# Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks - NEW PICS!



## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

Would those of you who raise and show Nigerian Dwarf goats please take a look at my two bucks? I know they're both pretty hairy - it's not quite warm enough to clip yet here (we usually still get a couple of major freezes at the end of April). I think they're pretty awesome, but please let me know what you think. Thank you, everyone. I appreciate it.
-Tina


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

its really doing them no justice if we evaluate them on those pictures -- you will be best to wait till they are at least in a "show stance" instead of walking or stretched out.


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

As I am a total "newbie," Stacey, can you explain what you mean?
Thanks!
-Tina


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

well you can evaluate a goat properly by using such pictures. They dont look right and you dont know how they stand if their legs are straight or bowed or hocked or whatever. You cant tell if they are really level or going "up hill" unless they are standing properly with their heads up. The one picture the buck is on the move but twisted so that totally makes him not look right, you cant see his length or his body structure and he looks terribly steep in the rump, his back legs look terrible and you cant see if he is down in his pasturns or if he is toeing out or not. . THe other picture the buck is leaning on/towards your daughter so it makes him look like is toeing out (maybe he does but for me to evaluate him saying he toes out wouldnt be fair as it could be because he is leaning).


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

So, I need to:
1. Get them out of the grass
2. Get them on level ground
3. Get their heads up
4. Pose them (as best I can) like I see in the dairy goat/homesteading magazines

Right? 
Okay, maybe I'll come back to that next weekend...
:wink:

-Tina


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

at least getting them out of the grass and standing still would be best -- if you want to get them stacked then that would be great too but not always easy to accomplish


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

good advice,


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

Maybe you could also clip the ridge they tend to get on their backs, because it can distort the topline. That way we can see exactly where the back, rump, etc. is. Your second boy has a rather large one.


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

Thanks, that's all really good advice. When I get a get a minute this weekend (I teach middle school during the week), I'll take some time to get them ready for a proper evaluation. It's almost time for Spring haircuts anyway. And Bailey is definitely a hairy beast.  He's SUCH a sweetie, though. If Ruthie (my "goatie girl" daughter) is sitting down on the rocks in the boys' pasture, Bailey will come up to her, lie down beside her, and lay his head on her shoulder. He passes that ultra-sweet temperment on to his kids, too. The two we have from him are both ultra-friendly, as well. If it's not too much to ask, please check back this weekend to see if I've done a better job. 
Thanks!
-Tina


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

I love sweet tempered bucks. My buck from Cornerstone farm is an absolute doll!


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## mnspinner (Aug 13, 2008)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

Tina, who are the parents of these bucks?


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

Hi, mnspinner,
Bailey's sire was Timberwood Malachite, and his dam was SpringsRun MM Catori.
Marmot's sire was Enchanted Hill Toby, and his dam was Enchanted Hill Field Mouse. We paid A LOT of these guys (more than $300 each), and their pedigrees look really good, I just wanted to check confirmation with some people with more experience. I understand completely what Stacey was saying about the photos. I meant to get better ones this weekend, but we ended up spending the entire weekend re-fencing where the spring rains knocked out some of our electric lines. That definitely took priority. Hopefully, this weekend I'll be able to get some photos that actually show these guys off as the great goats they really are.
Thanks for the question, BTW,
-Tina


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

I can't tell you to much from the photos. Stacey gave some good advice for getting some better photos of them. They do look like they could use a good deworming though. Cute boys.


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks*

They've been dewormed recently (like in the last three weeks) with Safeguard (oral). 
Please don't think I'm being disrespectful because I ask A LOT of questions. I'm trying to learn everything I can. What makes you think they need to be dewormed again?
-Tina


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

*Re: Please evaluate my Nigerian Dwarf bucks - NEW PICS*

Okay, so let's see if these pics are any better. I only did Bailey so far because, truthfully, after bathing him (WOW! That was a battle) and shaving him (Not too bad, did I do it right???), I'm ready for a nap. :wink:

The biggest surprise was that he's got all sorts of spots under all that hair (tan spots on a cream background wouldn't be considered moon spots, though, right?)

So, did I do a better job this time?

-Tina


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Much better. 

The second photo his topline looks nice and level but he is stretched out quite a bit more and he is on a hill? The first photo he looks roached over the chine. Long body and looks like good dairy character, shoulders too.


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

Thanks, Olivia,
Yeah, I should have brought him down to the driveway or the front yard (the only two places NOT on a hill - we are, after all, in West Virginia...) At least I faced him up the hill. :wink: He is a little roached over the chine. And that's something that gets worse, not better, with age, right? How major of a flaw is that? Is it genetic? What about the spots? They look like the spots on one of those German shorthair hunting dogs, but they were completely covered by the massive amounts of hair on him. I like the description of very dairy - that's due to a more refined than stocky look, right? He's definitely a keeper, I think. We  him...
Thanks, again, for taking a look.
-Tina


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Wow...you did a great job with cleaning Bailey up!

He does look long and dairy, I'd like to see his legs a tad longer but thats just me...I like the lean leggy nigies :greengrin: Still fairly new to the breed standards of an awesome nigi but I like him.
The 2nd pic was really good....seems that the boys tend to look better when they stretch to pee :wink:


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

A roached chine can improve slightly with age. It's a little more commonly seen in does who carry kids (the weight of the kids adds more depth to the barrel, pulling it down just a little). Bucks it is not seen as often in since they do not carry kids. A dip in the chine is what gets worse with age. (Got this from a dairy goat conformation book - not making it up.  ) 

Yep, dairy character is overall refinement - you can tell they're a dairy goat and not a Pygmy.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Much nicer Tina - I think you have a nice buck there


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## Iwantgoats (Oct 3, 2008)

Amazing what a bath and shave does for appearances. Nice looking buck you have there


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

Thanks, everyone,
I really appreciate you taking the time to look at him and give me your opinions. Hopefully, we'll get Marmot done this weekend. He's a little more stand-off-ish (great word for an English teacher to use... :wink: ) than Bailey is, but hopefully he won't freak out too much when I bathe him (MUCH worse than the shaving, in my opinion). 
Thanks again,
-Tina


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Wow! I really like that second photo. I do think you should crop it down, or do another not on a hill. He looks very uphill, but people looking at the photo will question if he truly is, since he is standing on a hill. Going by the second photo, he looks great. Long bodied, dairy (as others have said), straight legs, very level...I like his length of neck as well. This is going to be my first year showing, so I would consider myself far from an expert as far as conformation goes in dairy goats. I used to judge meat goats all of the time, but thats somewhat different.

Isn't it amazing how a hair cut can reveal hidden colors? I clipped my doeling a week after I brought her home and found some tiny, dark moon spots under her fur that you couldn't see without a clip. I was completely ecstatic because I'd really love some moonspots in my herd, and her mom was so heavy with them she looked like a mutant orange dalmatian with grey spots. His spots just look like white to me personally. But, I love speckled white. Definitely a guy I would be proud to own.


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

overall not terrible, but his pictures aren't "the best" the first he's undercamped and roaching, and the second he's stretched out so much his chine goes to hell in a handbasket.

the one thing i'd like fixed is he needs more dairy character and angulation. too much flesh for my tastes.. but, my lamanchas ruined the nigerian breed for me


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

and i dont see the spots your speaking of.. are you talking about the flicking on his midsection?? those are just normal spots


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

Thanks, firelight,
I really appreciate your kind words. Yeah, he's definitely a speckled guy, you described it perfectly. 
Thanks again!
-Tina


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## shadycreekgoats (Mar 23, 2009)

Wow Tina!! He is very nice!!  It's amazing what you find under all that hair...lol 

You did a great job clipping and bathing him!! (I'm sure it was a work out!!!  :greengrin: )


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

Thanks, Shivonne,
Yeah, it was definitely a workout. I'm not sure who got more of the bath - Bailey or me...  He was REALLY good about the shave, though. That was actually easier than I'd imagined it would be. 
Thanks for the kind words. We  him. Both because we think he's nice looking and because he's the sweetest guy you could ever imagine. We had heard all sorts of horrible things about bucks knocking over children and being mean (not to mention stinky :wink: ). He's really the opposite of all of that. 
Thanks again!
-Tina


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