# 4H market goats, one needs to gain....



## SDBoerGoats (May 19, 2012)

Have 3 kids taking market goats to the fair this year, fair is July 28. First weigh in is June 2. 
2 of the wethers are doing well, they weigh 66 and 68 now. The other one, a twin to the 66 pounder, only weighs 53. 
He is healthy, eats well, been dewormed, exercised and free choice Boer Goat Developer, free choice minerals and Calf Manna. 

I just don't think he is going to put on 10 lbs in 2 weeks. I am not happy with the size of these guys, we bred for all babies to be due the first week of January, so as to get a good growing time on them. Most of the does were first timers, and we got more doelings than we did boys. 

I don't know what else to do to make him grow or gain weight, he is not a thin goat by any means, just not as heavy as he needs to be. I will see if the kids will hold them and I will take pics. 

We have the twin to the bigger wether, he has horns because of complications after he was born, but he is a big healthy boy and weighs 63 lbs today and he is not getting free choice Developer, he gets a pound morning and night. He is 4 months old, is it too late to have him dehorned so he could go to fair? His horns aren't as big as the bucklings, maybe because we wethered him at 2 months. 
I have called all around and no one has any wethers for sale, I don't know what to do, I don't want my grand daughter to not have a market goat when it comes time for weigh in!


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## ksalvagno (May 19, 2012)

Roll Farm or RPC or 20kidshill would be good ones to answer that question.


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## SDBoerGoats (May 19, 2012)

Yeah, they would have some kind of good answers! Here's a couple of pics, they were sleeping in the sun in the playground so they are kind of scruffy. 

This is Chester, he is the biggest one, weighed in today at 68 lbs. 







2 shots of lucky, he weighed in today at 66 pounds












and Riley, weighed in today at 53


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## Catahoula (May 19, 2012)

Wow, they are all very handsome! Mine are skinny comparing to yours. Walter is a little shy of three months and he is 42. Jaci about the same age and he may be 40. They are just our pets and I don't know anything about showing but I sure like how yours look.


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## SDBoerGoats (May 19, 2012)

Really?  You think so? Thanks, these are the first market goats we have raised and I just don't know if they are big enough. One of the girls in our group said her market goat is 90 pounds! And she has a backup that is almost as big. Hers were born around the same time as ours so I was thinking ours were shrimps.  Still, Riley is really going to have to do some fast growing to make it to 60 pounds by June 1st, the other 2 are there so anything else they gain is frosting but Riley is short legged and just not that big of a goat, at least not now.


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## Catahoula (May 19, 2012)

What is a market goat? Is it the same as commercial? Are you showing them and eventually they'll be auction off for meat or for breeding?
They all look proportionate with nice size head and round bodies. You didn't even tilt and push their head back to get the muscle to pop out. Even though Riley is smaller, his body looks round and thick. I don't know what judges look for but I'd take any one of them in a heart beat. 

At 4 months, it won't be as simple to dehorn as to disbud a kid. Even though the horn is smaller than the same aged buck, it is still an involved operation. 
Are you watching Riley eat. Maybe he really didn't eat as much as you thought?
Good luck!


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## SDBoerGoats (May 19, 2012)

It's 4H and the kids show them at the fair all week in showmanship, then they auction them on Saturday and yes they go for meat. They have to weigh 60 lbs to be eligible to show at fair which is the last week of July. So there's 2 months to get him up to weight, but they have to weigh in early, if they don't make it by June 2, they are disqualified. 

yes, Riley is very round and thick, he is cuter than heck. He is the more shy of the group, stand offish to people, runs even in the stall when you want to catch you, while his brother Lucky, is an attention hound. LOVES people, stands up on the stall door to greet you and if you turn to walk away, he reaches out his foot to tap you on the back! Totally different boys, I think Riley got some of his Spanish cross mama's standoffish personality. My grand daughter has started hand feeding him to make sure he is getting what he needs, he isn't thin by a long shot, and he just might not have it in him to be a bigger taller goat. He has short legs too.

I was concerned about having Jagger dehorned now, I think it would be painful and bloody. Right now he is just like a pet since he was bottle raised. So sending him to market would probably be kind of rough. 

Thanks, I'll keep you all updated on how it goes, we only have 2 weeks til weigh in!


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## 20kidsonhill (May 19, 2012)

Well, that is really frustrating. I am sorry but I can't answer your question about the dehorning. Why does he need to put 10 lbs on in 2 weeks?  Your fair isn't until July 28, that is more than 8 weeks away, almost 9 weeks. He still has plenty of time to gain.  I would worm them well, especially for tape worms. And  not over exercise the smaller one.  

I am not sure I will be able to read your reply, our computer is crashing, and we are making arrangements to order a new one. I can however get e-mails, so feel free to e-mail me. My daughter is checking my e-mail account on her cell phone. 

If you really need to put 10 lbs on in two weeks, do to a first weigh-in, then I would stop all exercising on the smaller one, worm him really well right away. And also keep looking for a different one to buy, or a different one to weigh-in, because getting that much weight on him at this point isn't going to be easy. We expect ours to gain 3 to 4 lbs a week. Although, it is possible for them to gain a little more than that. 

Sorry, this has been a little bit of a frustrating year for you with these goats.


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## 20kidsonhill (May 19, 2012)

I have never heard of a fair making you have to make weight at the first weigh-in. that is crazy. WE have a 60 lb minimum weight as well, but that is at final weigh-in. They can weigh anything at the first weigh-in, which is also in 2 weeks for us. I know fairs have lots of rules, but are you sure that they have to be 60 lbs by June 2nd?   If so, that really stinks.  

On the positive side, if he weighs 53 lbs, he really only needs to gain 7 lbs in 2 weeks, which is .5 lbs per day.


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## SDBoerGoats (May 19, 2012)

You know something 20K, you've got me thinking......I was sure when we have weighed in the lambs they had to weigh 100 pounds at weigh/tag in. That is when you have to turn in your COOL forms and officially have the animal in your possession. But what if......the 60 pound minimum is actually the end of July when we weigh in the week of fair? Now you have got me wondering if I am stressing myself out for nothing! 

And yes, it has been a stressful year with the goats, I lost Sugar, bought a herd of does with CL and now stressing about the market goats. I am calling to call on Monday and find out if I am worrying over nothing. Thanks! 

Oh I just dewormed them last week, for 3 days in a row with Safeguard. I give them B complex and probiotics now too. Animax top dressed on their Boer Goat Developer.


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## SheepGirl (May 20, 2012)

SDBoerGoats said:
			
		

> You know something 20K, you've got me thinking......I was sure when we have weighed in the lambs they had to weigh 100 pounds at weigh/tag in. That is when you have to turn in your COOL forms and officially have the animal in your possession. But what if......the 60 pound minimum is actually the end of July when we weigh in the week of fair? Now you have got me wondering if I am stressing myself out for nothing!


Check with your fair's rules to put your mind at peace


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## 20kidsonhill (May 20, 2012)

computer is still going this morning.  What is your upper limit on your goats and your lambs?  Our is 60 to 120 at final weigh-in for our goats, and 90 to 140 for our lambs at final weigh-in. They can weigh anything at first weigh-in. Our fair is the week of August 15th.


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## SDBoerGoats (May 20, 2012)

Good for your computer!  I did some research this morning, and at weigh in the week of the fair, goats must be 60-120 and lambs 110-155. And less than 8 months of age.  So....if 60 is the low weight for the last week of July, it would stand to reason to me, that this weigh in/tagging on June 2 is just for a record of the weight. It has to be! Right?


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## 20kidsonhill (May 20, 2012)

SDBoerGoats said:
			
		

> Good for your computer!  I did some research this morning, and at weigh in the week of the fair, goats must be 60-120 and lambs 110-155. And less than 8 months of age.  So....if 60 is the low weight for the last week of July, it would stand to reason to me, that this weigh in/tagging on June 2 is just for a record of the weight. It has to be! Right?


Yup, I agree your first weigh in is for tagging purposes and to get the first weight to figure daily gain for a period of time. Our goats age is checked with their teeth. They can't be loosing any baby teeth for their final weigh-in, so they have to be under 11 or 12 months of age. But really that would be too old to do well, between 6 to 8 months is a good age.
I think you are doing great with your goats. We often weigh in a smaller one and a bigger one, so the kids are sure they don't end up with two goats in the same weight class.


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