Can someone explain this to me?

[waddles99]

I was looking at a boer dueling for sale, and the seller said that she has"2x2 teats, but would probably only be 1x1 functional". What does this mean? I know that 2x2 teats means 2 rows of 2 teats, so 4 teats, but does 1x1 functional only mean 2 of the teats would produce milk?

 

[Stacykins]

I was looking at a boer dueling for sale, and the seller said that she has"2x2 teats, but would probably only be 1x1 functional". What does this mean? I know that 2x2 teats means 2 rows of 2 teats, so 4 teats, but does 1x1 functional only mean 2 of the teats would produce milk?

So you already know that it means an extra teat on each side of her udder. Boers are allowed to have extra teats. In a dairy goat, it is a fatal flaw and should always be culled out of a herd and the does or bucks with the trait not bred. Boer goats are meat goats, so they can get away with having extra teats. It is allowed in their standard, but breeders SHOULD work towards normal teats.

The extra teats are not always functional, as indicated, meaning milk does not come out of them. Remember that goats only have two milking portions of their udder, unlike a cow that has four. Extra teats do not mean extra milk production, just a new outlet for the milk to flow (sometimes).

So she'll have extra teats, but possibly no milk flow from the extras This can actually cause kids to starve. Why? They'll attempt to nurse from a teat that does not function. If you aren't on top of it, making sure they learn to nurse from the functional teats, you'll need to bottle feed them so they do not die. You can hope they nurse from the correct teat, but you will need to keep an eye on them and make sure they are.

 

[waddles99]

So you already know that it means an extra teat on each side of her udder. Boers are allowed to have extra teats. In a dairy goat, it is a fatal flaw and should always be culled out of a herd and the does or bucks with the trait not bred. Boer goats are meat goats, so they can get away with having extra teats. It is allowed in their standard, but breeders SHOULD work towards normal teats.

The extra teats are not always functional, as indicated, meaning milk does not come out of them. Remember that goats only have two milking portions of their udder, unlike a cow that has four. Extra teats do not mean extra milk production, just a new outlet for the milk to flow (sometimes).

So she'll have extra teats, but possibly no milk flow from the extras This can actually cause kids to starve. Why? They'll attempt to nurse from a teat that does not function. If you aren't on top of it, making sure they learn to nurse from the functional teats, you'll need to bottle feed them so they do not die. You can hope they nurse from the correct teat, but you will need to keep an eye on them and make sure they are.

Ok thank you. I don't plan on breeding her anyway.

 

[Stacykins]

Ok thank you. I don't plan on breeding her anyway.

Just keep it in mind if you do

If she is ever bred, it would be a good idea to choose a buck who has a 1x1 teat structure. Even boys have tiny little teats that can be checked. Breeding should always be about improvement. Obviously Boers focus on their muscle structure, but other traits are important, too.

 

[waddles99]

Just keep it in mind if you do

If she is ever bred, it would be a good idea to choose a buck who has a 1x1 teat structure. Even boys have tiny little teats that can be checked. Breeding should always be about improvement. Obviously Boers focus on their muscle structure, but other traits are important, too.

Yup. I plan showing in 4H if I end up purchasing her. I just wanted to make sure nothing too major was going on. Thanks for the advice.

On a side note, sorry for any comments on the koi thread. I let my temper get the best of me. You have always given me great advice on my goats and I am glad to have people like you on here.