Folded ears on goats.

[20kidsonhill]

Just doing some research on fixing folded up tips on goats ears, because I had a bumper crop of them this year. And although I knew having the tips folded up wasn't a reason for culling, I also wondered what big breeders were doing to fix it, sense it never seems like theirs have folded ears.

Here is a couple articles I came across and i think I will be trying the nickle idea with my next kids that have folded up tips.

http://tennesseemeatgoats.com/MeatGoatMania/June09/meatgoatmania4.html

Here is an article explaining a reaon to cull an animal based on the ear being rolled/folded the verticle way. And a good photo showing the improper ear.



http://www.motesclearcreekfarms.com/asp/articles/folded-ear.asp

the following wesites recommends this:

""Q: What can you do for boers with folded ears?

A: If a goat has folded ears you need to address the issue within the first several days of life. Unfold the ear and using duct tape, place a piece on both sides of the ear until the ear lays the correct direction (if needed, you can also tape a piece of cardboard to the ear to help it lay flat). This can be done with ears that are folded both vertically and horizontally. Leave the duct tape on until it falls off on its own. If necessary repeat by reapplying duct tape until the ear is correct. Doing this while they are kids is training the cartilage to grow the way you want it to. If the ear is folded and attached by skin it is recommended that you leave the ear folded instead of cutting the skin. ""

http://www.tripleigoats.com/faq.htm

No one can ever agree on the same information.





What do all of you do???

 

[Ariel301]

I don't really have to deal with it, since my goats don't really have ears, and what they do have SHOULD be folded....

But I got a super deal on an incredible little Alpine doeling a few weeks ago because she had a folded ear, which ended up straightening out on its own the day I went to pick her up. They were selling her for meat because of the ear. She's got 2-gallon-a-day milkers on both sides of her pedigree! I don't raise Alpines, but I couldn't pass this one up.

 

[Roll farms]

My husband gives them a mighty yank if they're really stuck-stuck to unstick them, and then we apply iodine until the wound heals over.

If they're just curled, I put a piece of cardboard on and duct tape it the opposite direction and remove after 24 hours. Generally they hang straight after that.

One year it seems like ALL our Boer kids had folded ears (the horitzontal kind, never had the vertical fold) and some years we'll get 1 or 2. I've changed bucks every year and gotten new does, and some years the same doe's kids do it, some years they don't.

What I've always found odd is my Nubs, who often have longer ears, have NEVER had a folded one. Gotta be a boer thing.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I have also, noticed my percentage boer/nubians are not getting the folded ear tips, only the near 100% boer or full-blood.

I have a home-school family come and buy 4 doelings, last week, one for each of their children, and they commented about not choosing one of the does because of her folded tip ears, got me going on what more I should be doing about it. I hope the goats work out for them, makes me nervous selling goats to people who have never raised them.

I do have a full-blood doe that has an improperly folded/rolled ear the vertical direction, she came to us that way, and was given to us when her owners couldn't keep her in fencing. She has not thrown it to any of her kids, I was worried about that. She had the nicest buck born on the farm this kidding season, my kids weren't any too happy when I sold him as a herd sire and didn't give them a chance to show him as a whether. I am sure he would have gave the top dogs a run for their money. But I need to pay the bills on the farm. I am sure I sold any chance we had at a championship for this year, but it isn't all about winning.

Sorry for carrying on. back to folded ears........

 

[RabbleRoost Farm]

My 100% Fulblood doeling has a folded ear tip, and I wish something had been done about it at birth to correct it for appearance and tick-reducing's sake, but we can both live with it.

Just have to check that the fold doesn't get gross or filled with bugs I guess, and hope she doesn't pass that tendency down to her kids.


If I have a kid born with any sort of fold I'm going to tape their ears up so they're correct looking, and watch them closely to see if they continue to pass it along. If they consistently have kids with them I'd cull. It's just... not a normal thing for a goat to have folded up ears.


LaManchas don't count because they don't have "ears" like Nubians and Boers do.