Interesting Goat kid question/surprise **GRAPHIC PICS PG4**

[KristinH]

Goats make great pets =-)I adored mine and if I lived somewhere I could have one I most certainly would, my father used to joke that the goat was a better babysitter for me and my little brother then anyone he could hire as she was always following us about and keeping an eye out.

I don't imagine it would cause a problem to castrate him if you wanted to make sure you didn't have to deal with buck hormones later on..but if they aren't functioning then it might not be an issue anyways. I have heard of this happening in other animals, it even happens in the human population from time to time and really as long as the goat is happy and healthy and your enjoying it then I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[bagendhens]

havent delt with it in goats myself but have heard of it before.
all babies start female, no matter what the species, it itsnt untill a little later in development that the male genitalia and hormones start to develop so its not unheard of for the wirest to get crossed along the way and end up with a situation like this, though a fully developed penis/testicles are unusual.
the good news is you should be able to castrate HER (since the female genitalia are doing the work, he/she would be officially a female) without any problems and i would as in these cases the male hormones from the testicles can stil become active even if the female organs are dominant.

you may or may not end up going through regular heats as your baby matures, it depends on the internal workings (she could have a full uterus and ovaries, or it could simply be "visual" with just the "plumbing" hooked up)

since your just looking for a pet anyway id say castrate him/her for the benefits, and then see how he/she grows, as she gets older if she starts displaying signs of being in season you might want an ultrasound done to see if the internals are all there for the female side, in which case you could have her spayed. as she gets older she could go either way becoming more "male" or more female' or she may stay completly in the middle.

i definatly wouldnt breed her, just simply because 1: its likely genetic and could be carried to future kids and 2: you dont know if shed be properly "set up" to carry to term
but as a pet...super cute!!!

 

[TriciaHowe]

Very cute!
Sounds like a hermaphrodite. Not really a problem, but I would get testicles removed (like you were planning on) because they may not drop and stay retained in the body. This would put the kid at a greater chance of cancer later on.

 

[Peep Talk]

Quote:
Thank you for all of the good advice! I was very surprised to see both sets to say the least. As for the breeding, it would never happen. I am only looking to have a pet, and probably will get a companion for her. I keep all of my animals spayed/neutered (except my chickens of course) because I don't want any unwanted visitors or unwanted breedings. I will definitely let everyone know what I find out when I talk to someone. The testicles are definitely going and as long as the penis wouldn't pose any threat to the health, it could just stay...you can't really tell that it is there unless you are looking for it.

 

[Peep Talk]

Quote:
Sure is a hermaphrodite, but when I look up information on them, the only thing they talk about is a visual penis inside of the vulva?? I haven't found anything yet that describes both fully formed sets of genitalia.

As for the testicles not dropping, they are dropped and in the scrotum...and I am really planning on getting him castrated...I don't have the desire to have the testosterone.

 

[Peep Talk]

Here are some more pictures

 

[TriciaHowe]

 

[KellyHM]

Is she polled?

It won't hurt anything to remove the testicles...I'd go ahead and do it.

In the past 2 years people in my hunt club have killed 2 deer, thinking they were does, only to find out they had 2 full sets of reproductive organs. In both cases the penis and testicles didn't actually lead anywhere.

 

[Peep Talk]

Quote:
She will have horns. I can already feel the bumps under the skin.

Ok. Do I take him to a farm vet to get it done then? The vets that I have put the call into haven't called me back yet. I suppose I should call them.

That is really interesting how it happens. I wonder what exactly causes it?

 

[Ohne-Fehler]

I would get him castrated, I cant see it hurting him/her in any way. You could always just ask your vet for advice on it though if you are not sure. Hermaphrodites aren’t all that uncommon is goats, I have seen several while showing. In fact when you judge you check each doe as she comes into the ring, one of the things you check is to make sure it really is a "doe".