INDEX

POINTS

TRAITS

EVALUATING MUSCLE

EVALUATING SOUNDNESS

EVALUATING FINISH

EVUALATING CAPACITY

EVALUATING BALANCE

EVALUATING STYLE

EVALUATING FRESHNESS

FINAL TIPS


Key Points for Judging Meat Goats

  • Evaluate meat goats first from the ground up and then from the rump (rear) forward.
  • Rank the traits for their importance.
  • Evaluate the most important traits first.
  • Eliminate any easy placings.
  • Place the class based on the volume of the important traits.


Ranking of Traits for Judging Meat Goats

  1. Degree of muscling.
  2. Soundness and structural correctness.
  3. Degree of finish (fat cover).
  4. Capacity (volume).
  5. Balance.
  6. Style.
  7. Freshness.


Evaluating Muscle


Evaluating Degree of Muscling

Degree of muscling in meat goats is best evaluated by considering:

  • Thickness through the center of the leg.
  • Width between rear feet when the goat stands and walks.
  • Width, depth, and length of the loin.
    • Wide topped goats with a long hind saddle in relation to front saddle is desired.


Evaluating Degree of muscling center leg width


Evaluating Degree of Muscling Center Leg Width


Evaluating Degree of Muscling Width of Loin


 

Evaluating Degree of Muscling Length of loin


Evaluating Soundness


 

Evaluating Soundness/Structure

Soundness and structural correctness in meat goats is best evaluated by considering:

  • Feet and toes
  • Knees
  • Hocks
  • Pasterns
  • Levelness of top


 

Evaluating Soundness Structure Feet and Toes


 

Evaluating Soundness Structure Pasterns


 

Evaluating soundness structure knees


 

Evaluating Soundness Structure Hocks


 

Evaluating Soundness Structure Levelness of Top


 

Evaluating Finish


 

Evaluating Finish

  • Unique characteristics of meat goats:
    • Goats deposit fat from the inside to the outside.
    • Goats do not marble (do not deposit intramuscular fat).
  • Meat goats should be lean and trim.
    • They should also have bloom.
    • Lean meat goats that are untrifty are discounted.


 

Evaluating finish Goats


 

Evaluating Finish Lean with Bloom


 

Evaluating capacity goats


 

Evaluating Capacity or Volume

  1. Body width.
    • Open rib shape and good base width desired.
  2. Body depth.
    • Good depth desired.
  3. Body length.
    • Good length desired.


 

Evaluating Capacity or volume body width


 

Evaluating Capacity or Volume body depth


 

Evaluating Capacity or Volume Body length


 

Evaluating Balance


 

Evaluating Balance

Balance in meat goats refers to having the correct proportions of:

  • Body width
  • Body depth
  • Body length


Evaluating Capacity or Volume Unbalanced Alert


 

Evaluating Capacity or Volume nicely balanced


 

Evaluating Style


 

Evaluating Style

Meat goats with style will exhibit the following:

  • A long, level top line.
  • A long neck that sits high on the shoulder.
  • A clean breast.
  • A smooth, neat shoulder that blends smoothly from neck to forerib.


Evaluating Style Poor vs nice style


 

Evaluating Style Poor vs nice style


 

Evaluating Style Poor vs nice style


 

Evaluating Style Excellent Style


 

Evaluating Freshness


 

Evaluating Freshness

Freshness in meat goats refers to having:

  • An appearance of being healthy (not unthrifty)
  • A smooth, slick hair coat.


 

Evaluating Freshness not fresh


 

Evaluating Freshness - fresh


 

Final Tips for Judging Meat Goats

  • Remember the important traits.
  • Know what "correct" looks like.
  • Look at lots of meat goats.
  • Practice your judging skills


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