# What Are Healthy Weights For My Alpines? Measuring Tape?



## mistydaiz (Jan 28, 2011)

I'm just curious, and wondering what an Alpine's weight would be, and how big they are compared to other breeds.

What should my Alpines' healthy weights be?
And using a regular measuring tape, how would I convert their heart girth to their weight?

Is using a measuring tape pretty accurate to tell their weight?

How much should my 1yr 4month old Alpine wether weigh?
And my 3-4 year old Alpine doe?
And my twin 4.5 month old Alpine doelings?

How big would my wether get when fully grown? As big as a buck or smaller?

I think I read somewhere that an ideal weight would be newborn weight plus 10 pounds a month until they are 90 pounds. Is that true?

Thanks everyone!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

To get an estimated weight use this equation....Girth X Girth X Length divided by 300 Girth is heart girth...length is from shoulder to hip point. This formula will give you weight in pounds.


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

I have purebred alpines and used the tape measure to weigh them....I too wondered how accurate it was so after weighing them with the tape measure, my husband lifted them and weighed himself holding them and subtracted his weight. Well, the tape measuring method was almost right on. I used a regular dress making tape measure. I found a conversion chart on the net to convert the measurement to weight. Easy as pie..... 

My 13 month doeling was 108 lbs. where my other 13 month old doeling was 132 lbs. She is the herd queen!

My two 5 1/2 month old doelings were 59 lbs.

My 5 month old buckling was 71 lbs. While my 9 month old Nubian wether was 79 lbs. 

Hope this gives you a basis to work from.

Let me know what your goats weigh.

My


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## hundziege (Aug 23, 2011)

My alpine wether is 5 months and one week old and is 28" at the shoulder and weighs 79/80 lbs. My vet had to weigh him to anesthetize in order to castrate him. If that gives you any help. I wonder also how big my boy will get. Great question!


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

I think wehters are hard to guess for heights. I know some HUGE wethers and some small ones. Its partly in their genetics . . .

As for weighing, I use tape too and my Alpines visit the vet every so often and that says the tape is pretty dang close.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

With wethers, a lot of it is in their feeding and their age. they grow quickly their first year, noticably in their second and third year, and then slow down. They actually never quite stop growing if fed properly gaining a few more pounds and another 1/2 inch even when they are 5 and 6 years old. They mature later than bucks and aren't considered mature until 4 years of age.
In answer to your question a 4 year old Alpine wether should be at least 185 lbs. and that is considered pretty small. My Saanen wether is 240 lbs. My Saanen/Alpine 235 lbs. and my Alpine /LaMancha 195 lbs.
The 10 lbs. a month formula is for Nubians who grow slower than swiss breeds. It's a good way to make sure they are getting the prevention and rumen building proteins they need though. I want to see my Obers at 80 lbs. by 6 months of age for does and 100 lbs. for bucklings/wethers. My Alpine/Nubian cross wether is 43 lbs at 13 weeks old.
Alpines are a large goat and should be bigger than Toggs and Obers who are medium sized goats.


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## mistydaiz (Jan 28, 2011)

I got all my Alpines' measurements the other day, even their height from their withers (is that how you measure their height?)

And can you all tell me if my goats are of the shorter, taller, or average side of the Alpine breed.

Well, you all know that Elsie is underweight from my other threads (I'm giving her more hay now, so she can gain weight faster).
But I wanted to know what her ideal weight would be, so I'll know her goal weight (and how underweight she is, poor girl).

I just looked at her papers, and Elsie is actually 3 years old, not 4 years. I don't know if that would make a difference from a 4 year old's ideal weight.

-Elsie's Height: 30 in.
3yrs. Heart Girth: 35.25 in.
Length: 33 in.
Weight: 137 lbs.

-Pepito's Height: 30 in.
1.5yrs. Heart Girth: 32 in.
Length: 31 in.
Weight: 106 lbs.

-Aspen's Height: 24 in.
5mo. Heart Girth: 25.5 in.
Length: 26.5 in.
Weight: 57 lbs.

-Willow's Height: 23 in.
5mo. Heart Girth: 25 in.
Length: 24(or 25) in. (she was moving)
Weight: 50 lbs.

Pepito, our wether, might be a little thin, but he's not skinny like Elsie, I've just been giving him half a pound of Dumor pellets as he's growing (I know that wethers will get fat with grain, he's also been eating hay with Elsie and the doelings). Or do you all think he is skinny?


























Aspen is a little thicker than Willow, she's not as slim-boned as her sister.


















I couldn't find any recent pics of Willow showing her head! 
Sorry, all I have are top and rear pics of her 


















So, how about your Alpines' heights?


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Oh my, what pretty goats!!!! I think they are pretty much where they should be for size. They all look slick and healthy.


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