4-H Dairy Goat Project

2023 Dairy Goat Rules for LaGrange County 4-H Handbook


DAIRY/PYGMY/ANGORA GOAT


Exhibits may be a goat poster, interactive demonstration or combination.

For all levels - One or more animals fed and cared for by member (bring your own feed & bedding)

Youth enrolled in the 4-H Dairy Goat project are to complete Youth Quality Assurance training corresponding to his or her grade as of January 1 of the current year, plus a livestock feed or record sheet.  Records should be turned in to the 4-H Dairy Goat Committee by the designated weigh in date.  There is a reference book, 4-H 135 R Goat Resource Handbook.  It is to be used as a reference for the entire ten years of participation in the 4-H Dairy Goat project.  Members may exhibit at the county fair if their:

  1. Youth Quality Assurance training is complete
  2. Animals are properly registered in 4honline
  3. Animals are properly identified (tagged, tattooed, or microchipped), 
  4. All health rules are followed.

General Rules & Policies

  1. All goat exhibitors are expected to follow the LaGrange County General Livestock Exhibit rules.  These rules are to take precedence over any contradictory rules for a given livestock species.
  2. Any animal showing a sign of infectious or communicable disease will be excused from the fairgrounds.  The dairy goat superintendent, president of the livestock committee, president of the fair board, and the Extension Agent will have final determination as to whether an animal presents too great a health risk to remain on the fairgrounds.
  3. 4-H youth must have possession of their animals by a spring date to be announced by the 4-H Dairy Goat Committee.  Possession of a pregnant doe by the spring date constitutes possession of the kid(s) as well.  
  4. All goats showing at the fair must have their identification uploaded to 4honline by May 15th.
  5. Goats must be tattooed, tagged, or microchipped by the designated identification day at the fairgrounds.
    1. Goat tagging date at the fairgrounds is typically scheduled for the last Saturday in April.  Enrolled youth will receive timely notice.
    2. Does that are registered with ADGA, NDGA, and NPGA and are tattooed or microchipped, do not need to be present at the April goat tagging event, but should be registered with the dairy goat committee either in Fair Entry, and/or on a paper/electronic form provided by the dairy goat committee.
    3. Commercial and/or unregistered does may submit their USDA Scrapie Tag as their identification to show at the LaGrange 4-H fair.
    4. All market wethers need to be tagged at the goat identification date.
  6. Dairy goat wethers and unregistered does intended for show at the Indiana State Fair must be identified with an RFID tag, registered online by May 15th under Animal Identification, and must submit hair samples to the state 4-H office.  (Contact extension office for assistance).
  7. All pens will be assigned by the 4-H Dairy Goat Committee.
  8. No bucks (intact male goats) are allowed at the fair  The only exception will be nursing bucklings, under two months of age.  No buckling may be shown at the fair.
  9. Every goat must have a collar.
  10. All goats showing in the dairy goat show must be free of horns with the exception of Angoras.  All dairy breeds and pygmy goat horns must be removed.  Goats purchased as adults with horns by 4-H’ers must have horns removed so that the horn is no more than 2 inches in length when measured from the base of the horn at the skull to the horn tip following along the front edge of the horn surface.  Goat kids should be disbudded before coming to the Fair.  Scurs on disbudded kids are permissible, as long as they follow the same 2 inch rule as described above.  There will be no horns allowed in the Dairy Goat portion of the show.  Dairy or Pygmy goats whose horns have not been removed, or whose scurs exceed the two inch limit as described above will be disqualified and removed from the fairgrounds.
  11. Angora goats may be shown with horns.

 

****The Dairy Goat Project Committee reserves the right to determine acceptable horn removal, horn length, health, and eligibility of all Dairy, Pygmy, and Angora goats.  ****

 

  1. The age of the goat shall be computed in accordance with Indiana State Fair guidelines.
  2. Due to spacing issues, members may only bring a total of 8 goats for the dairy goat show to the fair, regardless of type of goat (dairy, pygmy, or angora); Youth are allowed to show up to 2 dairy wethers and 2 meat wethers.
  3. Individual 4-H members may register and tag up to 40 goats per category, per State Fair rules.

 

Showmanship

 

Dress:

Members showing goats are expected to adhere to dress standards.  Clothes and person need to be neat and clean.  Hair should be neat and away from the face.  ADGA rules state that white costume is preferred.  LaGrange County 4-H Dairy Goat Committee approves wearing black or blue jeans or pants (no holes), the current  LaGrange County Goat Project show shirt and closed toed shoes or boots.  Shirts should be tucked in.  The LaGrange County Dairy Goat Project Committee reserves the final say in show attire and you may be asked to change inappropriate show clothes.


Rules:

  • Exhibitors MUST show their own goat in a showmanship class.
  • Goats shown in showmanship MUST be exhibited in either a market or a breed class.
  • Small breeds (Nigerian and Pygmy) will be shown in small animal showmanship.  A large breed dairy goat is required for dairy goat showmanship.
  • Division winners may advance only one division per year.
  • Per breed standard, Dairy breeds should be shown using a small link chain.

 

Divisions:

  • First year showman:  Winner advances to the next age appropriate division.
  • Junior:  grades 4 & 5.  Winner advances to the next division.
  • Intermediate:  grades 6, 7, & 8.  Winner advances to the next division.  (Past Junior winners compete in the Intermediate division).
  • Senior:  grades 9 and above.  Winner advances to the next division.  (Past Intermediate winners compete in the Senior division).
  • Premier:  Past and current winners of Senior division.  The Premier winner will represent the Dairy Goat project in the LaGrange County 4-H All Around Showmanship competition.
  • Miniature breeds may be shown with a short lead.

 

The 4-H Dairy Goat Committee reserves the right to determine class eligibility.  Announcements or rule changes made during the fair will supersede rules outlined in this document.

 

Dairy Breeding Classes

Classes will be determined by the 4-H Dairy Goat Committee.  Two animals may be entered per class (for most classes) by one 4-H member, but the second animal must be shown by another 4-H’er.  The following are the preferred ADGA classes:

  1. Junior Doe (born on or after April 1, current year)
  2. Intermediate Doe (born on or after February 1 and before March 31, current year)
  3. Senior Doe (born on or after December 1 previous year, and before January 31, current year)
  4. Yearling Dry Doe (born December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2022)
  5. Champion and Reserve Jr. Doe (Under 2 years, dry stock)
  6. 1 year and Under 2 years; milking (born December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2022)
  7. 2 years and Under 3 years; milking (born December 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021)
  8. 3 years and Under 5 years; milking (born December 1, 2017 through November 30, 2020)
  9. 5 years and over; milking (born November 30 2017 or earlier)
  10. Champion and Reserve Sr. (milking) Doe
  11. Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Dairy Goat
  12. Best Udder; judged on udder only.
  13. Milk Production - Open to all milking goats.  Milk production for 24 hours.  Goats milked out Saturday (1st day of fair) between 5 pm and 7 pm.  Sunday morning milk weighed.  Milk again Sunday evening between 5 pm and 7 pm.  Milk weighed.  Weight of morning and evening milk added together to get the final result.

 

All goats competing for championship honors that are in milk may be required by the judge to be milked before final awards are made. 

Combination Classes

(Dairy, Pygmy, or Angora)

Each 4-H member is limited to one entry per class in the combination classes.

  1. Produce of Dam; 2 does birthed by the same dam, any age.
  2. Get of Sire; 3 does sired by the same buck.
  3. Mother and Daughter; any age.
  4. Breeder’s Trio; 3 does any age, owned by a single exhibitor.
  5. Dairy Herd; 4 does owned by a single exhibitor.  Three does in milk, one doe of the exhibitor’s choice.  (Dairy Breeds only)
  6. Caprine Companion (Pet) Costumes are optional.

 

Pygmy and Angora Classes

Classes for pygmy and angora goats will mirror those of the dairy breed classes.  Angora goats may have horns.

  1. Junior Doe (born on or after April 1, current year)
  2. Intermediate Doe (born on or after February 1 and before March 31, current year)
  3. Senior Doe (born on or after December 1 previous year, and before January 31, current year)
  4. Yearling Unfreshened Doe (born December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2022)
  5. Champion and Reserve Jr. Doe (Under 2 years)
  6. 1 year and Under 2 Doe (born December 1 2021 through November 30, 2022)
  7. 2 years and Under 3 Doe (born December 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021)
  8. 3 years and Under 5 Doe (born December 1, 2017 through November 30, 2020)
  9. 5 years and Over Doe (born November 30, 2017 or earlier)
  10. Champion and Reserve Champion Sr. Doe
  11. Wethers Under 1 year
  12. Wethers Over 1 year
  13. Champion and Reserve Champion Wether
  14. Grand and Reserve Grand Champion

Dairy Market Classes

  1. The possibility of light and heavyweight classes/divisions will be determined by the 4-H Dairy Goat Committee.
  2. Market class is any wether or cull doe born between December 1 of the previous year and April 1 of the current year.  (Note:  Cull does may not show in breed classes).

Herdsmanship

The Herdsmanship Award will be based upon the award criteria as stated in the Dairy Goat Project Handbook.

2023 Goat Club Handbook 

Grade 3 Worksheet                       Grade 4 Worksheet

Grade 5 Worksheet                        Grade 6 Worksheet

Grade 7 Worksheet                        Grade 8 Worksheet

Grade 9 Worksheet                        Grade 10 Worksheet

Grade 11 Worksheet                      Grade 12 Worksheet

2018 Board of Animal Health Exhibit Requirements