# The difference of clipping



## ISmellLikeGoats (Oct 4, 2017)

This doe looks so much more feminine clipped down, doesn't even look like the same doe.

Opinions on her, now that I got a decent picture and she's clipped, at least mostly, she wasn't particularly cooperative and there are still some missed spots. I *think* she took in January and should be due next month.

So, before clipping. I think it makes her look thicker and short/thick necked.









After:


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

It's a bit difficult to really judge a pregnant doe - their body changes and can cause them to look at little more posty/steep, etc. Also it would be great to have her set up so we can get a really good look at her pasterns, she is in grass now and it's hard to tell. All that being said, I think the length of her neck is ok, I would like to see a more feminine head, nice long cannons, deep brisket, good topline, good width between her hocks, nice close elbows. I would like to see a little more hock angulation, a higher estucheon (can tell more when she freshens about her udder and attachments, although I would like to see more centrally located teats), very steep in the rump, a bit narrow in the chest. Again, to do her justice, I would take more pics post kidding at about 3 months fresh.


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## ISmellLikeGoats (Oct 4, 2017)

Not much I can do about the grass, my whole yard looks like that - mower isn't running for whatever reason, again...thing is a rolling POS. I can definitely get more pictures after she freshens, if she does and isn't just fat. 
She's a grade doe, but we're hoping for some doelings for my kids to show (kids sire is registered).


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## Miller'sLostGoat (Apr 26, 2018)

Personally I like all goats clipped down. Even my bucks look more attractive clipped down. You get to see the full body build. In the first picture I would not have guessed she was pregnant and due next month. Easier to see on the other pictures.


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## ISmellLikeGoats (Oct 4, 2017)

I think it really does showcase the whole goat, and no hair to hide anything, good or bad. I do need to use a slightly longer blade, this one is a bit on the short side, and too big to do legs with, but my small clippers have given up. 
I really couldn't believe the difference in how she looked after being clipped as opposed to having a good 4 inches of hair on her. Definitely has to be a bit cooler too with our 90's temps.


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## Einhorn (Jan 2, 2014)

I'm the opposite, i like 'em fuzzy! But I don't show, and we have bright sun and flies; their coat helps protect them from that a bit. 
That being said, she looks like a lovely goat! Happy kidding!


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## Miller'sLostGoat (Apr 26, 2018)

ISmellLikeGoats said:


> I think it really does showcase the whole goat, and no hair to hide anything, good or bad. I do need to use a slightly longer blade, this one is a bit on the short side, and too big to do legs with, but my small clippers have given up.
> I really couldn't believe the difference in how she looked after being clipped as opposed to having a good 4 inches of hair on her. Definitely has to be a bit cooler too with our 90's temps.


What size blade are you using and when will you being showing? I clip everyone with a 10 blade about 4-6 weeks before show. Normally for my meat wethers I will clip at 4 weeks.My breeding does, 6 weeks before show. I use to use different size blades on different areas of the goat and clip a couple days before show. But sitting in the hot sun for hours clipping goat after goat gets old. So now I try to do it late spring.
This year I will be clipping 13 goats.


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## ISmellLikeGoats (Oct 4, 2017)

She won't be shown, it was more of a pre-baby clip and I figured I'd do the whole goat. I "think" it's a #10 blade. It just finally got consistently warm enough to clip without them freezing. 
My kids want to show but the offspring of these does and our PB buck - these aren't the friendliest of goats and are difficult to handle. 
That's a good idea to clip well in advance so all the clipper marks are out and any minor mistakes have time to grow or be fixed!


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## Miller'sLostGoat (Apr 26, 2018)

ISmellLikeGoats said:


> She won't be shown, it was more of a pre-baby clip and I figured I'd do the whole goat. I "think" it's a #10 blade. It just finally got consistently warm enough to clip without them freezing.
> My kids want to show but the offspring of these does and our PB buck - these aren't the friendliest of goats and are difficult to handle.
> That's a good idea to clip well in advance so all the clipper marks are out and any minor mistakes have time to grow or be fixed!


You will figure out what works for you. I find treats help tame my wild goats. I try to dam raise my babies. The first couple weeks of leash and collar training is usually a rodeo. I walk each of my goats to the feed area to eat twice a day. After a week or so of that, even the wild goats are easier to work with.


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## ISmellLikeGoats (Oct 4, 2017)

This doe and her twin both lead ok, but catching them is a rodeo. This is the easier to catch of the two, because she likes treats and will come up to me for treats. My dam raised Alpine babies right now are friendly, but their mother is super gentle, and obviously a former bottle baby - found that out when I was giving the bottle baby we have a meal and this Alpine doe comes over to suck off the bottle too. She's like 8 years old, but remembers the bottle for sure! She's also gentle enough for children to lead around, as is one of my other Nubian does.
My girls are too small to handle these guys though (7 and 9), they'll do much better with does that have been gentled from birth. My 9 year old plans on showing the bottle baby since she's a typical bottle baby and is pesty-friendly and easy to handle, plus she's been "mauled" by 5 kids. 

I haven't had much luck taming really wild ones down. I have 2 Boer cross does that are just as wild as the day we picked them up. After they kid they'll more than likely go to new homes.


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## Miller'sLostGoat (Apr 26, 2018)

ISmellLikeGoats said:


> This doe and her twin both lead ok, but catching them is a rodeo. This is the easier to catch of the two, because she likes treats and will come up to me for treats. My dam raised Alpine babies right now are friendly, but their mother is super gentle, and obviously a former bottle baby - found that out when I was giving the bottle baby we have a meal and this Alpine doe comes over to suck off the bottle too. She's like 8 years old, but remembers the bottle for sure! She's also gentle enough for children to lead around, as is one of my other Nubian does.
> My girls are too small to handle these guys though (7 and 9), they'll do much better with does that have been gentled from birth. My 9 year old plans on showing the bottle baby since she's a typical bottle baby and is pesty-friendly and easy to handle, plus she's been "mauled" by 5 kids.
> 
> I haven't had much luck taming really wild ones down. I have 2 Boer cross does that are just as wild as the day we picked them up. After they kid they'll more than likely go to new homes.


 Small spaces are the key to taming wild goats. They need to be forced to have contact with you. The one that we call Nora, I had to keep in a 6x8 pen with her companion for a couple weeks. I would catch and hold her by collar at least once a day. When we first brought her home she busted though 2 gates and ran off. It took 2 days of tracking to find her and 5 people to catch her.

https://www.facebook.com/MLGFarm


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## ISmellLikeGoats (Oct 4, 2017)

These guys are dry lotted, they'll come up if I turn them out and have a feed bucket, but handling them is a chore. Not nearly as bad as taking off and having to be tracked down though. I have 2 feeder sheep that will go to the processor in 11 days and they are that wild though, they are under lockdown because I know if they get out, I'll never see them again lol


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## Miller'sLostGoat (Apr 26, 2018)

ISmellLikeGoats said:


> These guys are dry lotted, they'll come up if I turn them out and have a feed bucket, but handling them is a chore. Not nearly as bad as taking off and having to be tracked down though. I have 2 feeder sheep that will go to the processor in 11 days and they are that wild though, they are under lockdown because I know if they get out, I'll never see them again lol


lol Yes it was rough weekend. But Nora is now pretty much "my goat". She is on my hip the minute I come in the pen, walks like angle for me. She is my a 150lb baby. lol My show girls are all over 100lb. I normally walk them around good before I hand them off to my 7 year old to bring in the ring. Even my really tame does. Being shows around new things, goats, and noises can really get them excited. Normally by the time I am done walking them around they are calm enough.


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