Cuttlefishherder
Chillin' with the herd
We just looked at out little two month old doeling and she has four teats, it that to terribly bad? will she be easy to milk or more difficult?
How bad is four udders?
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SDGsoap&dairy
Loving the herd life
Your goat may have 4 teats but she only has one udder. 
The severity of the problem really depends on what type of goats you have and what your herd goals are. If they're dairy goats then yes, it's bad. Whether or not you freshen her and try to milk her depends on your herd goals and plans for the kids. For us that's a major defect and here she would be a cull and would never be bred. Some folks might let her freshen then put her offspring in the freezer. Some folks might consider selling her kids as unregistered pets, but it's not a defect you want to perpetuate in a dairy animal.
Sorry for your discovery!
The severity of the problem really depends on what type of goats you have and what your herd goals are. If they're dairy goats then yes, it's bad. Whether or not you freshen her and try to milk her depends on your herd goals and plans for the kids. For us that's a major defect and here she would be a cull and would never be bred. Some folks might let her freshen then put her offspring in the freezer. Some folks might consider selling her kids as unregistered pets, but it's not a defect you want to perpetuate in a dairy animal.
Sorry for your discovery!
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Cuttlefishherder
Chillin' with the herd
Lol my mistake XD
We are just looking for a goat to milk, her mom is a wicked awesome milker. About three goats is our max because we only want two does for milking and one buck for freshening. So will she be difficult to milk? Will the kids be more difficult to sell off? OR is the trait really not that bad its just no good for standards? We aren't making a business out of these guys, they are dairy mutts, just friends and free milk.
But really all we want to know is will she be harder to milk, it would be unfortunate because she is beautiful and we love her dearly!!!
We are just looking for a goat to milk, her mom is a wicked awesome milker. About three goats is our max because we only want two does for milking and one buck for freshening. So will she be difficult to milk? Will the kids be more difficult to sell off? OR is the trait really not that bad its just no good for standards? We aren't making a business out of these guys, they are dairy mutts, just friends and free milk.
But really all we want to know is will she be harder to milk, it would be unfortunate because she is beautiful and we love her dearly!!!
doxiemoxie
Loving the herd life
Does she have Boer in her? Boers frequently are 4-teated and, as already said, its not an issue because they are feeding their offspring, not being milked. You won't know how she'll do as a milker until you try. If each teat goes to its own section of udder then you'll have to clean each teat and milk out each quarter; which will take longer. If her teats are "fishtailed" then they usually won't go to any milk ducts and are just ornamental (I've only read about this condition, never seen it in goats- help me out folks if I've got it wrong)
I don't think you should try to sell her offspring as dairy goats.
I don't think you should try to sell her offspring as dairy goats.
20kidsonhill
True BYH Addict
I am pretty sure regardless of how many teats the goat only has 2 halves to her udder. Often one of the teats on each side will be dominant and the other will be up on the udder a little higher and often times smaller, may or may not have an orifice.
If they are really close together, that is a pain to milk, you wont have one nicely formed teat, and often the orifice is smaller, even on the main teat.
If they are fish-teated, give it up, it wil be hard for you to milk and hard for babies often times to nurse. not impossible, but cetainly not a pretty sight either.
If you don't mind investing the time in her, freshen her out one time and see how it goes. We could guess all day on how she will milk, but you don't know for sure until you try.
If they are really close together, that is a pain to milk, you wont have one nicely formed teat, and often the orifice is smaller, even on the main teat.
If they are fish-teated, give it up, it wil be hard for you to milk and hard for babies often times to nurse. not impossible, but cetainly not a pretty sight either.
If you don't mind investing the time in her, freshen her out one time and see how it goes. We could guess all day on how she will milk, but you don't know for sure until you try.
SDGsoap&dairy
Loving the herd life
Goats never have quarters. Whether they have 2 teats or 7 there are still only 2 halves to an udder.doxiemoxie said:
I personally wouldn't even try to freshen her. Why make it harder on yourself then it needs to be? Particularly if you're only able to keep a couple goats. That's a lot of resources to put into a doe who's mammary system has a structural issue. If her dam's teats are correct I'd also breed her to a different buck. As far as her kids selling is concerned, even if you end up with 2 teated kids the gene can still be present. They should be used as meat. If you really wanted to have a go at it you might breed her boer so you'll have a market for the kids.
If she's registered be sure to pull her papers before you sell her- IMO that type of defect is more than just no good for the standard... it's no good for any dairy goat and it's highly heritable. If she does have good milky genetics behind her maybe you can sell her into a % boer herd where the teat defect wouldn't be perceived as such an issue.
SDGsoap&dairy
Loving the herd life
cmjust0 said:"Free milk"...hehe...hehehehe..hehehhhheehehehee...Cuttlefishherder said:
I remember when I used to say stuff like that.
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Cuttlefishherder
Chillin' with the herd
Lol yeah true, but when you cant have cows milk and the only other goat milk around is myenbergn.smithurmond said:cmjust0 said:"Free milk"...hehe...hehehehe..hehehhhheehehehee...Cuttlefishherder said:
I remember when I used to say stuff like that.
well... its close enough to free.
Blue Dog Farms
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I have a Nigerian doe with four teets and she has freshened 2xs. Her most recent buckling is big fat and beautiful. I milk her with not much interferance for the extras. If you are breeding to show then I would definatly say no, but if you just want milk and really like her, sell her kids as pets without papers and enjoy your doe.
