Skip to main content

Dairy Goat 4-H Project Area

The 4-H Dairy Goat project area consists of three project manuals. Each manual covers three years of activities.

Four 4-H Dairy Goat Project Manuals from Shop4H
  • Getting Your Goat (Dairy Goat 1) focuses on selection, body parts, breeds, management, records, safety, disease prevention, feed ingredients, products, grooming and showmanship.

  • Stepping Out (Dairy Goat 2) continues with activities and information on exhibiting, judging dairy goats, giving oral reasons, delivering a kid dairy goat, caring for a newborn, performing dairy goat management practices, recognizing health problems and diseases, and determining hay quality.

  • In Showing the Way (Dairy Goat 3) , you will plan a judging contest, evaluate a dairy goat heard, select a breeding system, determine body condition scores, develop a herd calendar, formulate a ration and develop a commercial.

If a member completes the 9 years of project manuals, they can work with their county Extension professionals to determine their learning opportunities for their remaining 4-H years.

Scoresheets

Each year, 4-H members should complete 7 activities in the project manual as well as the planning pages at the beginning of the manual.

There are not separate documents with the scoresheets for dairy goat project series.  Scoresheets can be located inside the Record Guides on page 2.

Record Guides

Youth who has selected a Dairy Goat  4-H project typically are raising an animal as part of their project work.  A project record guide is part of the animal science project experience.  If you enroll with an animal, you will need to select the Breeding Livestock Record Guide (4-H Dairy Goat) to accompany this project. Record guides are available in both a print and electronic format.

Paper Record Guides

Breeding Livestock Record Guides (ages based on Jan 1st of current 4-H year) Supplemental Sheet for the Breeding Livestock Record Guides

For most species, the supplement records are lifetime production records, so the 4-H member updates these each year that an animal is a part of their project. Members will need to complete a supplement sheet for each animal included in their record guide. These supplement records will be available online only.

Electronic Record Guides

Goat-less Dairy Goat Project

If you enroll in this project area without an animal, check with your local Extension professional for approval and guidelines.

Exhibit Ideas

  • Most youth in this project area will exhibit an animal at a livestock show.
  • Poster, Story, and/or Model on one of the following topics: 

    • Dairy Goat 1 - selection, body parts, breeds, management, records, safety, disease prevention, feed ingredients, products, grooming, or showmanship.

    • Dairy Goat 2 - information on exhibiting, judging dairy goats, giving oral reasons, delivering a kid dairy goat, caring for a newborn, performing dairy goat management practices, recognizing health problems and diseases, or determining hay quality.
    • Dairy Goat 3 - information on exhibiting, judging dairy goats, giving oral reasons, delivering a kid dairy goat, caring for a newborn, performing dairy goat management practices, recognizing health problems and diseases, or determining hay quality.

  • Examples of Blue Ribbon Exhibits

How Do I Sign Up?

Screenshot of 4-H ZSuite enrollment page to select project

The first step is to create an enrollment in our ZSuite website.

Enroll in 4-H ZSuite

When you get to the CLUBS tab of the enrollment, you will want to ADD PROJECT.


For Dairy Goat, you should search for:

    • RECORD GUIDE - BREEDING LIVESTOCK / DAIRY GOAT YEAR 1 - GETTING YOUR GOAT

      Project Videos

      Coming soon!

      Related Events & Camps

      No events available at this time.

      Animal Health & Quality Assurance (AH&QA)

      Youth exhibitors required to complete the online quality assurance training must do so starting April 1st and no later than June 30th in order to exhibit at any fair, festival or show taking place the remainder of that calendar year in West Virginia.

      College & Career Pathways

      Vet showing students how to examine a dog

      Pre-Veterinary

      WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

      WVU Potomac State College - 2 year program

      The bachelor of science program in Animal and Nutritional Sciences, is designed to provide students with the academic requirements for entry into professional schools or colleges of veterinary medicine.

      Careers

      • Veterinarian
      • Medical Doctor
      • Dentist
      • Medical research
      Pre-Veterinary Major Information
      Student in WVU t-shirt posing with a horse at a farm

      Animal & Nutritional Sciences

      WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

      WVU Potomac State College - 2 year program (Animal Science)

      So, you love animals but don’t want to be a veterinarian. The bachelor of science in agriculture in animal and nutritional sciences is for you. 

      Careers

      • Agricultural production
      • Agribusiness Management
      • Animal and food science sales
      • Research and development
      • Animal pharmaceutical sales
      Animal & Nutrition Sciences Major Information
      Ag. Ed student teaching FFA members

      Agricultural & Extension Education

      WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

      WVU Potomac State College - 2 year program

      Agriculture remains an important component of educational programs across the U.S., and the Davis College prepares students for a variety of careers in the field.

      Careers

      • Agriculture teaching
      • Extension agent
      • Production and technical agriculture teaching
      • Professional employment in government, industry or entrepreneurship
      Agricultural & Extension Education Major Information
      Student in the barn with produce

      Agribusiness Management

      WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

      WVU Potomac State College - 2 year program

      The general agricultural economics area or concentration provides a basic background for a variety of careers related to agriculture.

      Careers

      • Agricultural business manager
      • Farm loan officer
      • Purchasing agent
      • Grain merchandiser
      • Agricultural marketing specialist
      • Government inspector
      • Farm equipment sales/service rep
      • Commodity broker
      • Financial consultant
      • Credit loan officer
      • Agricultural chemical sales
      • Dairy plant manager
      Agribusiness Management major Information
      A Potomac State College student works with an animal.

      Potomac State College

      Pre-Veterinary Medicine
      Agribusiness Management
      Agriculture & Extension Education
      Animal Science

      Potomac State College Two Year Majors