Have you ever ask the question: I need to find out my Goat’s Weight…but wow do I weigh my goat?? Here are four ways to weigh your goat and a FREE weight calculator to help you! This is one of many posts in my Raising Goats series–so, if you’re serious about raising goats…You better head over there after figuring out your goat’s weight.
I can almost picture it: It’s that time of year where winter is looming and you’re trying to figure out how much hay you need for the year and the silly equation asks for the total body weight of *ALL* your goats!
How in the world do you figure out how much ALL of them weigh?? (Because, first of all, you’d have to be honest about how many goats you really have. They do seem to multiply, don’t they?)
Well…I can help you with all of that! There are several ways you can go about figuring out how much your goats weigh. And quite honestly, it’s really important to know how much each goat weighs if you ever need to give them any medications. Medications are usually given based on weights. So, this is an important raising goats skill.
You can watch the information in this helpful video below or you can keep scrolling to read it all. Up to you! But enjoy!
If you like this information, my YouTube channel is full of even more goat information. Please click this link: Delci | A Life of Heritage and subscribe! You can also click this link to watch this information on YouTube: How to Weigh a Goat Video on YouTube
Learn How to Weigh My Goat Below
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Goat Weight Calculator
- Using a sewing measuring tape: measure, by pulling tightly around the girth (behind the withers and behind the front legs, where the heart is located).
- Also, measure the length of the animal. From the point of the shoulder to the pin bone (the bones beside the tail).
- Put the numbers into the Goat Weight Calculator below and you have your answer! Mystery solved.
You can find a lot of articles here on A Life of Heritage that will teach you about goat care and be sure to check out The Goat Health, and Information Bundle–it’s full of to-do lists, checklists, record keeping sheets, and resource pages that will get your new (or old) goat herd off to a terrific start!
You are organized. You are knowledgeable. You are proactive. This is how. Click below to get this binder in your hands to avoid common errors that affect your goat's health. These records are your freedom and your goat's optimal health.Goat Essential ↓
Goat Management Binder
• Weigh on the scale in town
• This will be a fun jaunt into town!
• When we are putting up our hay we weigh the pickup empty and then weigh a load of hay. After we count the bales, we figure out how much each bale weighs.
• If you have more than a handful of goats, you can use this same principle with your goats! Weigh your vehicle empty, load up the goats, and weigh the vehicle again. Divide the weight by the number of goats and you have a total weight to figure out how much hay you need to purchase for the year.
• *You do still need to know the specific weight of a goat to administer medication in proper proportions.
Surely, I’m not the only one who’s had goats in my car…?
Anyhoo…moving on to the next options in weighing your goat…
• Bathroom scale
If your goat isn’t too heavy, snuggle with them and weigh the goat and yourself on a bathroom scale. You would weigh yourself first, write down the measurements, and then weigh you and the goat together. The difference between the numbers is the weight of your goat.
• Goat Weight Chart
You can also use a chart like this one to determine what your goat weighs. You only need to measure the goat’s girth and it is accurate within a couple of pounds.
These are four great options when trying to figure out what your goat weighs.
And after you figure all this out, you can now use the Goat Hay Cost Calculator to figure out how many ton of hay you will need for the year.
You can also look at this goat weight chart here and this was very helpful in learning about how to weigh my goat as well: Calculating Weights
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Roberta Koniuchowsky
Monday 18th of January 2021
Delci: Thank you so much for posting this info. I have your goat book but it never occurred to me that there would be a method to find weight besides standing on a scale. I was able to do that when my 3 goats were smaller, but now they are fully grown and beyond my capability for lifting. I will definitely be measuring with a tape to see what they weigh.
Thank you for all your hard work!
Delci Plouffe
Monday 18th of January 2021
Excellent! So glad it was helpful! Also, in My Goat Binder, you can find the goat weight charts in there...so you don't have to keep looking the info up! 😊
Megan Nichols
Saturday 11th of April 2020
Thank you for the information! I got my three Nigerian Dwarf kids this weekend. They are about 9 days old. I am wanting to make sure I’m bottle feeding them with a proper amount so I was researching what the best way is to weigh very small baby goats. I love your youtube videos! Blessings to you and your family.
Delci Plouffe
Monday 13th of April 2020
Yay! How exciting for you! I'm so glad the information has been helpful! Have so much fun with your new goats!