Goats

Dairy Goat Manuals (optional)

• BU—8352 Getting Your Goat –Grades 3 - 5

• BU—8353 Stepping Out –Grades 6 - 8

• BU - 8354 Showing the Way –Grades 9 –12

Meat Goat Manuals (optional)

• BU—7909 Just Browsing—Grades 3–5

• BU—7910 Growing with Meat Goats—Grades 6–8

• BU—7911 Meating the Future—Grades 9–12

The type of manual you choose is up to you, however it is recommended that you choose the book that relates to the breed you are showing. Manuals are recommended but not required.

Exhibit Options:

Members may choose to exhibit any combination of live animals, a poster and\or present a Project Interact detailing some aspect of the project.   The poster and Project Interact options may be in place of or in addition to the live animal exhibit.   For information on Animal Posters please see the guidelines under the Animal Education project section of this handbook.  Poster projects are entered during pre-fair judging weeks.  Please refer to the pre-fair schedule for specific dates and times for Animal Education check-in.  Members wishing to give a Project Interact are to setup a suitable time with the project superintendent(s).

General Rules

General Rules

1. Enrollment dates: You must be enrolled in the Goat project by May 15 of the current year.

2. Exhibitors may exhibit more than one breed of goats. Goats may be of grade, recorded grade or registered stock. (State fair entries must have registration papers)

3. Show attire: Members are strongly urged to dress in a manner appropriate to show livestock. Examples of such appropriate dress would include button-down shirts, golf shirts with a collar, jeans with no holes, boots or closed-toe shoes. It is required that all dairy members wear a white shirt, white pants are STRONGLY encouraged for dairy members but not required. Inappropriate dress includes, but is not limited to tank tops, halter tops, baggy pants, shorts, cut-offs and open-toed shoes. Please make sure that cleavage and tummies are covered when showing, the show might be broadcast online and recorded.

4. May 15 enrollment online forms: All goats must be identifiable by May 15 and listed online on the May 15th State 4-H Goat Enrollment Form. All goats must be CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE. Old tattoos might need to be re- done. Please ensure they are readable and re-tattoo prior to arriving at the fairgrounds.  We will NOT accept green ears from recent tattoos so please plan accordingly. All Boer wethers and weather dams(market does) and commercial boer does must have a county provided tag. Please see the Indiana State Fair guidelines if you plan to attend the state fair. Please see breed specifics for identification details. For any help with identification, please contact the superintendents.

5. All goats must be owned by the 4-H member or the member’s immediate family. If not, the member must complete a lease agreement from. The lease agreement form is due by May 15th to the extension office or to the superintendents via email. All goats must be cared for by the member.

6. A 4-H member may exhibit a maximum of 2 entries per class, with a maximum of 6 goats. The maximum number of goats per family cannot exceed 20. The maximum for group classes is one entry per class per member.

7. Exhibitors must be present at pen setup and tear down. Members are required to clean their own pen before leaving the fairgrounds with their animals. If the member is unable to attend either pen setup or tear down email notification should be provided to the superintendent one week prior. Pens will be assigned by the superintendent, An electronic form will be sent with pen request information prior to the fair.

8. Exhibitors must show his/her own goat. If the exhibitor has two animals in the same class, exceptions will be made at the discretion of the superintendents. If approved,  then any 4-H member from the county may show the additional goat in that class. Breed-specific attire must be worn by the 4-H member regardless if they are a goat member or not, and will be required to wear their back tag. Please plan accordingly. 

9. All materials needed for the week are to be provided by the member at the time the goat is brought in and unloaded; this includes but is not limited to: bedding, hay, grain, water, buckets, feed pans, etc. Stalls and walkways are to be kept clean by the 4-H member. 

10. Group classes: Goats in group classes can be on different May 15th forms as long as the members are siblings. For example, if one member has the mother (goat) and the sibling has the daughter (goat) they could compete in the mother/daughter class because the members are siblings.

11. Check in times will be requested by members and then assigned by superintendents. Check in times will be emailed as soon as it is available.

12. Bucks: NO bucks will be exhibited. Only does and wethers may be shown. If you have a nursing doe with kids that are 0 to 3 months you may bring the buck kid(s) with its dam. If you are bringing a buck kid, you must notify the superintendent 72 hours prior to check in.

13. At the superintendents, Extension Educators and Exhibit Associations appointed representative discretion, animals showing signs of disease or sickness will not be allowed to stay on the fairgrounds. If an animal is asked to be removed for health or other reasons, the exhibitor has the right to a second professional opinion at the exhibitors cost with prior notice to the superintendent. The superintendent must be present at the time of the professional examination of the animal in question.

14. Superintendents have the right to address issues concerning the animal health and well-being of all involved in the goat project. If the animal is deemed unable to be shown, but is safe to still be on the premises and with superintendent approval, the animal may stay if there are no other animals at home to provide that animal company.

15. All medications, oral or injected, must be approved by the superintendents prior to being given. If found to be given without approval, the fraud and deception rule/consequences may be implemented.

16. Drenching is acceptable. No oral medications should be added to the drench and if found being added without approval the above rules will apply. Superintendents, in conjunction with the Executive committee and 4-H educator, reserve the right as a group to finalize or clarify any previously stated rule. Each situation will be handled individually in a professional manner.

17. A pen fee will be charged at check in, as set forth by the Exhibit Association. The amount will be announced prior to check in.

18. Superintendents have the right to change a goats enrolled breed if registration papers are not provided at check in.

19. Barn curfew is at 11pm, all lights will be shut off at 11pm.

20. While at the fair please keep your goats in the goat/livestock area, do not walk goats towards the food/public area.   

21. Artificial hair is not allowed. Hair color can be enhanced but not changed, for example white can be made whiter and brown can be made darker brown.  

22. Rate of Gain: If you wish to be entered in the rate of gain class, you must attend weigh in that will take place before May 15th.  Final weight will be the wether’s weight at check in.  Only wethers born on or after January 1st will be eligible. All milk teeth must be in plan. 

23. Showmanship - All Beginners (first year in project or 3rd grade) must participate in showmanship.  For the remaining rules, please see the showmanship section for the handbook.

Dairy Goats

1. Identification: An ear tattoo, ear tag (county or farm) or microchip that is specific to the goat is required to exhibit at the county fair. If you have questions regarding any form of identification, please contact the superintendents.

2. It is customary to wear all white. It is highly recommended that you wear white pants and a white shirt. However, you are only required to wear a white shirt.

3. No horns are allowed for any of the dairy goat breeds. Scurs more than 3 inches will not be allowed to show. Scurs are defined as partial horn growth.

4. Recognized Breeds (Milking and Dry Show): Alpine, LaMancha, Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Oberhasli, Recorded Grade, Saanen, Sable Saanen, Toggenburg, Mini Nubian, and Fiber. The breed champions will compete for overall Doe. 

5. Dairy Wethers: The goat must weigh at least 30 pounds at check in. Scales will be provided at check in. If needed, please contact the superintendent 2 weeks prior to check in to schedule a pre-weight. Dairy wethers born on or after January 1st of the current show year will be shown by weight and must be weighed the night of check in. They must have all milk teeth in place. Dairy wethers born December 31st or prior to, will be shown by birth date. They will not be eligible for rate of gain or for the auction, pool or grand champion. Their class is a just-for-fun class.

6. Group Classes: Mother/Daughter- two does, any age, as long as one is the mother and one is the daughter. Best Three Females- three does exhibited by the same family.

   Clarification for Nigerian Dwarf wethers: Nigerians are exempt from the 30-pound weight show requirement and they will show by birthdate regardless of age. If you would like to auction or send a Nigerian through the pool for slaughter it must be born after January 1st of the current year and weigh at least 30 pounds.

Fiber Goats

Fiber goats will show under the same set of rules as the Dairy breeds, but have their own subset of rules set below. 

1. Identification: An ear tattoo, ear tag (county or farm) or microchip that is specific to the goat is required to exhibit at the county fair. If you have questions regarding any form of identification, please contact the superintendents.

2. Horns are allowed per breed judging characteristics.

3. Wethers: Classes will be divided into under a year old and over a year old.  Wethers under a year old must have all milk teeth in place. 

4. Group Classes: Mother/Daughter- two does, any age, as long as one is the mother and one is the daughter. Best Three Females- three does exhibited by the same family.

Boer Goats

1. Identification: An ear tattoo, ear tag (county or farm) or microchip that is specific to the goat is required to exhibit at the county fair. Wethers and wether dams are required to have a county tag provided by the superintendents during the May tag in/weigh in. If you have questions regarding any form of identification, please contact the superintendents.

2. Horns are allowed per breed judging characteristics.

3. Doe divisions will be as follows: Wether Dam (slick sheared), Commercial Doe (haired doe), and Full Blood/Percentage Junior and Senior does.

   1. Wether Dams and Commercial Does will show by weight and Full Blood/Percentage does will show by age.  

4. Wethers must weigh a minimum of 50 pounds at check in. Wethers will show by weight. The classes will be divided according to the weight of the animals. All wethers must be weighed at check in on the scales provided. If you are in question of the weight of your wether, please contact the superintendent 2 weeks prior to check in to schedule a pre weigh. All milk teeth must be in place at the time of check-in to show.

5. Auction: only market wethers and weather dams will be allowed to be sold in the auction or pool.

6. Rate of Gain: Members wishing to enter their wethers in the rate of gain class must weigh the wether at the ear tagging in May. The final weight will be taken at check in.

7. Group Classes: Mother/Daughter- two does, any age, as long as one is the mother, and one is the daughter. Best Two of Herd- may consist of does or wethers.

Pygmy Goats

1. Fair Identification: An ear tattoo, ear tag (county or farm) or microchip that is specific to the goat is required to exhibit at the county fair. If you have questions regarding any form of identification, please contact the superintendents.

2. Horns are allowed per breed judging characteristics. 

3. Wethers: Classes will be divided into age groups. There will be a class offered for wethers born before January 1st of the current year. Wethers under a year old must have all milk teeth in place. Wethers will not compete against other breeds for champion.

4. Group Classes: Mother/Daughter- two does, any age, as long as one is the mother and one is the daughter. Best Three Females- three does exhibited by the same family.

Myotonic Goats

1. Identification: An ear tattoo, ear tag (county or farm) or microchip that is specific to the goat is required to exhibit at the county fair. If you have questions regarding any form of identification, please contact the superintendents.

2. Horns are allowed per breed judging characteristics. 

3. Wethers: Classes will be divided into age groups. There will be a class offered for wethers born before January 1st of the current year. Wethers under a year old must have all milk teeth in place. Wethers will not compete against other breeds for champion.

4. Group Classes: Mother/Daughter- two does, any age, as long as one is the mother and one is the daughter. Best Three Females- three does exhibited by the same family.

Kiko\Savanna Goats

1. All Kiko and Savanna Goats will follow the same rules as the Boar Goats.

Showmanship –See general rules for Showmanship at the beginning of the handbook. In addition, in order to participate in a showmanship class, the member must exhibit an animal in the appropriate breed class.