Sunday, October 24, 2010

Goat Show at Raleigh, NC State Fair

The DAIRY goat show was at the Fair this weekend. On Saturday morning, we rode down to Raleigh to watch the show. Junior does event was Saturday evening and Senior does event was Sunday morning.
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map of the fair, and we walked around several times






no, we didn't eat any of these


however, we split an order of ribbon fries


You can recognize Alpine goats by their upright ears and long necks. This medium-to-large, hardy breed also milks well. Their coats are two-toned, with black and white the most common colors.

Oberhaslis have distinctive coloration, and are usually bay (reddish brown) with black markings or sometimes completely black. A beautiful medium-to-small breed, Oberhaslis don’t produce quite as much milk as the other breeds.

Saanens are commonly referred to as the Holstein of the goat world. Noted as heavy milkers, they are often the breed used in commercial dairies. One of the larger breeds, amiable Saanens are usually all white.

Toggenburg coat colors range from fawn to deep chocolate. A medium-size breed known for long lactations, their inquisitive nature can sometimes become quite challenging.

LaManchas are unique from the other breeds in that they have no visible external ears. (The ears are actually just very small.) Another well-known trait is their calm and gentle nature. Also noted as a good milker, this larger breed comes in many colors.

Several characteristics distinguish Nubians from other dairy breeds: They have floppy ears, a convex, Roman nose and an energetic disposition some say is just plain stubborn. Another large breed with myriad coat colors, Nubians are known as the Jerseys of the goat world for producing milk with high butterfat content.

Native to West Africa, the Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat has a straight nose, upright ears, and a soft short to medium coat. The breed’s smaller size – mature does weigh between 50 and 70 pounds – friendly personality and variation in coat color (any color combination is acceptable in the breed standard) make Nigerians very appealing.

Toggenburg, love those wattles
http://www.famu.edu/goats/UserFiles/File/Facts_About_Goats.pdf


Symphony belongs to a our friend Christine but I would like for Symphony to come live at BooneDocksWilcox. She is a red beauty and I want her bloodlines.

Of course, we're there to see the Nigerian's but I enjoy seeing all the dairy goat breeds and the goat people.


Karen Stanger's Suthern Drawl was the big Nigerian winner.


3 comments:

Melodie said...

That looks like so much fun! Goatie heaven...I would have left with a list a mile long of new goats I wanted to try,lol!

Foothills Poultry said...

Looks like ya'll had fun. One of the years I hope to make it to the state fair.

~~Matt~~

Jennifer said...

Wow, there was some beautiful goats in that ring. Looks like a fun day but I bet you were tired at the end. (I would have been!)