clippers with #10 blabes on the legs and tricky areas. she watched. next year she did all 22 goats by herself(different days)she could do a goat in 30 minutes. they were on the stanchion with feed if they wanted, most just stood there.


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