Polled goat genetics

[cassie]

I have 3 polled females goat one the mom had horns n the dad didn't the other 2 both mom n dad had horns so does that mean they won't b able to breed

Nope. You only run into that problem if the polled female is homozygous for polled, and not all the time even then. Most of the time, if a doeling is a hermaphrodite, it can be easily determined by a visual exam. Hermaphrodites will have smaller teats than their fertile penmates but the most obvious indication is the vulva. It is large and if you separate the lips of the vulva you will see a very enlarged clitoris within. As they mature, they will start to look more like bucks and less like does. When they are grown, they act more like bucks than bucks do.

 

[farm n louisana]

Thanks good to knw I'll check on that later today once it stops raining n some mud can dry

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

Wow, very interesting. Thanks everyone for all of the info. So I guess disbudding will likely come up at some point.

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Wow, very interesting. Thanks everyone for all of the info. So I guess disbudding will likely come up at some point.

Yes, it probably will. I absolutely hate disbudding, but knowing why I do it helps me get on with it. If you can find someone who has the know-how in your area to teach you for hands-on experience, that would be great. You can also find how-to videos on youtube and other goat websites. I'd be happy to pm you those links if you're interested. : )

 

[michellemire]

How can u tell if a goat will b polled r not I have 3 babies I'm trying to figure out

 

[Bunnylady]

When they are born, you can usually feel the tiny tips of their horns on the tops of their heads. Disbudding needs to be done when they are very young - less than a couple of weeks, usually. Apparently, the horns on some breeds may grow a bit slower than others, so you may need to keep checking for a few weeks to make sure whether a baby really is polled, but most of the time, the horns are there from the start. Of course, if both parents have horns, it's a no-brainer.

 

[H Diamond]

First look at genetics, is it even possible to have polled kids? Secondly, like above, feel for the bumps. Third... horned kids will have two "cowlicks" or "swirls" on their head over where the horns will be. Polled kids generally just have one in the middle of the head.

 

[michellemire]

K I asked bc I had 2 kids born polled last year n both parents had horns I just had 1 of them kid n was wondering if the kid would have horns r not

 

[H Diamond]

Well if you've had polled kids from them before, then obviously the genetics are there. So, now you're just trying to determine if you got polled kids again. Check the hair and for bumps.. I dunno what else to tell you, lol.

 

[michellemire]

I bought the females breed n they had polled kids there breed to a different male