# Grooming a boer



## AlaskaBoers

ok, this year I intend to learn how to properly fitt and groom a boer for show. this year, not too great, -rule number 1, never, ever let your friend "trim" them.

1) size clippers, for which body parts? (a diagram would be wonderful for those computor people )
2) does hoof oil (used on horses to make the hoof black), look nice, legal? Can it be used on horns?
3) how many weeks should we trim them before the shows? (white)

4)anything else (grooming secrects , tips  )


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## SDK

i think one would be never let your friend who doesn't know what they're doing groom them..

1. i will save this for someone who has an easier one than my alphabet soup way of doing it.
2. yes you can use hoof polish.. we use something called hoof and horn from jeffers. works awesome nd doesn't make their horns black rather a nice shade of brown
3.i trim a week prior , but some people trim day of


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## heathersboers

We trim 2 weeks prior and do a touch up the day before the show- DO NOT do a full body trim on a buck!!! I did this and cut him down to 1/2 inch and he looked so bad!!!! i used a standard blade and cut the belly 1/8-the chest and around the tail 1/4 and along the topline- If the hair is really long on their body- you can cut it down a little,but don't take a lot off-just enough to get rid of the yellow.


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## nancy d

All we do and keep in mind we is newbies, is trim the tail & feet hair about a week prior.
Whatever you do dont fight over the clippers while its on. Some friends did this...judge mentioned possible parasites that goat had butchered coat. She was embaressed big time by that comment.

The ones who are clipped really look fanastic but its going to take me 500 times of doing it before I will be able to do it right.


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## AlaskaBoers

cool. yeah i guess hoof polish wouldnt look great on horns.



> i think one would be never let your friend who doesn't know what they're doing groom them..


 very true.


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## heathersboers

I have groomed about 10 total so far- and its not too hard-baby oil also works well on hooves and horns-we also use baby powder to make the bucks smell better :ROFL: It works!!


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## badnewsboers

The best way to get a nice smooth clip job is to take them down really close and let them grow out some. I have used a 5 or 7 blade to give a body clip as little as a day before but if you aren't careful and good with clippers it can look choppy. Closer cutting blades like a 10 are easier to get a smooth finish with in my opinion. My favorite way to do it is to shave them down with a 10 all over two weeks or more before and then come back to trim the belly, hooves and tail again if they need it. I wait till last minute though so if I only have a few days before the show I'll use 5 on the body, a 7 on the belly and a 10 on the feet and tail. If I have a little bit longer but not quite the two weeks I'll use a 7 on the body and a 10 everywhere else.

And I disagree about grooming the buck. The best way to get your buck looking its best is to take it all the way down and let it grow out. I do have to use cattle clippers on my bucks because the hair is so thick and the clean it up with my A5 clippers. I trim up the face too to get the yellow off, but leave the beard. They look a bit odd for the first few days but if you give it about two weeks the hair grows out to the perfect length. Nothing will disguise a decent animal more than excessively long hair.

Be careful with oil on the horns. The oil prevents the goat from dissipating heat through its horns and they will overheat and die on a hot day.


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## heathersboers

OK bad news- I agree on the full clip on the buck WEEKS prior to the show- if you look on my site on grange's page at his 7 month old pic-you'll see what it looked like when I did a full clip. he looked so bad!!!! The current pic of him is the last one and it is 1 1/2 months from the full clip- I am going to just touch up along the top line and trim him up a bit. We do wash the baby oil off after the show though. :wink:


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## badnewsboers

Haha, the bucks do look rough when you first clip them...unless you're real handy with a pair of clippers. Even so they're hair is so thick its near impossible for me to get them smooth unless I take them all the way down. I trimmed my paint buck the other day and the poor guy looks so odd without his neck ruff going on. He apparently is one of the more extended neck types and I never knew it. :greengrin: But yeah, taking them down and just doing touch ups makes things so much easier.


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## badnewsboers

Here is a rough diagram of what I do if I don't take a goat all the way down. I forgot to mention you need to shave up the back of the rear cannon bones too in my previous posts but I included that on the picture.


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## AlaskaBoers

cool, thanks. So what if I just used the 10 blade (smallest right?) and did the entire body 1 month before the show? does this work with does too?


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## badnewsboers

Yes you can do that with does. Just don't shave below the knees and hocks other than to clean up around the hooves and up the back of the rear cannon bones. Also when you're clipping do it in long sweeping motions, going with the direction of the hair.


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## heathersboers

does anyone up here use the attachable combs??? we use a 10 size blade and put the combs on it.


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## badnewsboers

I do have the guards. However I work in a grooming salon and my coworkers dislike using them because it takes more work to get a smooth finish. So I guess I've just listened to them and tend not to use them. However one of my 4-hers' mom is an exgroomer and she likes to use the guards when she clips. Its all personal preference.


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## SDK

i use guards and blades


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## goatnutty

badnewsboers- can I copy that and print it so I can use it?


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## badnewsboers

Of course.


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## AlaskaBoers

which shampoos remove buck stains easiest? i used white and brite to no avail. :roll:


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## FarmGirl18

I don't think anything is going to totally get them off...especially on the legs. I use Sullivan's Bluing shampoo and do what I can.


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## goatnutty

Thanks Bad News Boers my goats might actually look decent now!LOL!


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