Hello everyone.
I don't get chance to come on the forum very often but I know it's the place to come for good advice and am hoping that you can give me some.
My Nubian-cross gave birth to two lovely kids two weeks ago today and I have just discovered that the female, which we were planning on keeping to continue this particular line, has two extra teats either side of her main teat (only on one side).
This is a new one for me so I've just done a bit of research and find that it is reasonably common in goats (but especially boers). I am still a little confused though and I wonder if you could help me out with the following:
How do I tell the difference between a 'fishtail' teat and 'supernumerary' teats. I believe that one problem is different to the other but I'm not sure how?
I've quickly realised that I should not breed from her but I also have her mother and grandmother, who do not have this problem. Some sites I've looked at say this can be a recessive gene from generations back but some say it comes from the sire buck, others from the doe's line. Does anyone know if this a problem that comes from the buck, the doe or both? In other words, can I still breed from the generations before her?
Also, I have a home lined up for her brother where he is intended to be a stud goat. Should I now rethink this?
Finally, some sites advise getting the extra teats removed and others say that this procedure is only an option for cows that have extra teats. What do you think? We will be keeping her on whatever the outcome so this is really more a general welfare issue rather than one connected with milking or breeding.
I would be really grateful for any advice you can offer.