# Need Help!! Question About Waddles!!! And some bad news....



## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Hi everyone!! I am sorry I have out of touch for so long... I will have time tomorrow night to explain all of the hectic stuff that has been going on around here, but for right now I really need some help!!! So I will tell you about the most resent events for now. Monday (11/26/2007) my two Pygmy girls (that were purchased bred) kidded. They weren't showing any signs of delivering this soon (which of course since they were purchased bred I had no clue when exactly they would be due)! One of the Does had twins but somehow she got on top of one of them and crushed him  ... a little buckling. At first we thought she was trying to reject the other one and had a really rough time with all of this Monday night.. She finally started acting motherly and we have one healthy Buckling to show for it. My other Pygmy Doe decided that she would kid at the exact same time! We had no problems with her accepting her baby and she provided us with a beautiful little Doeling(pictures of both kids coming tomorrow). I have been so upset about the loss of the Buckling. I have been keeping myself busy since then with the two kids we have alive and am just now getting the chance to post on here about it. We spent hours trying to save the little guy but he just couldn't pull thru it  .... Anyways back to the two kids that we are blessed with.... I have a question about waddles. The little Doeling that was born has wattles, but one of the wattles is more up the side of her face than under her chin like the other one is (and like I am presuming they are supposed to be). Is this common or is it a sign of inbreeding or something? The Does were bred when I got them so I can't be 100% certain of the previous breeders breeding methods. What do I do about it? Can she pass it on to her offspring? I will list pictures of the two kids tomorrow and I will be sure to get good pictures of what I am talking about. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! 

Brandi


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

With wattles that can just happen. Some breeders will remove them if they are misplaced. Sorry to hear about the little buckling but glad to hear you have 2 others that are doing great. I have been wondering where you were. Glad to hear from you.


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## alyssa_romine (Oct 5, 2007)

I have seen pics of what you are talking about. but I am not sure what causes it, I will research it for you though.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

According to the pygmy goat vet book I have, wattles are not hereditary and they do not cause health problems. They are actually the remains of the embryonic gill slits. The odd one can be removed but it is not neccessary

Sorry you lost a baby....hope the other 2 are doing well. Glad to have you back, I was wondering what became of you!!


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## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Thanks everyone for all the support!!If the wattles aren't hereditary then that would be great!!! I just know that with the one being misplaced they look a little weird and I am scared that some people who didn't know better would look at it as a deformancy (considering that I too didn't know exactly what causes them). Thanks for the help and I will keep checking the post for other responses. If it isn't hereditary and has nothing to do with inbreeding then I might keep her to add to my herd. She is a little doll  Ijust wouldn't want to breed her if it was something undesireable in the breed that could be passed on to offspring. Thanks again!!


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## fritzie (Oct 6, 2007)

i love wattles. i have a buck & a doe that were born last year & both have them but there are non in there back ground. i have seen a kid born with just one wattle & it was way up behind her ear. she is being shown & is doing really good. i have seen others that are champions that have one down under there jaw & the other one is up behind the ear. you can remove them but i don't . why put them thru the stress for nothing. i would keep her if you like her there is absolutly nothing wrong with it. sorry about the little buck that you lost.


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## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Thank you. Yes, I got to thinking about it and I am not going to have them removed. I think they are part of what makes her unique. Mainly, I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't a defect or something like that that could be passed on to her offspring. I can't wait for everyone to see pics of her


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

for a goat to have waddles one of the parents have to have waddles.

Two non waddled goats can not have an offspring with waddles.

Waddles are a mystery on their usefulness but for me as a Christian I believe it was just God given some goats a special character. I love waddles!


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## alyssa_romine (Oct 5, 2007)

I do too!!! I have a doe with waddles


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## Sweet Gum Minis (Oct 6, 2007)

Wattles are dominant so yes she can pass those on to her kids. Placement can be correct or out of place. Some remove them if they're incorrectly placed.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I have no idea what waddles are ..... Here is the newbie in the bunch again


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

waddles are located usually under the chin and on their neck. Pippin is pictured above - he has waddles

here is Flicka his mom - she has waddles


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## K-Ro (Oct 14, 2007)

Congrats on your new babies, I am sorry you lost the little buckling though.

My buck has two wattles and his twin sister only has 1, I love them and hope some of our kids due this spring have them.


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## BethW (Oct 7, 2007)

I love wattles. Tango has them and they're so cute.


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## cute kids (Oct 5, 2007)

have you ever watched a duck walk????? or a very pg woman???? those are waddles.   

wattles, on the other hand, are those funny little long pieces of fur covered skin that hang down from the necks of some goats---or near the ears or cheeks, evidently. sort of little finger-looking things. you have seen them, i am sure. my pygmies have them, my nigerians do not. 
i do not know the heredity of them. they have no function that we know of, as far as i know. or only the goats know!! :wink:


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

So it is like a growth so to speak??


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I wouldn't call it a growth but that is because I don't believe in Evolution but that they were designed that way for a purpose. 

But to describe it yes I guess they look like a growth, they hang off their necks and are covered in hair like any other part of their bodies.


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## cute kids (Oct 5, 2007)

they are 'appendages' ....they don't get bigger and bigger as the goat ages; they just are there at birth and then stay the same relative size.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

actually that isn't true. The waddles do grow bigger as the animal grows. The stay the same size in relation to the animal but their size does increase as the size of the animal does.


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## cute kids (Oct 5, 2007)

that's what i said, 'they stay the same relative size'. this versus longer and longer for the life of the goat.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

they seem to be more commen in some breeds then others. I see them more on swiss breeds then nubians. A lot of pymies have them, not so many boers kikos guernseys or fainting goats. I have a couple of does who have them. They are a family trait thing. At least one parent has to have them. I had a doe who had them, when bred to my non wattled buck she had a single wattled doe kid. The doe is now almost two. She was bred to a wattled buck and had two wattled kids. I also bred a non wattled doe to a wattled buck and she had two wattled kids. 
There are several different theoryies behind them. Some say the gill thing. Still others think they were a defense mechanism, when goats all lived in the wild some believe when a predator grabbed the throat of the goat the wattles would come off and the goat would get away. I know a lot of people who cut them off. I prefere to leave thyem if they are in the right place. I have a doe that i removed them from because one was up by her ear. It made her head look lopsided. Judges should not discriminate against wattles. I have also seen them on the ear and around the tail.
beth


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

cute kids said:


> that's what i said, 'they stay the same relative size'. this versus longer and longer for the life of the goat.


oh sorry I read that wrong. Blonde moment


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

It is kinda like some goats have horns some are polled. Some have wattles some don't. I have a nigerian buckling with watttles and sure do hope he passes them on to his daughters. I love goaty jewlery.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

"goat jewlery" oh I love that name for them


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## gnomes'n'goats (Oct 8, 2007)

ROFL!!! "Gill slits"?!?!?! My goats feel offended.

LOL!


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

Interesting - none of mine have them - so I don't think there will be any on my ranch - but who knows. I think it would be kinda cute and give charecter.


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## alyssa_romine (Oct 5, 2007)

This might be easier for you to see waddles in this picture

I hope it isn't too big...the camera isn't too good on the setting it was on.


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## fritzie (Oct 6, 2007)

they always look like tha goat is wearing errings to me. some times people will remove them because they do not want to take the time to clip them for show(it is a pain) but i just love them on my girls.


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## MiddleRiver (Oct 29, 2007)

I love waddles ( or is it wattles ? ) !! I have two does with them - my new sanaan doe has them, and my sanaan/nubian doe Capri - here is Capri and her pretty jewelery :+)


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

I've seen goats with misplaced wattles, they look kinda funny actually  I love wattles, I think they are so cute.
Congrats on your new kids!! And sorry to hear about the buckling :hug:


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## gnomes'n'goats (Oct 8, 2007)

sigh. My 'pines dont have any wattles.  I am still hoping that Thor will throw a baby with jewelry. If he does indeed have a little togg in him- toggs often have wattles dont they?

I think wattles are so cute. I once saw a pygmy doe with a wattle on the side of her face. lol


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

i have several alpines with wattles. I have seen more on toggs and saanens then alpines. You just need to find a buck with wattles, and i bet you will have wattles galore!
beth


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## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Thanks for the help everyone!! One of my regular buyers absolutely fell in love with Trixie (what I named the new Doeling) and then another lady has fell in love with Todd (the Buckling), so they are both sold already  They are going to GREAT homes though and I will still get to play with them for the next 3 months  I am loading the pics to photobucket right now.


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## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Here is the link for the pics of the babies:

http://thegoatspot.freeforums.org/viewtopic.php?t=945

I plan on getting some better pics tomorrow. Let me know what you think


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## fritzie (Oct 6, 2007)

congrats. boy i can see why you sold them so fast. they are sure cute


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## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Thank you!


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## BethW (Oct 7, 2007)

Wattles!


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## Muddy Creek Farm (Oct 5, 2007)

CUTE pic Beth! I like Wattles too!


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

i was trying to get pictures of my gir;s that had wattles yesturday, but ruby wanted nothing to do with me, all she wanted to do was eat. Sera kept blowing hot air on my camera, everytime she came close enough for a picture she was too close. scarlet just wanted her face scratched. 
Maybe i will try again at feeding time. I was going to take the camera out anyways, its snowing here. and quite pretty out.
beth


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## oldntimes (Oct 11, 2007)

I call them " Natures Goat Jewelry" I do have Nigies with them. They are cute, would hate to have misplaced ones though.


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## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Tink's wattles


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

ooo Tinks adorable.


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## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Thanks. I am going to try and get some updated pics of all of the kids today


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

StaceyRoop said:


> for a goat to have waddles one of the parents have to have waddles.
> 
> Two non waddled goats can not have an offspring with waddles.
> 
> Waddles are a mystery on their usefulness but for me as a Christian I believe it was just God given some goats a special character. I love waddles!


 That is not true Stacie. I have had goats that have no wattles, Doe or Buck, and we had twins with them. I have seen it quite a bit.

The babies are adorable. Congratulation on the sell of them already.


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## HollowbeadRanch (Oct 5, 2007)

Thank you! I am just happy to see them go to good homes


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