All4-Hprojects (not just market ones) must complete a book and a record guide. No exceptions! All books and guides are due by Saturday of fair week. Please turn them in on time!PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR ACTIVITY SCORE IS ON THE BOOK!FFA books are due on Sunday after weigh-in to your FFA advisor. Any questions can be directed to him.
Marshall County 4-H & FFA Goat & Rabbit Club
Meat Doe Classes:
The divisions for the meat doe show are as follows:
Doe kids (age day of show):
0-6 months
7-12 months
Yearling does:
13-18 months
19-24 months
Senior does (must have kidded):
25-36 months
37 months+
Junior bucks:
0-6 months
7-12 months
More info: email us at this page or call us at 845-4437
All does and bucks may be horned. Meat does/bucks are not to be full body clipped. They may be trimmed up to a uniform appearance by cutting long hairs. We do not recommend using sprays, powders, dyes, or the like. All goats must have Scrapie tags or tattoos. Any animal shown in this show cannot be shown in another show (dairy, pygmy, or market)!
This page was last updated on: August 28, 2014
Dairy Goats and Pygmy Goats:
The divisions for this show are as follows:
Senior Pygmies (1 year +)
Junior Pygmies (under 1 year)
Dairy does 7 years + (dry and/or retired)
Dairy does 5 years + (in milk)
dairy doe 4 years old (in milk)
dairy doe 3 years old (in milk)
dairy doe 2 years old (in milk)
dairy doe yearling in milk
Junior kid
Senior kid
Yearling dry
Mother/Daughter Class
Herd Class
Udder Class
Junior Bucks under 1 year
All categories are for does only. No wethers are allowed in any class. All dairy goats must be full-body clipped and dehorned. Pygmies may have horns and do not need to be body clipped. All must have Scrapie tags or tattoos to be allowed on the fairgrounds. Any goat shown in this show cannot be shown in the meat goat show.
Rabbit Categories:
Single rabbit does
Single rabbit bucks
in mini, giant, New Zealand, Californian , and mixed meat breeds
(May be further divided day of show
depending on entries)
Market rabbits
(classes to be decided day of show)
Project Highlights:
Market Goats: Must be born on or after January 1, 2014. May be disbudded or have the horns tipped. Males must be castrated. Does are allowed. Both sexes must have Scrapie tags in their ear before weigh in. Weigh in is in May. Goats must be in your possession by this date. Meat breeds are encouraged, but not required. There is no dairy wether category. You may weigh in two goats, but may only show and sell one. You may have a family backup, instead of individual backups for each family member. This project participates in showmanship. Must be Scrapie compliant. Shown with a collar only--no leads or halters.
The 4-H Meat Goat Project books are entitled: Just Browsing, Get Growing with Meat Goats, and Meating the Future.All goat projects use the same record guide.
Meat Goats: These are usually already in your possession when you sign up for the project. They are not sold, only shown. They can be does of any meat breed or percentage. They cannot be shown in pygmy classes or dairy classes. Female market goat backups that are not used as a market project may be used as a meat doe project for FFA or 4-H. No wethers may be shown in the breeding meat goat show. You do not have to weigh meat does in (unless it is a backup market goat). Bucks may be shown as long as they are 12 months old or younger at fair time. These goats do not need to be disbudded or dehorned. This project also participates in showmanship. They must be Scrapie compliant. Shown with collar and lead--especially if they are horned. The 4-H Meat Goat Project books are entitled: Just Browsing, Get Growing with Meat Goats, and Meating the Future. All goat projects use the same record guide.
If you are doing both a market goat and meat goat project, you only need to do one record guide with all the animals in it and one project book.
Dairy Goats: These are also goats that are usually already in your possession when you sign up for the project. All goats must be shown in milk unless they fall into a kid class or a dry class. To be shown in milk, you must breed them in the fall or winter and have them kid (give birth). This project is does and bucks under one year and no wethers may be shown. They must be disbudded or dehorned. This project participates in showmanship also. Goats in this category may not be shown as a meat doe or pygmy doe. They must be Scrapie compliant. Shown with collar only. The 4-H Dairy Goat Project books are entitled: Getting Your Goat and Stepping Out. All goat projects use the same record guide.
Pygmy Goats: These goats are also usually in your possession when you sign up for the project. Pygmy goats could also be classified as meat goats, but you may only show in one show. If you show them as a pygmy goat, you may not show in a meat class also and vise versa. This project also does not have a buck or wether class. Pygmies do not need to be disbudded or dehorned. Pygmy projects also participate in showmanship. If you are unsure of whether your goat is classified as a pygmy, please ask the superintendent. May be shown with a collar and lead. All goat projects use the same record guide.
Market Rabbits: Rabbits in this project are shown and sold at auction. You must have a pen of three. Rabbits shown as a pen of three cannot be shown singly. Meat breeds of rabbits are recommended. If you are unsure of what constitutes a meat breed, please consult the superintendent. The purpose of this project is to raise three rabbits as closely in weight and size as possible. You must ownthe doe that is the mother of your market pen. You must show either the mother of the pen or the father of the pen at the fair also. Each rabbit exhibitor will be limited to 2 pens of rabbits total (one market pen and one mother/father of pen). You must check in the does that you will breed for your market pen at the Rabbit Round-Up. Rabbits cannot be over 12 weeks of age at fair time and may be of either sex. Showmanship is mandatory. You must provide a means of transporting your rabbits to the show and sale (ie: milk crate, bucket, carrier, etc). The 4-H Project Books for rabbits are entitled: What's Hoppening?, Making Tracks, and All Ears. You need to have a market rabbit record guide.
Show Rabbits: These rabbits are shown as a single. There are categories for both bucks and does. Mini breeds and standard breeds show separately. Further classes will be decided as entries dictate. These rabbits are not sold. These are also usually already in your possession when you sign up for the project. The mother doe or father buck of your market pen, if doing a market project, must be shown as a single rabbit entry. Must complete a record guide for this project. Showmanship is mandatory. They must also have a carrier. The 4-H Project Books for rabbits are entitled: What's Hoppening?, Making Tracks, and All Ears.You need to have a show rabbit record guide.
Remember: All goats (dairy, pygmy, meat does, meat bucks, and all market goats) MUST have a USDA Scrapie tag in its ear to be on the fairgrounds. An official Scrapie tattoo, accompanied by registration papers, is also permitted for registered show stock as an alternative to the USDA tag. This is NOT ALLOWED for market animals. If you need Scrapie tags or more information, please contact:
Please allow a lot of time for the ordering, printing, and shipping of Scrapie tags if you are ordering them for fair.
Show Classes for Meat, Dairy, and Rabbit Shows:
We are enrolled in the KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS program. This is a voluntary fundraiser that is EASY! All you have to do is go to thekrogercommunityrewards.com website and register your Kroger Plus card. You will need the following NPO number:
84130. Before registering your card, you will have to click on SIGN UP TODAY in the "new customer" box. Then, after your card is registered, everytime you make a purchase, a donation will be made to our club. We will receive our portion once every quarter, so this is an ongoing fundraiser. If you have any questions, call or email me and I'll try to answer them. You may also have your friends and family use our number and they can help our club also!
Fundraising Opportunities:
All classes are the same for Open Class. Same clipping rules apply. Open classes must pay fairboard entry fee and fill out livestock entry forms.
All classes are the same for Open Class (open class has some additional classes). Same clipping rules apply. Open classes must pay fairboard entry fee and fill out livestock entry forms.
All classes are the same for Open Class, except market classes. Open classes must pay fairboard entry fee and fill out livestock entry forms.
Chart to figure out breeding and kidding dates
Awesome 4-H goat book from PA. It is downloadable and contains great information.
Goat husbandry and health care website. Geared towards dairy goats, but can be adapted to meat goats too.
Website filled with tons of goat-related information and health care.
Invaluable goat health articles. We use this extensively.
LINKS:
Rabbit health-related articles.
List of medications and how you can use them to treat rabbits.
Dairy goat, milk, and product information and links.
Immense collection of dairy, meat, and market goat information. Click the "4-H" link on the left and get even more--developed for 4-Hers, including body parts quizzes.
A downloadable guide with TONS of pictures aimed at the youth producer or new producer. It is 20 pages long and a pretty big file. This is a great resource for the beginner or expert.
Guidelines on feeding show goats, especially market wethers. Also important information on medicines and vaccines your goat will need.
A page every parent of a 4-H or FFA member should read and remember. It's hard to, sometimes. I know!
A You-Tube video showing rabbit showmanship.
An emailed monthly magazine highlighting goat care and issues. Free to sign-up.
A downloadable 4-H goat book from Wyoming that is great for 1st year members or those looking for more info on goats.
Tons of goat information--for showing, breeding, market and more!
Website for the State Fair of West Virginia. The exhibitor's handbook is at this site in PDF form.
Interactive livestock quizzes for all kinds of animals. Body parts, health, etc. Great way to practice for showmanship!
An interactive judging quiz for all types of livestock. Great practice!
Everyone will need to RE-REGISTER for Kroger Rewards after April 1st
every year! Please do not forget!
NEXT MEETING:
Looking to buy? Need to sell? For all things agriculture and regional, look to this site and their newspaper. Farm-related articles, auctions, and classifieds.
WV Agriculture Classifieds. In state only. Free to subscribe, free to place ad. Can be read on-line or receive printed material in mail. From WVDA office.
A note to our rabbit raisers:
One thing that we keep hearing from the rabbit judges is the importance of showing CLEAN animals. Rabbits are not as easy to bath as a goat. You cannot tie them up to the wash rack and hit them with a hose and some Bright Lights. The easiest way to keep your white rabbits white is to keep their pens clean. Sitting in their poop and urine stains their fur. If the poop and urine aren't there to be sat in, the less chance of stained fur. As with bigger animals cleaning up after them is a fulltime job. Don't wait until fair week to be asking how to get their fur white. It's an on-going year-long job, just as it is with all other livestock.
This is an awesome site on raising meat pens. There are tips on getting your rabbits to gain weight, stay white, what to feed, what not to feed, etc. I'd say this is vital reading for anyone doing market rabbits!
The official site for the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Lots of good tips here!
A PDF-style handbook all about raising meat rabbit pens. There is information in there that I have not encountered anywhere else. A definite read!
A lisitng of goat breeders in WV for all breeds. Not sure how up-to-date it is, but if you need goats, it's a good start.
The official site for the American Boer Goat Association. Lots of information on Boers here.
For all things 4-H related, you can find it here. Can also get bolo ties and patches here for fair time.
For all things FFA, you can find it here!
A page full of educational videos for club projects including clipping, selection, showing, etc. Goats, calves, pigs, and lambs are featured.
A chart to convert inches into pounds for your goat's growth.
More info: call Carolyn Harris at 845-0747
No wether classes in the breeding show. No wethers in any open classes.
This is a page of market goat tips for those who raise their own and for those who buy theirs. I have put this together from our own experiences. December meeting handout.
This is a PDF file on how to raise 4-H rabbits. This is a must-read for all first-time project takers.
This is an article on rabbit diseases. This is vital information for rabbit showmanship. This was the December meeting hand-out.
For more info, call Ed Loy 304-686-3399
Here is another great market/dairy goat project book from Louisiana. Has a great glossary of terms and a good listing of faults on a goat (bad traits you don't want). Worth looking at and bookmarking for future reference.
This is the 4-H Business Start-Up Guide. It shows you ways to take what you love about your project and turn it into a business.
Colorado's 4-H goat guide. Good PDF to have as a reference.
Goat site mentioned at the February meeting for market goat selection tips.
Another great book from Colorado. A PDF file..
If you are breeding for your own market goats, please refer to the meat and market goat tips for important tips for breeding and kidding time. Don't forget your minerals!
I need email addresses, mailing addresses, text #'s, etc, in order to get in touch with everyone. The Extension Office will no longer send out reminder notices or newsletters for the club. If you would like info from the club, I need to know how you'd like to be contacted. I have a partial listing of those whose clubs have already turned in their project cards. I am missing 6 clubs and all of FFA.
