virtual goat shows

[6e]

I noticed there's a lot of virtual shows for the miniature dairy goats and the Fainting goats, but are there any virtual shows for the standard size dairy goats? We don't really have money to travel and so for us, virtual might be fun. Anyone know of any?

[CaliannG]

For standard dairy goats, folks use LA (Linear Appraisal) which is offered by the ADGA. It fulfills the function of V-shows and more.

[HappyFarmer]

The Fainting goat shows started by a breeder wanting to create awareness of the breed, promote her website & goats. It went over very well. Cyber shows lagged for a few years, then as breeders starting hosting physical (as in attendance) shows, they started offering the Cyber shows asking two dollars for each entry, which went to support the physical show. They even hired a professional judge. The shows were a big hit, particularly with breeders like yourself who either don't have the money to travel or are just practicing biosecurity.

Cyber shows take a lot of work, need someone familiar with computers, someone to accept entries, field questions, etc. Perhaps if you or others interested found a decent sized show happening, you could offer your assistance to put on a cyber show. They a really area lot of fun.

HF

[6e]

I'd be willing to put in all the computer work. I'm good with computers. I would love to get something like that going. With the price of gas and disease and the economy the way it is and the internet being as huge as it is, it just seems to be an excellent way to have your goats evaluated and help with culling and breeding.

[6e]

Thinking outloud here, I wonder why no one has started this for the dairy goats? I have seen virtual shows for Boers and now the Fainters and the judge gives comments and placements. It's really pretty awesome.

[dosthouhavemilk]

A good portion of determining "dairyness" is done through feel. There are generally enough dairy goat shows put on in most States that it doesn't seem as warranted. Credit is not awarded through ADGA for virtual shows either. It is with the MDGA (for good reason, with the Minis being relatively new, getting a group together for a show would be very difficult).

DGI did a show this past year. Unfortunately, some of the people involved got their panties in a twist over what the judge had to say about their goats.
I never did get to hear the judge's comments on my entrants and I was looking forward to it.
I doubt they will do it again this year.

[6e]

Thanks for the input. I wasn't even thinking about it for points, just to help decide who to keep and who not to and to get a feel for the good points and bad points in your own goats.

[CaliannG]

If you are doing it for your own breeding practices, then you want to do LA.

To give an idea, in a show, whether virtual or real life, you have a judge that is comparing your goat to the other goats in the show. That COULD be helpful in your breeding program, or maybe not. If your judge has a preference for a certain color, or a certain stripe, or whatever...they are only human, they are going to have biases...and what is fashionable is not necessarily what is *healthy*.

In a Linear Appraisal, you goat is being compared to the mythical "Perfect Goat" for that breed. No fads and fashions, no biases, just how your goat measures up to the Perfect Goat. No one acheive's "perfect Goat" status in their breed, but they do get a set of numbers to work with.

The Perfect Goat, of course, always has a score of 100. But you can look at your goats and say, "Well, Lilly has an 85 in this, and a 92 in that. But Sugar has an 87 in this and a 93 in that. I think we'll be keeping Sugar."

And you need not worry about them snuggling up to Mrs. Grungy's goats at the show.

[saanengirl]

Caliann,

You are right on most points about Linear Appraisal, but your statement about scoring numbers is a bit off. You will get a final score on a scale of 100, but your linear traits are scored on a scale of 1-50 with 1 and 50 being the extremes of each trait. There are certain ranges within that scale that are ideal, and they are different for different traits. Some ideals will be different based on gender (such as height). The structural traits are given letter grades (E =90 or higher, V=85-89, +=80-84, A = 70-79, F=60-69, P <60). The animal is then given overall letter grades for General Appearance, Dairy Character, Body Capacity, and Mammary System and an overall number grade.

[6e]

I tried looking up the linear appraisal. How exactly does it work? Thanks