some of my goats never grow horns

[EmilyVioletElithabeth]

EmilyVioletElithabeth submitted a new resource:

some of my goats never grow horns - hornless goats

I have some goats on my farm that never grow horns. In fact I have three generations of the hornless goats and every now and then I get a goats with horns. do you know why this is happening?

This is one of the baby's that never grow horns

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[babsbag]

Because you are lucky and you have polled goats. If a polled ("hornless") goat is bred to a goat with horns some of the offspring may not have horns. The offspring can pass this genetic trait on their kids but it will never skip a generation. It takes a polled doe or buck to get polled kids, having polled grandsire or granddam will not produce polled kids.

I have 4 polled does, would love some more. This last year I had 0 polled goats born; hoping for some this next year.

There is a debate on whether or not you should breed a polled doe to a polled buck. Some say you run a risk of have does born that are hermaphrodites; others say that that isn't the case and that it makes no difference. I don't have a polled buck so I have no opinion and no way to test the theory.

 

[EmilyVioletElithabeth]

I have one polled goat one my farm that is not related to some other polled goats. if one had a baby boy, and I used him to breed to the goats that are not related to him, do you think there will be a greater chans that the kids will never grow horns.

 

[babsbag]

Yes, there would be a greater chance but as I mentioned above, there is some debate as to the wisdom in breeding polled to polled; makes no difference if they are related or not, you may still run the chance of hermaphrodites being born. I personally won't do it in my herd, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't love a polled buck to use on all my does that have horns.

Here is an article explaining polled genetics.

http://www.americangoatsociety.com/education/polled_genetics.php

 

[JosieAnn]

EmilyVioletElithabeth submitted a new resource:

some of my goats never grow horns - hornless goats



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They don't grow horns because they are polled, naturally hornless

 

[farmerjan]

8 yr old thread.....