Post-milking udder inspection - the udder is judged before and after milking.
On Saturday the 6th of February (Waitangi Day), we had our annual South Island All Breed Show at the Canterbury Showgrounds where we also had the annual Club Show at the end of November 2009. Unlike the miserable cold and wet day we had for the Club Show a couple of months earlier, the day turned out to be a really hot day, although the morning was somewhat cooler.
The attendance on the day was excellent, and we had entries from outside of Canterbury, too. Generally, all breeds of dairy goats are judged together in a particular class (e.g. Herd Register Kidded Doe in milk, under 5 years; Associate Register Doe Kid under 6 months, etc.), but in the All Breed Show, the 5 recongnised dairy breeds are judged separately for each class.
There were entries for 4 breeds, namely the Saanen, Anglo-Nubian, Toggenburg and British Alpine. There was also a junior handler’s class where the children under 15 were judged for their knowledge and skills in handling goats. The youngsters who competed all loved the little prizes they received for participating.
Young stock are judged, too.
We were extremely privileged to have Mr. Gordon Webster, an expert judge all the way from Scotland, who was on holiday in New Zealand. He came to us after a couple of weekends judging dairy goats in the North Island. We hope he enjoyed the show as much as we did.
After a relaxed shared lunch, we had a raffle in which just about everybody present entered. Plenty of prizes were donated, and everybody who entered came away with something worthwhile.
So, for most of us in Canterbury, the show season is kind of over for now, until October. But for some keen breeders and spectators who are willing to travel, there is still the Mayfield A & P Show to be held on 13 March 2010, as well as the Mackenzie County A & P Show in Fairlie to be held on 5 April 2010 (Easter Monday).
Youngsters showing Toggenburg does.
By now, the breeding season for dairy goats would have already started in the North Island, and will be starting down here in Canterbury in March onwards.
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