# A good reference photo of an undershot jaw



## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

So since I make the best of bad situations, and take numerous photos when I find faults in my goats ... here is a good picture for reference, of undershot jaw (also known as parrot mouth).










In most breed standards this is a disqualifying, or cull fault. (Including saanens :angry: ) You can see the bottom jaw is much shorter than the top jaw, without even having to open the mouth.

Mods feel free to move this wherever you like.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

I know someone who had a doe like that. I took care of the doe for a while and I couldn't stand looking at it. She is in a pet home now, but still breeding to get milk.


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

We had rescued a doe with an undershot jaw a few years ago and her bottom teeth actually grew in crooked because of that. I knew the doe's lineage and where she had came from. Where she was was born the goats were not properly mineralized(meaning none at all) and I don't doubt that her jaw had to do with not being properly taken care of while she was in the womb. The reason I say that is because she had a lot of other problems that we had a hard time fixing with her. I know that it wasn't genetic because I personally knew the breeder where the stock had come from and she had zero tolerance for faults like that. We've luckily never had to come across it again in any of our goats.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I have a girl who is exactly opposite - her bottom jaw is just a bit forward ----- hehehe


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## Muddy Creek Farm (Oct 5, 2007)

A friend of mine had a BUCK like that. Turns out their doe is the one who threw that fault, she also had a doeling with a jaw problem who could not even nurse. A judge friend of ours noticed the buck's jaw and banded him right then and there (a yearling buck!)


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Very interesting. I have dealt mainly with overshots, which I have found to be hereditary. I am crossing my fingers that I can get daughters out of her with correct mouths - since she has such a good udder. 

I hate looking at it too, she has the ugliest face.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

you may get a doeling with a correct mouth.... :thumbup:  Hope you get one.... :thumbup:


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## DopeyOpie (Jan 5, 2009)

What causes undershot jaws? I think she's cute anyway :wink:


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Genetics, mostly.


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

:tears: 

And here I thought she was beautiful.

We have a doe with an overshot jaw, when she opens her mouth she looks ridiculous, I pray her kids won't have it!


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

I had a baby Saanen born with parrot mouth in 2007
At that stage I didnt even know what parrot mouth WAS, but I was saying "heh she looks like a parrot" (so it was fairly obvious)
She was a triplet (combined weight of the 3 was 24.5lb) so I think she could have been squooshed a bit inside...
I phoned the woman who owned the buck and she said she had NEVER encountered a fault like that before with the buck.
Anyway here are a couple of pictures:

The first two are day 1, the third is at about 3 weeks old:



























It was never an issue working out what to do with Melody, however, as she and her brother died shortly after that last picture was taken.


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

Oh yeah, and it has been mentioned in a previous post that it could be because of improper - or not at all - mineralisation during pregnancy. That could well have been the case with Will as she was severely sick for the last 2 months and hardly ate anything except what I forced down her throat - although I did give her countless mineral and vitamin injections, who knows how much actually worked for her. :shrug:


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

thanks for the additional photos weevil!


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## all1965 (Oct 6, 2007)

We have doe where her bottom teeth are too far forward. Her buck kid also has this problem. We really love the buck kid and can't decide wether or not he should be banded. I really can't tell how bad it is as I don't have much experience with this problem and don't know the serverity of it.

His sister has a normal jaw. You can't see his teeth all the time so it's not that bad yet.

I dont have a great picture of it but here is one. I will try to get a better one.


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