# Showing colored goats in 4H



## chelsboers (Mar 25, 2010)

This is my sons first year in 4H and he's wanting to show one of our wethers. The one he's picked out is black but I never see people showing black wethers here. Do certain colors show better than others? I have a couple other wethers that are red and one that's traditional and I'm wondering if I should suggest that he pick out of of them instead. They are also built better than the black one and friendlier


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Eh, I'm no expert, but a black wether in a group of red/white would make him stand out I would think. As long as the color is acceptable in the breed, I don't see a problem. Ultimately, I would let him decide which goat he wants, but I would also advise him that the other options have better conformation or are friendlier and might do better in the show ring. I think it's good for him to decide though.


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## MoonShadow (Mar 1, 2015)

I agree, As long as the color goat he chooses is acceptable in the breed, I would let him show whatever one he wants. I definitely would tell him which ones you think would all round show better and the reasons why, that's also going to teaching him what to look for in a goat, so its like a cool double lesson. In the end if he is not choosing the one he likes he won't have as much fun showing.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I'm no pro either but I have to agree. If there's no other black ones it's going to stick out which might be good or bad. Try looking past the color and if you really think that kid is better then the rest then let him go for it. If not then give him your pros and cons and let him decide. I know for me color is the first thing that stands out, and I admit sometimes it's hard to look past it to see the pros and cons about her.


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## amanda5858 (Aug 3, 2015)

Here, only traditions will place. Last year everyone was quite surprised when a paint won a show. I have never seen a full red, much less a solid black, place higher then 5th. And over 1/2 the time the Reds and paints looked better then most traditionally.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I agree with the advice, let him choose, but let him know that 1. other colors may be more desirable for placement 2. the others have better conformation and are friendlier. In the end, no matter how his goat places, he should be happy and proud of his project animal  If the goat does well, that is fantastic. If the goat doesn't place as well, then he'll hopefully learn what he should look for in the next year animal. 

I do agree, that traditional seem to be most common. I honestly don't recall seeing a high placed colored wether at the shows we've been to, with the exception of the red wether my son showed last summer at our state fair (finished 4th in the highweight class). 
However, if my kids had colored babies this year, and wanted to show one as their wether, I would be fine with that. Black, red, paint, etc.


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