# Shaving Goats



## Mystica25 (Oct 8, 2012)

Good Afternoon All!

I have a question that I probably should know. I know you all say no question is stupid, but I feel this one is. the question is: Why do you shave your goats?
I know a lot of folks shave their dogs in the summer, but have heard it is not always the best because the fur protects the animal from the sun, etc.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

great question! because since joining this forum, I've noticed a lot of goats are shorn...not sure why myself.


----------



## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Couple reasons:

-Parasite control, body inspection to aid treatment.

-To better check the conformation of the animal.

-For shows

-For adequate heat dispersal. Easier for them to stay cooler in the dead of summer. Add a fan in the shelter, a sprinkler system, or apply sunscreen. If they have adequate shelter, the only places I personally apply sunscreen on them are the bridge of the nose, a strip down the top line, and udders and white scrotums.


----------



## TrinityRanch (Mar 26, 2013)

Good afternoon to you too!! Here are some reasons that I know of why people shave-

*To cool them off
*For shows
*For kidding
*For milking
*If they have lice/burrs
*If they are hair goats like Angoras
*When buying/selling, to see the real goat underneath 

And on the topic of sun protection, shaving a goat with a dark pigment is fine because they shouldn't burn. If your goat has a light pigment, pink skin, then they may burn, and you will want to keep them in the shade. 
No, it's a great question, and I'm going to stay to see the other answers!!


----------



## still (Mar 16, 2013)

I shave mine for lice control, cooler in the summer(we live in central Texas), and I think they look nicer being clipped.......they are prettier to me and more huggable


----------



## Mystica25 (Oct 8, 2012)

Ok. 

So is there a disadvantage to NOT shaving goats. I have to ND's that are due in June. I have also read about shaving their utters. Again is it a problem NOT shaving them?

Thanks for all the responses!


----------



## imthegrt1 (Jan 13, 2013)

A shaved goat can help when ur selling to they look healthier


----------



## TrinityRanch (Mar 26, 2013)

No, it's fine to leave the hair on. We only take scissors and snip the long hair off of their legs and tails before they kid. It makes the whole deal a bit cleaner.


----------



## Mystica25 (Oct 8, 2012)

@ Iamgrt1 I love his face in the second pic though! I think I would grab him for the face alone! LOL!


----------



## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I shave mine so they look nicer and for show. Just make sure you apply sun screen on their backs for a week or so after until the hair grows in a little. Black skinned goats will burn, pink goats burn even worse. It is best to shave when it will be cloudy for several days after so they have a chance to grow a little hair back on. You can also shave with the grain (instead of against it) and the hair won't be as short.


----------



## imthegrt1 (Jan 13, 2013)

Mystica25 said:


> @ Iamgrt1 I love his face in the second pic though! I think I would grab him for the face alone! LOL!


He is for sale ky here


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

I wanted to shave mine... well... actually CLIP mine. I didn't intend to shave to the skin. Wanted to leave maybe 1/2" of hair. We've had a mild case of lice, plus they're just a bit "dirty" after a wet winter. But... I've yet to find clippers I can afford... so we might just be brushing and doing some scissor-trimming. I may just get a cheap clipper to do their udders... the udders were essentially hairless when I got them... but I noticed by winter I was getting a lot of hair falling into the milk... and sometimes I'd accidentally pull hair during the milking process. Did some trimming... but I think shaving the udder would be beneficial.


----------



## imthegrt1 (Jan 13, 2013)

Work great 
U will need #7 head if u want to leave 1/2
Comes with # 10 head skin
20 bucks for different sizes each


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

A few folks here highly recommended the A5 _ can't remember if it's andis or oster. Amazon has em for 100 which seems like a good deal, but so many of the reviews say the blade gets too hot too quickly. ???


----------



## Grainneismygoat (Sep 14, 2012)

I've only had goats for a year and i haven't shown yet, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE my oster Clippers. I use them on my horse all the time... I would recommend them to anyone!


----------



## OutdoorDreamer (Mar 29, 2012)

I clip my goats when warm weather comes around. It is great on milking does to have a clean sleek coat all around, a lot less stray hairs falling into the bucket. It also makes them feel better. The ones with thick, longer hair were panting in the sun but now they are playing and running like they feel 100% cooler. It's nice to get that winter coat off and see what they look like underneath. I love the look of a full show clip


----------



## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I have Wahl dog clippers and I'm keen to see how they work out when I get goats. 
We have a whole set of different sized combs as well. Considering shaving patterns into them.


----------



## ahead-by-a-hare (Jan 6, 2013)

We bought a buck unshaven who was beautiful/ flashy. He is uglier shaved! LOL. So if you are looking for a particular color pattern mAke sure they are shaved when you go look! Thankfully we were buying him more for his blue eyes than his color.


----------

