This is one part of showing wethers that I think most people struggle with. Some just want to feed the freshness into their goats, but then they get them too fat. Some think that you drench with electrolytes every two hours, no matter what.

Out goats are normally very fresh handling and appearing.

1–This starts now. Managing temperature with blankets. Keep them comfortable. This includes at the show. Sometimes it gets colder or warmer at shows. Watch the animals and see how they are acting and act accordingly

2–Know how a goat is supposed to handle. Find out the difference between a fresh goat, a stale goat and a fat one. You have to use your hands first to evaluate freshness, then your eyes. If you don’t know how, get help. Some people never get it figured out, but they follow orders well.

3–Feeding. A consistent exercise program and a closely monitoried feeding program is an important part in developing freshness and muscle. This takes experience, know how and common sense. If you are missing one or all of these, then get help. Yes, you might have to pay for it and drive your animals to somebody but it will pay off.

4–Hair care. Yes, hair care on wethers. For several weeks, before a show we work hair. We comb, blow and work leg hair. We also blow the rest of the animal out. Don’t wash, just blow the dirt, dust and dead hair out of the animal a couple of times a week. A cleaner animal will shear smoother. On shear day, (2 days, 1 day or show day depending on the goat) we wash with Weaver’s coconut shampoo. We then rinse that out, then use purple lights shampoo to get a bright white. Rinse that out. Then blow completely dry. Do NOT shear wet. If you think you are done, keep blowing. Use sharp blades to shear. Shear smooth. Stretch the hide as you shear. Go over it repeatedly to make sure you get the misses.

5–Drenching at shows. I very rarely drench at home. We will teach wethers to drink electrolytes at home before a show but that is just to make it easier at the show. Every animal is different. I will look at and more importantly handle the wethers every couple of hours, but I don’t always drench them. Sometimes they get 3 guns (50 ccs) of Crusade. Sometimes, just a 1/2 gun. One might just get a drink of straight water. Another might get a gun of Crusade/4Sure mix. Once again, this takes eperience, know how and common sense. Get help. Pay for it if you have to, but very few people do this right. Drench with too much of some of this crap and you will give your goat the shits, which I guarantee you will not make them look or handle fresh.

Bottom line is it takes hard work, consistent work and know how to do this.