# Do you shave your goats?



## hengal (Mar 7, 2005)

Just wondering how many do and if it a good thing to do for them? Opinions?


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

I don't shave the entire goat...as we don't show...but I do a dairy trim..belly, udder, back of legs to make keeping clean for milking easier.


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## Redeemed98 (Feb 4, 2004)

I believe it's good to do but I have to admit I haven't done mine since I first started milking last year. My to-do list just grew again.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Yes. They can't stand the heat in the summers.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

It all depends on the weather and the hair on a particular goat.

If I see a goat getting too hot and I know it is due to his/her coat being too think or too long, I will cut it real short...not shave it. (I do the same thing to my dogs.)


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

The boer does shed out beautifully on their own. So does the boer buck. 

The Alpines often look 'shaggy', with some longer hair that looks horrid. Their 'shaggy' hair is usually a dingy brown (no, they do not need copper...). I shave it off and they look much better, shiny and black.  I will often clip dairy doelings for sale if they're a few months old, looks better when I'm trying to sell them. 

The mini goats I tend to shave as well. They don't shed out nice like the boers do, either. They stay rather fuzzy and hot. 

I usually bathe the goats before shaving them, then tie them to the fence with a short leash for a while to dry, somewhere out of the sand/dust to keep them clean. This keeps my clipper blades stay sharp.


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

I know a few people with goats here in Florida who never had shaved their goats and never have issues with the heat. The only ones I know of that have shaved goats were show people actually, so I always assumed it was just for show.

Except for shaggy goats that have belly shaves for milking or birthing so it's not as messy.


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## prairiedog (Jan 18, 2007)

We give spring shaves and baths every year to all.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Since we are getting the fencing in the back ready - I'm going to turn them out on 2.5 acres of woods here shortly so I figured I'd shave them for fear of ticks. I've been hesitant to shave them in the past because of the sun - I didn't want my pinky white girls getting a sunburn. I can't wait to have them in the woods!


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

I do the dairy shave but seriously considering shaving them this year to keep them cooler.

Most of mine don't have thick heavy coats & I brush them to get the undercoat off but I still think they are hot. My bucks always seem to be the goats with the longest thickest coats.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

We've already started body clipping the entire herd. We do it every summer. Makes them more comfortable in the heat late summer/early fall and also helps to keep lice at bay!


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Nope...never shave  Never bathe. Not the horses either. I never wash my truck. I rely on the rain to wash the horses and truck. Last year my truck was very dirty due to the drought.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I've had a hard time clipping the hair on my herd buck as it is wiry and thick. I recently bought the "super magic clippers" from Hoeggers to clip the hair on my Karakachan this summer and I'm hoping this will, also, work on my buck.

What clippers do you all use and how do you keep them sharp? (Hoeggers has a sharpener it recommends for their clippers and I'm thinking I might purchase those.)


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

mygoat said:


> .........I usually bathe the goats before shaving them, then tie them to the fence with a short leash for a while to dry, somewhere out of the sand/dust to keep them clean. This keeps my clipper blades stay sharp.


No goats here but I clip my std poodle myself every couple months, nothing fancy just keep it short so it doesn't mat, and I do the same as mygoat. I've found that clipping dirty hair will kill an expensive set of blades quicker than anything. Keeping them cool and lubed help them cut better too.


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## Hannah90 (May 2, 2012)

I have the same concern as PrettyPaisley. Will my Saanen get a sunburn? I would like to clip her down. She has shaggy hair and it's making her look like a real scrub. I may decide to clip my new nigies as well. They're hair is so thick and lush. Looks and feels like it'll be really hot in the summer. I notice one of my nigies seems to have a little sunburn on her ears (not to steal the thread) but could I just use regular sun screen on her?


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## coso (Feb 24, 2004)

> but could I just use regular sun screen on her?


 Yep, white skinned does need this if you shave them close until they grow out a smidge. I try to find the highest SPF out there.


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