# Weighing Goats



## Lafingkid (Jul 9, 2008)

My sister-in-law and I purchased some Boer goats about six months ago. I've been working with them as I do my Nubians. I have been using my weigh tape. Until I went to buy a weigh tape to keep at my SIL's house. I noticed that it said Dairy on it. So I've checked Jeffer's and Valley Vet and they don't seem to have one for meat goats. I know that it is off because this weekend we weigh taped a sick doeling and it read 66 lbs. I didn't think anything of it until I noticed my SIL hauling this doeling around. She can't even lift a 50 lb. bag of food, but can lift a 66 lb. doeling. Not a chance. So we had our niece hold the doeling on a scale and it came out as 26 lb. Now, I didn't do the weigh tape, my son did.

I know that many of you have meat and dairy goats so my question to you: Is there a weigh tape especially for meat goats? And if so where would I find it?

Thank you for your help,
Lisa


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I always used my dairy weigh tape on my boers. Can you go out and weigh tape the doeling from the picture on the tape and make sure it really was 40 pounds off? I know we sat at a weighin for wethers before, weigh taping them as they went on the scale and the weigh tape done by the same person each time was not even 5 or 6 pounds off, but it was light not heavy. Course these were dairy boer crosses. Vicki


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

http://www.jackmauldin.com/Articles/our article 004.htm


----------



## Lafingkid (Jul 9, 2008)

Vicki, unfortunately the doeling died the next day, BUT we are working with the kids today (cocci, hooves, etc) and we are going to use the people scale - so I will also use the weight tape and see what we get.

Sondra, thank you for the link. We won't use it on all the babies but we will see how close we come with all three methods. I am sure we will have to use it on the does though.

Thanks again,
Lisa


----------



## Madfarmer (Nov 18, 2008)

I don't know if it's accurate, or even still posted, but the saanendoah website had a chart for estimating weight from heartgirth. So you don't need a special tape--the $2.00 one from Walmart sewing dep't. works fine.

Tom


----------



## Lafingkid (Jul 9, 2008)

This is kind of embarrassing. We weigh taped 10 baby goats and scale weighed 10 baby goats. We had a huge discrepancy on 1 goat, but got that straightened out. Most of them were within 3 lbs. of each other, only 1 had a 5 lb. difference.

So I quizzed the two who weighed that doeling the other day. Was she squenched up or on a lap when you tried to weigh her? Uh, I think so :sigh

Anyway, I then weigh taped one of the does and then used the formula from the sight that Sondra posted. The first time I did the weigh tape it was 145, but then I redid it because she had lost a lot of weight. It read 150 lb. Using the formula it was 145 lb.

We obviously need to be more careful when we use the weigh tape. It seems that it is just as good as the other two methods. 

Thanks again everyone,
Lisa


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Well that is wonderful news, now we can say "Use your weigh tape, Lisa said so"  vicki


----------



## pokyone42 (Oct 26, 2007)

I have always used the weigh tape......and then add an extra 5 lbs for the heftier young goats........I add 10 pounds for the moosey yearlings and older.......! (We also have Boer crosses.. this works for us.)


----------



## Jo~* (Oct 26, 2007)

Weight Chart 
For the large breed dairy goats. 
NOT for meat, hair, Pygmy or Nigerian Dwarf breeds. 
A weight chart for Pygmy goats can be found at 
http://hometown.aol.com/goatlist/weights.htm

Measure around the heart girth, just behind the front legs. 
Pull snugly.
INCHES POUNDS INCHES POUNDS INCHES POUNDS 
10.25 4.2 25.25 57 40.25 180 
11.25 5.5 26.25 63 41.25 190 
12.25 6.5 27.25 69 42.25 200 
13.25 8 28.25 75 43.25 210 
14.25 10 29.25 81 44.25 220 
15.25 12 30.25 87 45.25 230 
16.25 15 31.25 93 46.25 240 
17.25 19 32.25 101 47.25 250 
18.25 23 33.25 110 48.25 260 
19.25 27 34.25 120 49.25 270 
20.25 31 35.25 130 50.25 280 
21.25 35 36.25 140 51.25 290 
22.25 39 37.25 150 52.25 300 
23.25 43 38.25 160 53.25 310 
24.25 51 39.25 179 54.25 320

1/2" per 5 pounds for weights over 100 pounds

Joyce Lazzaro / Saanendoah Dairy Goats 
[email protected]
Last updated 2003


----------

