Clipping a goat isn’t just common for showing events – keeping goat fur clipped during the summers is considered standard practice to let their skin breathe, the touch of sunlight fending off bugs and other infestations while the lighter coats let the animals keep cooler. Clipping is also a hygienic practice to get rid of soiled or dirty patches of hair after a goat is done kidding, and to keep hair out when you’re milking. Be it for general goat grooming or for show, though, you need to ensure you use the right machine – typically, clippers with blades at length #10 are preferred for the full body (during the summer, when the animals won’t be needing the insulating heat of thicker coats), while #30 or #40 blades are recommended around sensitive regions like a doe’s udder. Throughout the process, you also want to ensure your goat’s comfort as well as your own convenience. With all this in mind, we’ve shortlisted our picks for the best clippers for grooming goats.
KEN’S PICK
Andis UltraEdge AGC 2-Speed Detachable Blade Clipper
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[amazon link=”B00UT3EYPA” title=”View on Amazon”]
Gushing testimonials for this clipper show its incredible versatility, having turned anyone from a Goldendoodle owner to a goat groomer into a fan of the unit’s brilliant functionality and features. Suited for all types of fur and coats, the clipper comes fitted with the desired #10 blade length we’re looking for to undertake a full-body clipping of our pet (if you are also planning to trim the fur around your goat’s udder, we recommend looking into the #30 UltraEdge, CeramicEdge or ShowEdge blades compatible with this unit). Two adjustable speeds allow you to switch between a faster mode to get through thicker patches of hair for a full body trim, while the slower mode allows for more precision and care, especially around sensitive areas, and might be the best option for a first-timer at grooming. Quiet and unobtrusive in operation, the rotary motor ensures a more peaceful clipping experience unlikely to distress or unsettle your animal as you set about grooming it, keeping the unit cool as well. Nonetheless, we still recommend having a coolant or an extra set of blades on hand; as is the case with all clippers, the blades are likely to get hot after several minutes of friction between the clipper’s metal components. The solid shatter-resistant housing ensures this unit is going to last you a long time, while the UltraEdge blades are intrinsically designed to resist dulling and rusting, so you won’t have to worry about the upkeep of keeping your clipper running.
KEN’S BUDGET PICK
Oster A5 Turbo 2-Speed Professional Animal Clipper
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Another crowd favorite, so to speak, and not the first time it’s showing up on one of our lists, this unit comes equipped with two speed options – 3,000 strokes per minute (SPM) better suited for slow and steady, precision clipping, while the 4,000 SPM setting is better for complete body trimming sessions. Also fitted with the desired #10 blades we’re looking for to get most of the clipping work done, Oster’s blades are also patented with the brand’s cryogenic technology for a unique hardening process to ensure amazing resilience and resistance to rusting and dulling over time. Considering the heavy-duty, professional grade profile of this clipper, the motor’s smooth performance nevertheless results in comparatively quiet performance, while coolants and a couple of rest breaks thrown in between grooming sessions are recommended to keep the blades from getting overheated. For trimming around the udder, you can choose between Oster’s #30 and #40 blades compatible to this unit, sold separately.
RUNNER-UP
Oster Clipmaster Clipping Machine
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[amazon link=”B0006G5LGQ” title=”View on Amazon”]
This clipper is specifically designed for grooming livestock, suited for body clipping not just goats but also horses, llamas and sheep, with a combination of heavy-duty, cryogenically treated 83AU and 84AU titanium blades for a professional grooming job you can undertake right at home. A heavy-duty clipper we’d recommend if you’re an experienced groomer, plan to become one and/or if you’re planning to groom several goats or livestock at a go, the plug-in clipper comes with a speed range you can adjust anywhere between 700 and 3,000 strokes per minute (SPM). The versatile speed range allows for very precise clipping, as well as letting novices at the business set a safe pace for themselves. A powerful unit, you can last several hours of clipping without needing to oil the blades, the rugged performance also making for far less overheating than several other smaller models.
Although great for body work, especially if you’re going through copious amounts of it, the width of the blades make them more cumbersome and certainly less ideal for use around narrower areas, especially around the face, private parts and udder, so we recommend smaller, single or two-speed clippers (or scissors) with the appropriate blade lengths for those jobs.
RUNNER-UP
Andis Super AGR+ Cordless Detachable Blade Clipper
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[amazon link=”B0018KS1R0″ title=”View on Amazon”]
If you’re looking for the same heavy-duty, professional performance as the other entries on this list, but are concerned about logistics because you’re limited by the length of the cord, this cordless clipper is going to get the job done just as well. Unlike many other rechargeable options which take several hours before you can use them, this clipper takes only an hour to fully charge, the battery also lasting you an hour over an extended period of use. Add to this our favorite features of sturdy housing, smooth and quiet rotary-motor enabled performance, and a detachable blade system you can use not only with the included #10 CeramicEdge blade but also different sizes in Andis’ UltraEdge and ShowEdge ranges and Oster’s A-5 blades, and you have a highly versatile, highly functional machine on your hands to make the grooming business that much easier.
Designed specifically for horses and livestock, this efficient clipper is built to run cooler than many other clippers prone to overheating, though we still recommend having coolants on hand, since friction of metal on metal is inevitably going to heat up over prolonged use. The unit also comes with a high-capacity battery pack you can charge separately. You can also opt to purchase a connector attachment to use the unit as a corded device, if you wish to undertake longer sessions without risking the battery running out.
SOURCES
- Dummies: http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/hobby-farming/raising-goats/how-to-clip-your-goats-hair/
- Dummies: http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/hobby-farming/raising-goats/how-to-groom-your-goats/
- Pets on Mom.me: http://animals.mom.me/grooming-goat-2121.html
- Roy’s Farm: http://www.roysfarm.com/grooming-a-goat/