Homestead Homeschool: Our 4-H Goat

It is time for our monthly Homestead Homeschool post and this time I’ve interviewed my 10 year old daughter, Elizabeth. She is sharing today about the goat that she is raising for our 4-H livestock show next month.  She is learning so much about responsibility, animal care, business, and public speaking. She will show her goat in the same show that my son shows his pig which we talked about last month in, Homesteading Homeschool: Our 4H Pig. If this sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to contact your local 4-H agent. Even if you don’t have the land or space to raise an animal at your home there are often ways to keep the animal at a local farm and the child go there to care for the animal.

Tell me about your 4-H Goat Project.

“I am raising a goat to show in the 4H livestock show. I will have the goat for about two months. I am training the goat to be able to walk with me on a harness around the ring. ”

Tell me about your goat.

“My goat’s name is Cream because it looks like ice cream with a chocolate head and a vanilla body.  It has floppy ears and a short tail. She is really cute and soft. I enjoy playing with her.”

What do you have to do with your goat each day? 

“I have to feed it twice each day. I take it out on a harness and walk it each day to practice for the show. I provide it with clean water each day as well as hay. I spend time playing with it and rubbing it each day. ”

What does showing your goat look like?

“I will get it cleaned up and ready for the show.  Then I will have it in a choker collar and it will walk with me around the show ring. I will need to keep it between me and the judge. I will do this twice. The first time is for showmanship where they judge how well I work with the goat. The second time they will look for the meat and characteristics of the goat for the market class. ”

What do you hope to learn and accomplish this year?

“I want to learn more about goats and how to show a goat. I hope to get grand champion at the show. ”

What do you think other people should know about showing goats?

“It is fun and easier than some other animals. ”

This is her first year showing an animal and I’m looking forward to watching her grow and learn through this process. She is planning to sell her goat after the show for breeding. While goats can go to to market and slaughter they are not required to and she preferred not to go that route. Goats can be shown on a circuit at several shows, but we are just participating in the one local show at this time. The show is in April and I’ll post some pictures and results afterwards. If you have any questions about 4-H you can contact your local cooperative extension office or check out our post, But I don’t do animals…or using 4-H in our homeschool. 

If you participate in 4-H, tell us your favorite part in the comments. Also, please feel free to ask questions about the goat or the show in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.

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