# Elizabeth (Lizzie) to keep or not to keep..?



## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

Well Lizzie is a yearling that I have and I cant decide if I should keep her or sell her. What does everybody think? The biggest problem I have with her is that she is really shy and her rump is a little steep...She is really thick though and sorry she's dirty its been raining a lot
Here are a few pictures:


----------



## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

is she registered or commercial? What would your intentions be if you kept her? She is a wide doe; a very pretty doe. But her confirmation does have a few minor glitches that I can see-the rump like you suggested and her pasterns are a bit weak. She has an awesome topline though! The rump could even out as she grows and fills out and the pasterns are well..what they are but in my book that is not horrible at all. So...lol...I really can't say one way or the other. She is a very nice doe though.


----------



## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

Thank you! She is a commercial doe and she would most likely be used for breeding purposes...she could be shown in the local 4h if she ever decided to tame down. Her pasterns arent that terrible, her hooves were pretty bad and we are still working on that. I love her topline she is both thick and extremely long.


----------



## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

My vote is keep her and breed her. I like her width and length and think if bred to the right buck he could fix the steep rump problem with the kids. I would be really interested to see what her kids look like.


----------



## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

I'm kind of thinking that might be a good idea..this is Ellie's half sister I was talking about the other day. You can see the huge difference between them..


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I have to agree with what was mentioned already....

I also don't know ...if I am seeing it right but.. does she have a collapsed ear?


----------



## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

Nope...her ears are normal I think..ha


----------



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Her rump doesn't seem all that steep. I would be most concerned about her knees. She's a cute little doe though.


----------



## Guest (Feb 7, 2012)

Just my opinion. She is not replacement quality. She is a good enough looking Doeling now. Her pasterns are her biggest flaw, first thing I noticed, and by the time she is a 3 year old she will have a problem that no amount of hoof trimming will correct, she also has what appear to be fast growing white hooves that compound the problem, these defects will shorten her productive life. She will make market kids though. Just my opinion I would cull her and look for a more Conform animal. These traits are more than likely passed on and then you will have the same thing again.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Nope...her ears are normal I think..ha


 Hmm....OK...

Use your best judgement with her..... you are there with her and can see more than what we see in pictures..... Also... if you do decide you don't want to keep her... you can always invest in a new Doe... but... if you do keep her.... it is because you want to.. my honest opinion is...I wouldn't keep her but... that is up to you.... :wink: :thumb:


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I have to agree, she is a pretty girl, but if your wanting more than a meat goat doe, then I'd sell and look for a doe who is put together better. 
We're having the same problem. But our does are tame and pet quality and we absolutely adore them for who they are, and it makes it VERY difficult to consider selling any of them.
My son's doe he showed in 4-H has more noticable weaknesses as she matured/after he was done showing her. She's not by any means a good conformational doe, but she did well in 4-H considering <plus she loved being shown!>. We bred her to a nicer buck, and we'll see what happens with the kids. If she doesn't produce a better kid, then we have to figure out what we want to do.

I've seen lots of boer breeders on craigslist near Cinncinati, in fact, we bought our buck in Crittenden, just south of Cincy. Maybe if you sell your doe you could find a really nice replacement. If you tell them you are going to show in 4-H they may give you a discount. 
When the people we bought our buck from found out he was for 4-H they dropped the price on him.


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Your little doe has a nice little cape on her. It all depends on what you are wanting her for. I have a shy timid goat and have a hard time treating her or checking her. No matter what I do to help her overcome this, she still is timid and shy, hard to deal with at times. The only reason I keep this shy doe is because she has dark hooves needing fewer trimmings, good pigment, healthy, good udder, solid sturdy bones, great producer, little maintenance and keeps good weight on her. If she didnt have those good qualities in her, my shy doe would be gone. Her doeling also has developed this shyness and acts and runs like a deer. When it comes to choosing who stays and who goes, I think about the shy ones with few possitive qualities as those that need to go.


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Sometimes a shy goat in one herd will do better with a different group of goats. Our doe is the only doe without horns and she has to put up with some stronger than usual temperaments. Your goat doesnt look that bad. She has a good cape and color.


----------



## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

Thanks everybody...I'm really not sure what I will do yet but I'm thinking maybe breed her once and see what she throws...I cant decide...ugh


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Your welcome... :thumb: 

Yeah... you can do that....she may give you pretty babies .... and at least ...you will see and give her a chance on what she will produce for you..... :wink: :greengrin:


----------



## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

:shrug: Do you think she is large enough to breed her yet..? I kind of am going back and forth about it...


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Do you know her weight?
If not... how big is she compared to an older adult Doe?


----------



## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

Ok Sara I like her and all but if as a yearling you are worried about breeding her then she would have to go. You need fast growing kids for 4-H and if she is not fast growing her kids will not be also. Maybe she does need to find another home?


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I have to agree with Roger. In the pictures she doesn't look very big. We had the same issue with a yearling fullblood we had, and we sold her and her kids this past fall because even her kids weren't fast growers. They were okay, and very pretty, but so little...and they were fed very well, wormed & I had a fecal done no issues there.

IMO she does't seem very big in those photos, she could probably be bred, but as small as she seems in those pictures, I couldn't imagine her having very big kids, or if she did have big kids she could have issues. Has she grown much in the past months? I'd be worried about it affecting her growth. 
My son's doe is a young yearling, she is a percentage doe, but she's almost as big as our other does & her mama. She's due in a week and a half, and weighs probably 130lbs maybe a little more, I am guessing not pregnant she is about 115-120. Of course I do worry about issues, but I have my fingers crossed since all our does have kidded as yearlings with no issues and have grown just fine. If she had been any smaller/younger, no way we would have bred her.

I'm no expert, but JMO. We went through this, and decided to sell a doe and her kids this past fall so we could get a couple of nice does...


----------



## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

Well, after looking at her today she is almost as big as Bessie except she isnt quite as deep..she has grown pretty steadily and Im sure she would be fine if I bred her. What I was thinking more or less was if I should breed for July kids..


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:thumbup: good idea.... :wink:


----------



## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

The only concern I have is if they wont grow as well in the summer..?


----------

