One of my ewes have 4 teats

[Codym907]

I was feeling to see if my pregnant ewes might have bagged up yet and was noticing that my one icelandic ewe has 4 teats. Is this normal? The second pair doesn't seem very functional because they are smaller than the other ones.

 

[Sheepshape]

I've noticed this on quite a lot of my ewes (maybe 30-40%). Never known them to be functional, though.

 

[AimeeDx]

I had a ewe who had 4 teats, one pair smaller than the other, and both pairs worked well!

 

[Sheepshape]

I had a ewe who had 4 teats, one pair smaller than the other, and both pairs worked well!

VERY unusual......did her ewe offspring have the same?

It reminds me of those pictures of women with 4 breasts, or the folk with extra nipples. Let's not go there!

 

[Childwanderer]

One of my ewes has four teats, two of which look like non-functional miniatures. I do not know whether the smaller pair give milk. I'm not bothered by it, and don't feel that it is a problem. Some googling revealed this article from a University of Illinois website about a breeding experiment performed by Alexander Graham Bell in selecting for extra teats in the hopes of increasing ewe fertility and lambs produced: http://livestocktrail.illinois.edu/sheepnet/paperDisplay.cfm?ContentID=6721

 

[Childwanderer]

This study suggests that extra or 'supernumerary' teats don't effect milk production in dairy sheep, but that amputation of extra teats can reduce milk production: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24665954
https://www.semanticscholar.org/pap...ecia/cd22be7557b4c034ad85f61c61667dee939dc83d

 

[Jennifer Hinkle]

I have Katahdin ewes that have 4 teats and they have had twins, only 1 pair of them seem to have been used.

 

[secuono]

It happens, producers cull them usually .

My BFL×Cheviot has 4, 2 normal and 2 tiny. Also have a Babydoll with 4.

You can see them early on if you look close and carefully.

 

[mrs.mystang89]

@mystang89 here is a post about extra nipples

 

[secuono]

Here's a wee little nub of a second nipple on a lamb, if anyone wants to know what to look out for.

I believe that I have other pics I can share later, too.