[Lesley Silvester]

My Saanen x Boer is in kid for the first time and I've noticed that she is starting to grow a beard. I'm sure my last female started  to grow hers much earlier.


Is there any link between pregnancy and beard growing?

[jinglejoys]

Nope its just a breed coat length thing 

[Calvadnack]

My Saanen nanny has a lovely beard, does anyone know why they never seem to be shown with beards.  Are the judges against hairy Marys?

[Lesley Silvester]

Nope its just a breed coat length thing 

That's what I thought. She must just be a late developer.

My Saanen nanny has a lovely beard, does anyone know why they never seem to be shown with beards.  Are the judges against hairy Marys?

My Saanen nanny has a lovely beard, does anyone know why they never seem to be shown with beards.  Are the judges against hairy Marys?

I was told by someone showing her Saanens that the judges prefer them without the beards. Can't see the sense myself. I love the beards.

[jaykay]

It's daft, if they grow beards, to have to cut them off for showing. The judges need to give their collective heads a shake!

Personally, my OE girls have beards (and horns) and I like them 

[ballingall]

Females tend to have their beards trimmed for showing as the thought is it makes them look more feminine by removing it. Because virtually everyone does trim, the judges have got used to it. If we all stopped they would have to just get on with it. Males don't have beards trimmed. Most AN's don't grow beards, so I don't have to trim most of mine. My niece and I made a pact last year that this year we would show our decrepit old milkers in the veteran class with their beards intact. She's winning that one just now though, because I'm not sure mine is even pregnant!


Beth

[little blue]

Our Geraldine didn't grow any beard til she'd kidded, and even now its abit wispy...

And Cesar's hasn't really  recovered since he had a hair trim in the heatwave last summer when he was poorly, and I somehow ended up giving him Victorian whiskers!!

[Penninehillbilly]

When I took my toggs to a male last year the males' owner looked in horror at my girls beards, hers goats were trimmed and tidy, mine don't like them being trimmed, but she said they had to be for shows. I suppose it does give them the more ladylike shape we should look for?
Thinking about what my friend explained about Exmoor pony points, I wonder if a goats beard is to drain water away from their nose and mouth, though as they don't go out in rain not sure if that's relevant?

[jaykay]

If the girls naturally grow beards, then 'ladylike' is bearded surely. Pretty silly that even female goats have to conform to conventional standards of feminine (for goats that is).

[little blue]

well, if you've seen how hairy their legs are... and their "boobs" ... then who's concerned about a fluffy chin?!
 

[jaykay]

 

[jinglejoys]

I remember going to a local goat show years ago (in the days when people still showed goats ) and a lovely big hairy BT type was entered by a family in the AOV class,their first show.I thought how lovely she looked.Imagin my horror when I saw them chop her beard off!!!!! I asked them why they'd ruined the look of their lovely goat and was told that they'd been told to do it if the wanted to be placed...well they weren't anyway so a pointless operation.
   Prefere a goat to look like a goat personally, they'll be shaving them like the Yanks do next!!!

[Lesley Silvester]

Our Geraldine didn't grow any beard til she'd kidded, and even now its abit wispy...

Maybe the hormones do the trick (a bit like the menopause in us). Cloud doesn't have much of a beard either. I just assumed it was the Boer side of her because I've not seen female Boers. Curry didn't have a beard and, again, I thought it was from the BA side.


Pom, on the other hand, has a lovely beard. No way would I cut it off. I do remember though, when her mum went off to conceive her, she came back minus her beard. The male had chewed it off. 


It people trim beards off, what do they catch hold of when the goat tries to escape?

[Penninehillbilly]

Pom, on the other hand, has a lovely beard. No way would I cut it off. I do remember though, when her mum went off to conceive her, she came back minus her beard. The male had chewed it off. 

Maybe he wanted her to look more ladylike 

[Anke]

Her kids may chew the beard too, as well as her toggles (if she has any) or anything else that they can chew...