# naturally polled goats



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

I was hoping someone could provide some clarification about this. My husband has read a few books that suggest that naturally polled bucks should not be used to breed as their kids are often sterile and/or hermaphrodites. 

However, from what I am reading online, it seems this tends to occur in some breeds more than others (Saanen for one). I'm also reading that breeding a polled buck is fine so long as he is heterozygous for polled (one of his parents had horns) and so long as he is only bred to does born with horns. I am assuming these are the recommendations in order to avoid a homozygous polled kid (which is when you could have the problem with sterility or gender issues).

So . . . anyone have thoughts or experience with this?


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

Ive had plenty of polled goats- bucks and does- and never had a problem

the only problem comes in when you breed a polled goat to a polled goat, then you run a small risk of producing a hermaphrodite


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree with ....ProctorHillFarm.....totally correct ... :wink: :greengrin:


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Yep...proctor hit it right on. :thumb:


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I have red that a lot also. I think maybe they had a single case or maybe a couple and now they have to say that. I am sure you know how things go. Happens once it must happen all the time. (*WRONG*)

Matter of fact most hermaphrodites I have ever hear if were NOT polled.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I have heard that Polled to polled is bad 

but then I read somewhere that this is incorrect information -- like what Lori said. I would like more study to be done on this and hopefully some vet school will do that in the future


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Its true that you dont want to breed polled to polled. thats where the hermaphrodites apear. Saanens seem to be the most commen for polled. Not sure why. I tend to stay away from polled goats as i like the look of an animal that has been dehorned better. Polled animals get large bumps on top of their heads, at least in alpines, im not sure about other breeds. I dont mind dehorning and just take it as part of having goats. 
beth


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## Graffogefarms (Oct 11, 2007)

Im willing to experiment? - Now - Bobo- is out of our wodin, but he inherited the polled gene from his mother. Now he bred to Jessie last year, and she had a doe and a buckling. Though Jessie's girl does have horns, was contemplating breeding her to Bax (AN ) Who I think is polled, as Starbux, who is out of my tia doesn't seem to have horns, and I didn't have him disbudded. Gypsy - had the biggest horns, but she doesn't work on the inside. There is another daughter of Bobo, who I can breed to - polled, but it is going to be a year or two, as she is this years kid as well. I am assuming that the kids that I didn't disbud, and are hornles are out of bobo.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Bridget if you do accomplish any polled to polled breedings I would be very interested in the results.


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

I have bred polled to polled and never had a problem...maybe just a matter of time; but have done it numerous times and never had an issue. I just happened to think, when you breed polled sheep to polled sheep,you never have any kind of warnings - wouldn't it be a similar situation.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

martha thats good to know -- I never though of the polled sheep before


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

My new little buckling is polled, and all of my does are horned, so this is all very interesting to me. I've heard both the warnings against polled x polled, and I've also heard that its not true.

I prefer horned does, so I don't expect any problems. Hopefully!


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

you will be fine - about half of the babies will be naturally polled then. I don't like horns and having polled babies makes it one less thing that has to be done to the poor babies.


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## arin_101 (Apr 3, 2013)

Question? I have a lamancha/pygmy or Nigerian cross for. She is naturally polled. All the girls on the farm are polled and the boys have horns. Why is that? Will her daughters be polled


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

A polled goat bred with a horned goat can produce polled kids and vice versa
I have a polled doe who only produced horned kids when bred with a horned buck.... when bred with a polled buck she had 2 polled and 1 horned kid and this past freshening bred with a polled buck had 3 polled kids.
Same polled buck bred to a horned doe had 2 polled and 2 horned kids and each one is a definitive buckling or doeling, no questions on that.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

There's a breeder near me who has a "buckling" from an accidental polled to polled breeding. He sorta looks like a buck, but his parts aren't quite right, and he is apparently infertile. Not exactly a hermaphrodite, but similar.
It may just be coincidence; I know birth defects can show up in horned breedings too. Also, it may only be certain lines that carry the recessive defect linked to the dominant polled gene.


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## BathamptonCashmeres (Apr 4, 2013)

The dominant poll trait is closely linked to a trait that conditions recessive hermaphrodite in females.

So in matings between a poll and a horned goat, you will average 50% poll kids and 50% horned kids and no practical chance of hermaphrodites.

In matings between two poll animals both of which are carrying the horned gene, you will average 75% poll and 25% horned progeny. On average you will have half males and half females in each category. Among the females, 25% will appear 'male' and be hermaphrodite polls, 50% will be normal female and polled and 25% will be horned and normal. 

Among the males, 25% will be homozygous polled, that is have two copies of the poll gene, 50% will be heterozygous polled (one copy poll and one copy horned gene) and 25% will be horned (two copies of the horned gene).

Of the homozygous poll males, some will be sterile and some fertile. It depends on your line of animals whether they are fertile or not. The fertile ones will produce 100% poll progeny.


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## goatgirl16 (Nov 21, 2012)

Ok so I have a question I have doe that had horns but her father was polled her twin brother was polled I am breeding her with a horned male is there a chance I could get a polled baby? Also my bucks brother had blue eyes could there be a chance one of his off springs could have blue eyes?


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Sadly, no to both.  They are both dominant traits, so can't be carried and hidden.


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## BathamptonCashmeres (Apr 4, 2013)

Polled is dominant, so if it is not present in one of the parents, you won't see it in their kid.

Blue eyes are not that straight forward. I think some are inherited as dominants, but at least some are recessive. I had only bown-eyed goats for about 20 years but then brought a new brown-eyed buck in who happend to throw a few blue-eyed kids. So in that case, blue was certainly not a simply inherited dominant trait.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Oh wow! I had never heard of recessive blue eyes before!


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## goatgirl16 (Nov 21, 2012)

Oh good I will keep my fingers crossed lol polled is a plus but really want blue eyes


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

BathamptonCashmeres said:


> Polled is dominant, so if it is not present in one of the parents, you won't see it in their kid.
> 
> Blue eyes are not that straight forward. I think some are inherited as dominants, but at least some are recessive. I had only bown-eyed goats for about 20 years but then brought a new brown-eyed buck in who happend to throw a few blue-eyed kids. So in that case, blue was certainly not a simply inherited dominant trait.


likely your buck was marble blue eyed and therefor is genetically blue eyed not brown eyed.


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## goatgirl16 (Nov 21, 2012)

That would be great he is going to another farm to be there stud ( my vets farm) and they are giving me a unrelated doe for him so really excited


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