Delta Childrens Products 7183 User manual

College of Agricultural Sciences • Cooperative Extension
Reference
Guide
4-H
Market
Goat
Project
Name
Address
Name of Club
Leader’s Name
Name of Project

4-H
Market
Goat
Project

Contents
1 Getting Started .............................................................. 3
Introduction........................................................................... 3
How to Use Your Reference Guide .................................... 3
Purpose of the 4-H Market Goat Project........................... 3
Project Options...................................................................... 4
What Do You Need? ............................................................. 4
2 Knowledge and Skills Checklist ...................................5
Meat Goat Project Requirements ....................................... 5
Required Market Goat Activities, years 1 and 2 .............. 6
Required Life Skill Activities, years 1 and 2 .................... 6
Additional Market Goat Activities, years 3 and beyond 7
Additional Life Skills Activities, years 3 and beyond .... 8
3 Background Information ............................................ 10
Objectives............................................................................. 10
Goats in General ................................................................. 10
Goat History ........................................................................ 10
Factors to Consider When Raising Market Goats ......... 11
4 Breeds of Goats ........................................................... 13
Objectives............................................................................. 13
Goat Breeds ......................................................................... 13
Your Goat’s Pedigree ......................................................... 16
Registration of Purebred Goats ........................................ 16
Advantages of Crossbreeds .............................................. 17
5 Selecting Project Animals ......................................... 18
Objectives............................................................................. 18
Naming External Parts of the Goat ................................. 18
Things You Need to Know ................................................ 18
Selecting your Meat Goat .................................................. 18
Deciding How Much to Pay ............................................. 19
How Big Should My Kid Goat Be? .................................. 21
Halal Slaughter ................................................................... 21
Where Can I Buy a Goat? .................................................. 21
6 Caring for Your Goat ................................................... 25
Objectives............................................................................. 25
Basic Needs of Market Goats ............................................ 25
Housing Your Market Goat ............................................... 25
Keeping Your Goats Clean ................................................ 26
A Goat’s Digestive System ................................................ 27
Feeding Your Goat .............................................................. 28
How Much Feed Will My Goat Eat?................................ 29
Monitoring Your Goat’s Progress .................................... 30
Exercise ................................................................................ 31
7 Observing Goat Behavior ............................................ 32
Objectives............................................................................. 32
Goat Behavior ..................................................................... 32
8 Keeping Goats Healthy ............................................... 35
Objectives............................................................................. 35
What Makes Goats Sick ..................................................... 35
Common Health Problems and Diseases of Goats ....... 36
Routine Vaccinations for Young Market Goats.............. 39
Biosecurity ........................................................................... 39
9 Chevon and Quality Assurance .................................. 41
Objectives............................................................................. 41
Chevon ................................................................................. 41
Live Animal Treatment ...................................................... 42
Antibiotic Use ..................................................................... 43
10 The Roundup.............................................................. 45
Objectives............................................................................. 45
Why Show Your Goat?....................................................... 45
Ethics .................................................................................... 45
What Do You Need to Do and Have? ............................. 46
Training Your Goat ............................................................. 46
Fitting Your Goat ................................................................ 46
Showing Your Goat ............................................................ 48
Being a Good Sport ............................................................ 48
Questions from the Public................................................. 48
The Sale ................................................................................ 48
Code of Ethics ..................................................................... 51
11 Keeping 4-H Records ................................................ 53
Objectives............................................................................. 53
Why Keep Records? ........................................................... 53
Kinds of Records................................................................. 53
Market Goat Performance Traits ...................................... 55
Your 4-H Accomplishment Records ................................ 56
12 Market Goat Management Schedule ...................... 57
Plan ....................................................................................... 57
Assumptions ....................................................................... 57
13 Appendix .................................................................... 59
Web Sites with Useful Goat Information ........................ 59

1Getting
Started
3
Introduction
Welcome to the 4-H market goat project! Your 4-H
market goat project can be an unforgettable
learning experience. You will do many things that
will help you undergo personal growth and
develop skills that will help you to become a
more responsible person. Skills you learn from
raising a goat will be valuable in the future, and
will carry over into other aspects of your life. We
hope you will have fun, too.
This book will teach you many of the things
you need to know in order to raise a 4-H market
goat. There are skills and information to learn
and activities for you to do. There are some
activities everyone should do and others you may
choose to do. You should complete six activities
per year. Twelve of these activities are required
and should be completed in the first two years of
the project. After the first two years, six activities
should be selected from the suggested activities
list in this book. Do as many of the activities as
you can by yourself, but be willing to call on
others for help. As you get older and advance
through the market goat project, you should
select more advanced activities to accomplish.
Your parents, project leaders, and extension agent
will be happy to teach you all they know about
raising market goats!
This reference book will get you started;
however, don’t limit yourself to the information
on these pages. Explore the Internet, newsletters,
and magazines for more information.
How to Use Your Reference Guide
Your reference guide is designed to fit into a
three-ring notebook with your project record
books. You may keep any extra information in
your notebook. You will receive only one refer-
ence guide for your entire 4-H career, so take care
of it! It contains a checklist of things you should
do and learn to complete your project. The things
to do and learn are grouped into sections about
meat goats. Each section includes:
• objectives for that section
• information about meat goats and how to care
for them
• words to learn
• ideas for presentations and talks
• suggested activities
• things to check out on your own or with your
leader or club.
Purpose of the 4-H Market Goat Project
In the Market Goat Reference Manual, you will
learn fundamentals of raising market goats and
build skills that will prepare you for life.
Some of the things you will learn about
goats are:
• why people raise goats
• how to select a project goat
• how to feed and care for goats

4 4-H Market Goat Project
• how to keep your goat healthy
• what is normal goat behavior
• what are the parts of a goat
• how to fit and show a meat goat
• how to keep records
• how to prepare for the roundup
Working with your goat and enjoying 4-H activi-
ties, you will develop new skills that will help
you throughout your life. These skills include:
• being a leader
• being a citizen
• communicating effectively
• developing personal values
•relating to people
•preparing for a career
Project Options
Five basic kinds of 4-H goat projects are:
1. Market Goats—selection and feeding of
one or more goats to market weight.
1. Dairy Goats—care and management of
goats raised for milk production.
2. Pack Goats—care, management, and train-
ing a goat as a pack animal.
4. Cart Goats—care, management and train-
ing a goat to pull a cart.
5. Fiber Goats—care and management of
goats raised for fiber.
This guide is written specifically for market
goat projects, although much of the information
will easily transfer to pack or cart goat projects.
Dairy and fiber goat project members should use
a different reference guide.
You will be the one responsible for caring for
your goats. You may choose to take a market
goat, pack goat, cart goat, dairy goat, fiber goat,
or multiple kinds of projects each year. Some
things for you to think about when choosing the
type of goat project are:
• Do you want a short-term or long-term project?
• What kinds of buildings, equipment, and feeds
do you need?
• How much help can your parents give?
Market goat projects can be completed in a
few months and require fewer facilities and
management skills than dairy goat projects. Dairy
goat, cart goat, and pack goat projects are usually
continued for more than one year.
What Do You Need?
Before purchasing a goat kid, make sure you have
everything you need to properly manage it and
keep it healthy. If you plan to take a meat goat
project you will need:
• an interest in goats
•aplace to keep your goat
• equipment for feeding and watering your goat
• money to purchase and care for your goat
• support from your parents and leaders

5
2Knowledge
and Skills
Checklist
Meat Goat Project Requirements
Your meat goat project has three major parts.
1. Caring for one or more meat goats each
year.
2. Completing activities and learning skills
needed to complete the meat goat project. You
should complete three knowledge skill and three
life skill activities each year. There are a total of 12
required activities. For the first two years of the
project, do six of the required activities each year.
A list of the required activities for the first two
years is found on page 6. After the first two years,
choose six activities from the lists of additional
activities in this book. You may do more than the
required activities if you want to.
3. Keeping records. The records you should
keep are:
• For the first two or three years, members
should fill out a 4-H Animal Project Record for
Beginning Members. Start a new one each year.
More experienced 4-H’ers should keep a 4-H
Livestock Record for Intermediate and Advanced
Projects instead. If you have completed two years
of another meat animal species (swine, sheep, or
beef), fill out a 4-H Livestock Record for Interme-
diate and Advanced Projects.
• The Knowledge and Skills Checklist found
in your reference guide.
•Arecord of your entire 4-H career. Your
leader may ask you for this information if you
want to be considered for some 4-H awards.
Do these things each year:
1. Plan with your parents and leaders what
you will do for your project. Decide which skills
you would like to learn and activities you would
like to do. Write your goals in your 4-H project
record book.
2. Prepare a budget for your 4-H market goat
project. (See Section 5.)
2. Select and care for one or more market goat
kids.
3. Keep records of your goals, numbers of
goats, things you do to feed and care for them,
money you spend and receive, and your 4-H
experiences. Write them in your 4-H project
record.
4. Participate in 4-H meetings and activities.
5. Do at least six activities each year. Select six
activities from the required lists each of the first
two years. After the first two years, choose six
activities from the lists of additional activities in
this book. Have your leader or parent sign the
checklist as you finish each activity. You may
substitute other activities with your leader’s
permission.
6. Turn in this reference manual and your
project record to your leader by the due date for
your club or county.

6 4-H Market Goat Project
Required Market Goat Activities, years 1 and 2 ✔
Choose three the first year, and three the second year.
Things to Do Date Done Signature
Explain the meaning of these sex-related terms for goats: buck,
doe, kid, and wether.
Name and locate at least 10 of these body parts on a live goat or
label the diagram in your book: loin, point of shoulder, wither,
heart girth, toe, hock, tail, hoof, throat, poll, brisket, rump, ear,
nostril, muzzle, dewlap, and jaw.
Show and tell how you show a market goat.
Lead your parents or leader on a tour of the place you will keep
your market goat and point out the things you are doing to take
care of your goats.
Name three things that can cause goats to get sick and at least
four signs to look for to recognize sick goats.
Tell what the normal body temperature of goats is and show or tell
the proper way to use a veterinary thermometer.
Required Life Skill Activities, years 1 and 2 ✔
Choose three the first year, and three the second year.
Things to Do Date Done Signature
Know and recite the 4-H Pledge, the 4-H Club Motto, and colors.
Plan what you will do for your project with your parents or leaders
each year.
Select a project doe or wether using your knowledge of parts and
desirable types.
Keep records of your goals, numbers of goats, things you did and
accomplished with them, money spent and earned, and your 4-H
activities in your 4-H project record book.
Give a presentation on something you learned about market goats
at a club meeting or your county presentation contest.
Exhibit your animal or something you made for this project at your
county roundup or fair.

Knowledge and Skills Checklist 7
Additional Market Goat Activities, years 3 and beyond ✔
Choose three of these activities each year after the first two years.
Things to Do Date Done Signature
Draw a picture of a sick goat. Label the signs of sickness.
Make a world map and show where five or more breeds of
goats were developed.
Watch your goat chew its cud. Count how many times it brings
its cud into its mouth in 15 minutes.
Explain the differences between selecting a dairy goat and a
market goat.
Name at least four goat breeds that would make good market
goats.
Attend a goat show and record at least six breeds of goats
you observed.
Make a list of common faults found in market goats and tell
how you could compensate for the weakness while showing
the goat.
Visit a goat auction. Observe which breeds and colors of goats
bring the best price.
Keep a diary of your goat’s behavior and explain what you
think each behavior means.
Draw a diagram of a goat’s carcass and label the different
cuts you can get from a market goat.
Discuss the differences between chevon and other red meats.
Visit a large goat farm and observe and inquire about herd
health practices. Compare their watering and feeding systems
to yours.
Attend a goat field day.
Find 10 or more Web sites devoted to goats. Distribute the list
of Web addresses to other club members. List the one you
think is most useful.
Make up a goat first aid kit. Explain why you included each item.
Make a list of vaccinations your goat should have as a kid and
explain the importance of each.
Collect goat feed labels and categorize each ingredient as
protein, energy, vitamin, mineral, or additive.

8 4-H Market Goat Project
Things to Do Date Done Signature
Visit a fair or show and listen to the judge give reasons for placing
goats the way he or she did.
Attend a fitting and showing clinic.
Train and fit a market goat for show.
Show a goat at a fair or roundup.
List some structural defects or health problems to avoid when
buying a goat.
Write to a goat breed association for information about that breed.
Write a report on the things you learned from the material.
Ask your extension agent for a list of minerals that are deficient in
your soils. Make a list of supplements you would need to add to
your goat’s diet to compensate for the deficiencies.
Make a chart on when to vaccinate, disbud, worm, trim feet, etc.
Give it to first-year members and teach them how to use the chart.
Make a chevon cookbook by collecting recipes using chevon.
Develop your own activities with your leader’s permission.
Additional Life Skills Activities, years 3 and beyond ✔
Choose three of these activities each year after the first two years.
Things to Do Date Done Signature
Lead the Pledge of Allegiance at a 4-H meeting.
Lead the 4-H Pledge at a 4-H meeting.
Lead a song or game at a 4-H meeting.
Serve as a committee member.
Serve as chairman of a committee.
Serve as an officer of your club.
Help plan or carry out a community service project.
Help plan your club’s yearly program.
Help with a fund-raiser for 4-H.
Help with a parents’ night or club achievement program.
Help with a 4-H event or activity.
Give a committee or officer’s report to your club.

Knowledge and Skills Checklist 9
Things to Do Date Done Signature
Give a talk to your club about something you learned or did
with your market goat project.
Give a presentation or talk to a group other than your club.
Act out a skit or pretend you are making a radio or television
commercial about 4-H, goats, or chevon.
Make a poster explaining market goats to display at the roundup.
Help prepare a parade float to tell about goats or 4-H.
Write a letter to someone you want to buy your market goat.
Tell why he or she should buy your goat.
Write a thank-you letter to a buyer of your goat or someone
who helped you or your 4-H Club.
Write a news story about your club or your project for a local
paper or a 4-H newsletter.
Bring a friend who is not a 4-H member to a 4-H meeting or
activity to interest him or her in 4-H.
Attend a 4-H camp or overnighter
Participate in a skill-a-thon contest.
Participate in a stock grower’s contest.
Help another 4-H’er with his or her project.
Teach a goat skill to another 4-H member.
Start a scrapbook of photos, newspaper clippings, ribbons,
and other materials related to your 4-H experiences.
Develop your own activity with your leader’s approval.

10
3Background
Information
There are some things you should know about
goats before you get started.
Objectives
After studying the materials and completing the
suggested activities for this section of your
project, you should be able to:
1. Tell some of the history of goats.
2. List some factors to consider before pur-
chasing a goat.
3. Explain the meaning of these terms: doe,
buck, purebred, grade, crossbred, and wether.
Goats in General
There are several things that will be the same
whether you are working with market, dairy,
pleasure, fiber, or pack goats.
Goats have become a favorite species of
livestock for economic reasons as well as emo-
tional reasons. Watching a kid romp and play is
relaxing and some people find a herd of goats
very therapeutic. Goats tend to flock together in
family groups. Goats will sort out a “pecking
order,” and you will find those dominant goats
ruling the feeder and pasture. Unlike sheep, goats
will turn and face the threat when they feel
threatened. They will make a characteristic sneez-
ing noise to drive away an intruder. Goats are
well known for “tasting” their environment.
Goat History
Goats have been around as part of daily life since
written records were begun. Dogs were probably
the first wild animals to be domesticated, fol-
lowed closely by the domestication of goats.
Goats probably originated in India and parts of
Asia. They are mentioned numerous times in the
Bible and were an important element in the life of
Biblical nations. Goats arrived in America when
Columbus made his second voyage in 1493. He
brought several milking goats. Goats were easy to
keep on a ship and there are records of goats that
traveled around the world on ships to provide the
crew with fresh milk.
Goats can grow, give milk and meat, and
reproduce under extreme conditions that would
eliminate other species. They can live in hot,
tropical climates as well as cool, temperate cli-
mates. They seem to be able to live and even
flourish under desert conditions. These factors
have made goats a very important domestic
animal.
A variety of breeds are found today in the
United States. The dairy breeds have come mostly
from North Africa, Switzerland, and France. The
meat breeds have come from North Africa, New
Zealand, South Africa, and Spain. The American
Dairy Goat Association (AGDA) was founded in
1964 to support people in raising dairy goats.
AGDA keeps track of breed registries and pro-
vides critical information needed for producing
dairy goats and keeping accurate records. The

Background Information 11
American Meat Goat Association was formed in
1992 to promote and improve meat goats.
Goats will continue to be an important do-
mestic animal as usable land acres decrease and
natural resources become less abundant. Goats
will quickly revert to being wild if left on their
own and unattended. Cats may in fact be the only
animal that will return to a feral state more
quickly than goats. People use more milk and
meat from goats today because goats have little
effect on the environment, yet they can produce
high-quality products on land that cannot sup-
port other livestock.
Factors to Consider When Raising Market Goats
Goats can be kept in a much smaller area than
cattle or horses, and therefore they are popular
among people who live in suburban areas with
Typical goat pen with hay rack and mineral feeder
1 or 2 acres of land. Before you purchase a goat of
any kind, make sure your community’s zoning
does not have rules against housing farm ani-
mals. Make sure you check the definition of
“livestock” in your area, because the definition
may vary from one township to another. Con-
sider your neighbors when planning to raise
goats. Some goats have loud voices that carry for
long distances. Like a barking dog, loud goats can
be annoying to neighbors. If you do not live in an
area where you can produce your own grain and
have access to pasture, consider the cost of buy-
ing hay and grain. Will you have adequate space
for your animals, and can you build shelter for
them? Do you have an outlet for culls or animals
you will need to sell? Good goat flock manage-
ment begins before you get your first goat.

12 4-H Market Goat Project
Words You Should Know
Buck or Billy: Intact male goat.
Doe: Female goat.
Doeling: Young female goat.
Wether: Male goat that has been surgically
altered (castrated) so that he can no longer breed.
Kid: Young goat under six months of age.
Kidding: The act of giving birth in goats.
Lactation period: The time during which milk is
produced.
Gestation period: The time a doe is pregnant,
beginning with conception and ending when she
kids.
Colostrum: The rich, first milk given by a doe at
kidding. Rich in maternal antibodies, vitamins,
minerals, and energy.
Purebred goat: A goat whose parents are both
registered with the same breed association.
Crossbred goat: A goat resulting from mating a
purebred doe of one breed to a purebred buck
from another breed.
Grade goat: A goat resulting from mating of two
crossbred goats.
Polled: An animal born without the potential to
grow horns.
Yearling: An animal 12 to 24 months old and not
in milk.
Suggested Activities
• Make a chart of the different names used for
goats.
• Have members of your club answer roll call at
a meeting with one name used for goats.
• Call your township or borough zoning office
and see if they have a definition for “livestock” in
your municipality
•Visit your local livestock auction and observe
the goat sale. Record the prices and report back to
your club.
• Explain the difference between market goat,
dairy goat, fiber, and pack goat projects.
Extra Activities to Try
• Ask a local goat producer if the names they use
for goats mean the same thing as the names
you’ve learned.
• Explain why colostrum is important to a new-
born kid
Ideas for Presentations and Talks
• The history of goat domestication
• Why raise goats
• The versatile goat
Things to Talk About
• How will you react when your project goat is
sold for slaughter?
• How is the price set for market goats?

13
4Breeds of
Goats
Goats come in many types and colors. Goats that
are alike in color patterns and body structure
often belong to the same breed.
Objectives
After studying the materials and completing the
suggested activities for this section of your
project, you should be able to:
1. Name examples of some of the major goat
breeds.
2. Identify at least six of the major breeds
from looking at photos or from seeing live
animals.
3. Identify and describe the important charac-
teristics of your selected goat breed.
4. If your project animal is crossbred, name
the breeds of the sire and dam and describe the
traits that each of those breeds possess.
5. List some advantages crossbred goats have
over purebred goats.
Goat Breeds
A breed is a group of genetically related animals
that reliably passes on certain characteristics or
traits to their offspring. Goat meat is produced
from many goat breeds in the U.S. Some of these
breeds have been genetically selected specifically
for meat, while others were bred to produce milk.
Some of the major breeds of goats and their
characteristics are listed below.
MEAT BREEDS
South African Boer Goat: The Boer goat was
developed in South Africa as a breed meant solely
for meat production. Because of intense breeding
over the past 50 years or more by South African
goat breeders, the Boer goat is considered far
superior to any other breed for meat production.
These compact, muscular goats have a high
growth rate, muscular carcass, good fertility, and
functional conformation. Boer goats are white
with red heads. They have pigmented skin and
roman noses. Under good nutritional conditions,
Boer goat crossbreds (especially with Nubians)
produce outstanding weight gains and carcasses.
Nubian: This breed is used for both milk and
meat production. They are a large, proud, grace-
ful breed with roman noses and long, pendulous
ears. They can be any color. Kids have a high
growth rate and are generally fleshier than other
dairy breeds. They are used to crossbreed in
many operations because they can improve milk
production and muscling.
Spanish Meat Goat: These smaller-bodied goats
found mainly in Texas originally were
used for clearing brush and pasture maintenance.
Smaller, more agile goats are dominant in
the wild. Body shape and size, ear shape, horns,
hair, and color vary greatly due to climate,
terrain, and available breeding stock. Because of
the recent increased demand for goat meat

14 4-H Market Goat Project
in the South, wild Spanish goats are being cross-
bred with larger dairy and angora goats to
produce a meatier animal.
Tennessee Meat Goat: These goats were devel-
oped from fainting goats (when startled their
muscles lock up suddenly, and they fall over and
lie stiff for a few seconds). A fainting goat aver-
ages between 17 and 25 inches in height, and
weighs between 50 and 165 pounds. These goats
come in a variety of colors and have very long
ears that stand out to the side of the head. The
constant stiffening and relaxing of the muscles
may result in heavy rear leg muscling, tender
meat, and a high meat-to-bone ratio. They are
very calm animals and make excellent pets. They
are herding animals, so they should be kept with
at least two or three of their own kind.
Kiko: The Kiko is a meat breed that originated
from large dairy males crossed with New
Zealand based stock, which were then back-
crossed to dairy males. They were selected
for twinning, growth rate, and constitution.
DAIRY BREEDS
Alpine:This breed produces a large amount of
milk and usually has big kids at birth. Alpines
tend to get lean and leggy as they continue grow-
ing. They have short, erect ears and can show a
number of color patterns.
LaMancha:This U.S. breed’s most obvious trait
are the tiny ear flaps that almost make them look
like they don’t have any ears at all. This medium-
sized, good-tempered breed can be any color and
has moderate muscling. The LaMancha is becom-
ing a very popular breed to cross with a meat
breed to produce a well-balanced, heavily
muscled market goat.
Oberhasli: This small- to medium-sized breed is
generally the lightest muscled of all dairy breeds.
Oberhaslis have red bodies with black markings.
Saanen:This large-bodied white goat produces
large amounts of milk and has moderate
muscling.
Boer
Tennessee meat goat
Toggenburg:This heavy milking breed is
medium-sized, sturdy, and vigorous. They have
short, erect ears, a dished face, and a gray/white
color pattern.
OTHER
Cashmere and angora goats were developed for
fiber production. In the South, where there is a
strong demand for goat meat, they are also being
used for meat. However, these animals are
lighter-muscled and have a lower dressing per-
centage than most other breeds.

Breeds of Goats 15
Alpine LaMancha
Nubian Oberhasli
Saanen Toggenburg
The breed pictures on this page appear courtesy of the American Dairy Goat Association, Spindale, NC.

16 4-H Market Goat Project
Your Goat’s Pedigree
A written record of the names of a kid’s parents,
grandparents, and other ancestors is called its
pedigree. Some words you will see used on a
pedigree, and their meanings, are listed below.
Sire: The kid’s father.
Dam: The kid’s mother.
Grandsire: The father of the sire or dam (the kid’s
grandfather).
Granddam: The mother of the sire or dam (the
kid’s grandmother).
Registration of Purebred Goats
Established breeds usually require both parents
to be registered before their offspring can be
registered. A registered animal has its name, herd
and registration number, date of birth, pedigree,
and name of owner and breeder recorded with
Crossbred market goat kids
the breed registry association. A goat must meet
all of the requirements of the breed registry
association to be registered.
Breed registry associations issue registration
certificates or papers to owners of registered
goats. When a registered animal is bought or
sold, the seller must send the registration certifi-
cate back to the breed association so ownership
can be transferred to the new owner. If you buy a
registered animal, make sure that the seller
transfers the registration papers to you. If you
plan to show the animal, make sure the owner-
ship is transferred to you before the show’s
ownership deadline.
If you would like to find out more about a
breed, you may write to the breed registry asso-
ciation for information. More information about
breeds of goats can be found on the Internet at
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/GOATS/.

Breeds of Goats 17
Advantages of Crossbreeds
Crossbred goats have some advantages over
purebred goats because of heterosis. Heterosis
usually gives a crossbred an improvement over
the average of its parent purebreds for a certain
trait. For example, if the average daily gain of a
purebred Boer goat was .4 pounds per day and
the average of Nubian purebreds was .2 pound
per day, we would expect the average daily gain
of a Boer x Nubian crossbred to be .3 pounds per
day. In reality, the average daily gain might be
something closer to .35 pounds per day, which is
higher than the average of the parent breeds. The
improvement in the actual daily gain over the
average of the parents is a result of heterosis.
Heterosis affects several important traits in
goats. In addition to improvements in average
daily gain, crossbred goats are usually more
heavily muscled and resist disease better than
purebreds.
Words You Should Know
Breed: A group of animals that often have the
same color patterns and body structure because
they share common ancestors that were selected
for those characteristics.
Purebred: An animal with a high percentage
(usually 7/8 or 15/16) of genes from a certain
breed.
Crossbred: An animal with parents from different
breeds.
Heterosis: The percentage improvement (usually)
of a crossbred over the average of its purebred
parents in certain traits.
Suggested Activities
• Answer the roll call at a meeting with the name
of a goat breed.
• Look through magazines or on the Internet to
find pictures of different breeds of goats.
• Make a poster or display with pictures of the
major breeds. Describe the special uses and
features of each breed pictured.
•Visit a fair or show and try to identify the
different breeds that are there. For crossbred
goats, try to identify the breeds used in the cross.
•Write to the breed association to find out more
about the breed of your project goat. Describe
what is special about the breed you have chosen.
• Make a poster to promote or advertise your
favorite goat breed.
• List some advantages (or disadvantages) of
crossbreds compared to purebreds.
• Explain why you think heterosis is important
in the production of market animals.
• Contact a purebred breed association and
collect information to share with your club
members.
Extra Activities to Try
• Discuss with a goat producer which breed
traits are important to a breeding program, and
why they are important to a flock.
• Ask the manager or owner of a purebred goat
flock why he or she raises a particular breed of
goats.
• Examine the registration papers of a registered
goat. Be able to name the sire and dam.
• Ask the owner of a commercial goat flock why
certain breeds are used for crossbreeding.
• Make a chart on four or more purebred breeds
of goats. Explain the differences between the
breeds.
• Poll several local goat producers to find out
what their favorite breed of goat is, and why.
Ideas for Presentations and Talks
• Make a poster with photos or drawings of the
major breeds of goats, then use it to lead a discus-
sion of the different characteristics of each breed.
• Describe the important characteristics of a
certain breed of goat and tell why these character-
istics are desirable.
Things to Talk About
• What are the major goat breeds raised for meat
production?
• What are the characteristics associated with
each goat breed?
• What is a crossbred goat?

18
5Selecting
Project
Animals
The conformation and size of the goat kid you
choose will affect the success of your project. Try
to choose thrifty, high-quality, lean, muscular, and
structurally correct goats. You don’t need the
most expensive animals to succeed.
Objectives
After studying these materials and completing
the suggested activities, you should be able to:
1. Name the external parts of a goat and be
able to point them out on a live goat or label them
on a diagram.
2. Tell what to look for when choosing an
animal for a market goat project.
Naming External Parts of the Goat
It’s important to know the words used by goat
producers. When you know and use the right
words, other people who raise goats will be able
to understand you.
The parts of a goat’s body have special
names. Learn the terms listed on the diagram on
page 20. On a doe, you should also be able to
identify the udder and vulva. On a buck, you
should also be able to locate the scrotum and
testes.
Things You Need to Know
Dairy goats are okay to use as a meat goat if they
are crossbred with a meat breed. A purebred
dairy goat usually can’t compete with a meat
breed animal. There are enormous differences
within each of the dairy goat breeds for milk
yield, weight gain, and carcass quality. When
selecting good meat goats, it is more important to
evaluate the actual animal rather than to choose
an animal based only on its breed. There are
generally more differences within a breed than
between breeds of goats.
Your task is to select an attractive, heavily
muscled kid goat, then feed it so that it reaches an
acceptable market weight and external fat thick-
ness on the day of the show.
Selecting Your Meat Goat
When selecting a meat goat, the most important
thing to consider is the health of the animal.
When you begin your market project with a
healthy animal, the potential for growth and
profit are much greater. Some things to look for
when selecting your market kid are:
• Is his hair coat smooth and shiny, or rough and
dull?
• Does he seem alert and interested, or does he
seem depressed and uninterested in what is
going on around him?
•Are his gums and eyelids pink, or are they a
pale white color?
• Is he breathing at a normal rate, or does he
seem to be breathing rapidly before exercise?
•Are his toes together when he stands, or are
they far apart when he walks?