Over on countryside there is a discussion about multiple teats on goats.While I do understand this is not a desirable trait,I do have a question.Goat udders have only two halves, so a goat with four teats would then have two on each half?then if two were functional and two were not then the non-functioning should be removed? Also, last years buck kid was a nomal male kid, but had teats. It is my understanding this is normal. As these were my first kids and I have no mentor I am just going by what I can find in books.So this forum is greatly appreciated.

-- VickiP. (countrymous@wbtv.net), February 08, 2002

Answers

Hi VickiP, You're right...goats are supposed to only have two teats, one on each side of the medial ligament (half), and nicely placed, nicely sized, and plumb (not angled to the side, front, etc)... anything else is a genetic fault and undesirable. Spur teats, and/or extra teats can be found anywhere on the udder,...close to the normal, functioning teat, a spur, or fish-tail of one of the normal teats, etc. Most often the extras or spurs are non-functioning, much smaller teats, although not always. Clipping them off IMO is a moot point, since you're not really solving the genetic problem...just trying to hide the fact that they were there in the first place, or removing them so kids don't try to nurse from them...either way, a bad thing IMO. bucks should always have one set of teats, just like a doe, although they are also non-functioning. Always check your buck kids as well as your doe kids for extras or spurs... I'd NEVER recommend keeping a buck as breeding stock if he had this fault. The belief is that both parents must carry the gene for supernumery teats in order for it to show up in any kids...so even if neither parent HAS extras... if any of their kids do...both parents at least carry the gene, even though they themselves don't have them... that's the time to cull that breeding stock too! (IMHO). Hope that's helpful... :)patty Prairie Oak Miniatures http://www.minifarm.com/prairie_oak visit our message board! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Littlegoats moderator

-- Patty Putnam (WI) (littlegoats@wi.rr.com), February 08, 2002.

Patty covered everything wonderfully! Some Boer goats do have extra teats, and like I said on Countryside, if the boers who were brought in originally hadn't been culls, and hadn't been worth so much money that nobody was going to cull for extra teats, or bite faults, or for horrid feet, than the animals would not have been used in breeding programs, and you wouldn't have this in Boers right now. But who is going to eat a 30,000$ buck? Even now, who is going to eat a 700$ fullblood boer buck because he has extra teats? No instead they write their breed standards around this to make it exceptable. Its all symantics. vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 08, 2002.

Let me get this straight. Your buck kid had two teats? Or four altogether? Two is normal and desirable. Three, four or more is not, check all kids at birth and cull them. Extra teats are heritable, so do not use a buck with extra teats, it's a recessive trait and can be hard to get rid of. What I am saying is that you can have a buck with three or more teats, and breed him to a normal doe, and even though the kids may look normal, they will ALL carry that gene even if they don't show it. Then, if you bred two such kids together, about 25% of their kids would have extra teats. I hope this makes sense..

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), February 09, 2002.

Yes, my buck kid had two teats. One on each side of the scrotum. He was a very pretty kid but was not purebred so did not keep him.{barbeque] Does seem kind of odd for males to have these as they don't serve any purpose.

-- VickiP. (Countrymous@webtv.net), February 09, 2002.

Well, guess what, men have them too! ;D

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), February 09, 2002.

Yes, but it still seems redundant!

-- VickiP. (countrymous @ webtv.net), February 10, 2002.

HI AM NEW IN HERE I HAVE A BIG QUESTION, i HAVE A YEARLING PGYMY DOE AND SHE HAS 4 TEATS , AND MY DAUGHTER IS SHOWING HER AT THE FAIR , SHE IS NOT A BREEDING DOE . WILL SHE BE DISQUALIFIED ? CAN SHE STILL SHOW HER ? OUR FAIR IS ATARTING IN A WEEK , IS IT TO LATE TO CUT OFF THE EXTRA TEATS , CAN SHE STILL BE BRED? ANY HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED.

-- tammy (starkfarms07427@wmconnect.com), September 05, 2004.