1. For newbies By Katie Wolf
Dairy Goat Judging
For newbies
By Katie Wolf

2. The Scorecard The ADGA scorecard is the most vital tool in judging
It uses a point system with categories
4 categories for “senior does”
Does who have kidded
3 categories for “junior does” and bucks
Does who have not kidded as well as males

3. Breaking it Down
The senior doe scorecard is similar other than the extra category, so we’ll focus on it
“General Appearance” is 35 points
“Dairy Character” is 20 points
“Body Capacity” is 10 points
“Mammary System” is 35 points

4. Parts This is where it is important to know the parts of the goat
Parts are almost always asked in showmanship classes, so learn them now!

6. Simplified
Now that you’re an expert on parts of the goat, we can start talking about the scorecard
Basically, general appearance involves straightness of the back, feet, legs, and overall eye appeal
Body capacity involves depth & width throughout
Mammary system is all things udder
Dairy character is a bit more complicated- we’ll get there.

7. General Appearance (GA – 35pts)
“An attractive framework with femininity, strength, upstandingness, length, and smoothness of blending throughout that create an impressive style & graceful walk”
35 points total
Subcategories
Stature
Head & breed characteristics
Front end assembly
Back
Legs, pasterns & feet

8. GA sub: Stature (2pts) Withers should be high than hips
The black doe on the left is downhill (bad), while the buck on the right is quite uphill (good). Often, young animals will outgrow being downhill

9. GA sub: Stature Long bone pattern throughout Long back Tall
Not “boxy” looking
Good cannon bone length

10. GA sub: Head & Breed (5pts)
Head shapes vary by breed
Swiss breeds should have straight or dished faces
Muzzle width indicates power
This doe has a good head. There is plenty of width & depth to the muzzle without giving up femininity. The shape from the side is also lovely.

11. GA sub: Front End (5pts)
Prominent withers, smooth blending, elbows & shoulders tight, strong brisket
The kid on the left shows too much movement about the shoulder and elbow. On the other hand, the doe on the right is very smoothly blended and tight (good).

12. GA sub: Back (8pts) Strong, straight, level, wide rump structure
Left: Beautiful topline; long, level, smooth. Top right is weak in the chine/loin junction, while bottom right shows excessive roaching.

13. GA sub: Back
Rump should be long, wide, and level from hooks to pins as well as thurl to thurl
Should resemble a rectangular plate

14. GA sub: Feet & Legs (15pts)
Bone flat & strong, smooth motion, clean knees, straight & square front legs
Tight toes pointing forward; deep heels
This doe is a problem from the dewclaw down. She toes out and is slightly down on her pasterns as well as splay toed.

15. GA sub: feet & legs
Should be able to draw a line from pin bone through hock & heel, with this line hitting the ground perpendicularly
“Good” hock angulation

16. Dairy Character (DC - 20pts)
“Angularity & general openness with strong yet refined & clean bone structure, showing freedom from coarseness & with evidence of milking ability giving due regard to stage of lactation”
20 points total
Looking at:
Neck
Withers
Ribs
Flank
Thighs
Skin

17. DC breakdown
The good…
This doe screams dairyness. She is long & lean in the neck, sharp in the withers, no obvious fat deposits, thin pliable skin, and a nicely incurving thigh. Feed goes straight to production and not weight gain.

18. DC breakdown …and the not-so-good.
This doe gives up a lot of dairy character. Her withers are not prominent and she has a slightly round bone structure. No ribs are visible and there is a definite fat cover. The 1/3 of udder that should be visible behind the leg is hidden entirely by excess weight.

19. Body Capacity (BC - 10pts)
“Relatively large in proportion in size, age, & period of lactation of animal, providing ample capacity, strength, & vigor”
10 points total
Subcategories
Chest
Barrel

20. BC sub: Chest (4pts) All about width & extension of brisket
This doe is showing a ton of strength with her broad chest

21. BC sub: Barrel (6pts)
Depth in forerib increasing to a deep barrel with widesprung ribs

22. Mammary System (MS – 35pts)
“Strongly attached, elastic, well-balanced with adequate capacity, quality, ease of milking, & indicating heavy milk production over a long period of time”
35 points total
Subcategories
Udder Support
Fore Udder
Rear Udder
Balanced, Symmetry & Quality
Teats

23. MS sub: Udder Support (13pts)
Strong medial suspensory ligament holding udder high; attachments strong & snug
This udder is smacked on there and doesn’t move as she walks. The floor is well above her hocks, and there is plenty holding it there,

24. MS sub: Fore Udder (5pts)
Long, full foreudders are good
Pockets are bad
This doe has a good foreudder

25. MS sub: Rear Udder (7pts)
Height & width is what we’re after
The doe on the left shows the curvature desired from side profile, and the Saanen is showing the general idea of rear udder width as well as height into escutcheon.

26. MS sub: Balance (6pts)
One-third of the udder should be seen in front of the leg, one-third hidden under it, and the last third behind the leg
Also looking for texture- should be elastic with no scar tissue

27. MS sub: Teats (4pts)
Uniform size, proportional to udder capacity, pointing nearly straight down or slightly forward, relatively close together

28. That’s all, folks
These are the basic ideas of what we’re after in dairy goats
In addition to the scorecard, there are defects to watch for
The scorecard and ADGA guidebook give greater detail
Going to shows and listening is the fastest way to sharpen your skills