# fish tail teat :( nigerian dwarf



## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

so, i have had the bad luck of having a doeling with a fish tail teat.. i did not see it when born and just recently spotted it a week or so ago. how did this happen? is it just my luck? of course i have talked with the owners of the last three generations and they said they havent had any teat defects... figures... so is this like a one in a zillion chance? doe has never produced any kids with defects before. sire was a youngster but his sire hasnt produced any, neither has his dam or granddam.
the doelings wether brothers have normal teat structure as i have seen them a month ago.

this would be my second doeling with a teat defect in the short time i have owned goats. both goats were from different lines
she was a keeper doeling but at least she will go to a pet home as she is super sweet and very preety.

please reply if you have had this fault. and if so what did you do? sell the parents? sell kid as pet quality? keep the doe and breed her to a different buck? ect...


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## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

We don’t have a dairy herd (beside two Nubians) and breed mostly boers, so I have seen my fair share of teat defects. The pattern I’ve seen has led me to theorize that teat defects are recessive.

This means could have two clean teated goats give you a fish teat if both parents have the recessive gene. Recessive genes can stay hidden for a long time over several generations. This could explain why it’s cropping up. This occurs when people try to “breed out” undesirable teat structures, but it pops up down the line.


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## NDinKY (Aug 3, 2019)

I had a buckling this year with a fishtail teat. Was very disappointing as we had planned on keeping him. He is now wethered and living in a good home as a pet/weedeater. 

After I discovered it, I promptly checked both the buck and doe. Neither had any signs of abnormalities. All the other kids were clean too. We won’t be repeating that cross again.


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## Calistar (Jan 16, 2017)

I was also told (by a respected breeder who's been raising goats for quite a long time) that the fishtail teat is a recessive gene. 

I had fishtail teats both this year and last year. I imagine the gene must be more prevalent than people admit/realize, and they either get lucky with their animals not passing it on, or they cull the ones with the defective teats but continue breeding those who have clean teats but may carry the gene.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Fishteats can highly be passed onto offspring.

It isn't good to breed into your herd.


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

appreciate the replies. any dq faults that are born are pets. its just a bummer as she is one of my best does. i contacted the previous owner and she has never had a teat issue like that and she has way more goats then i do.


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## Ashlynn (Oct 1, 2017)

Had to learn the hard way to check for clean teats. Someone sold me a show kid with tear spurs. Really bummed when I found out. Later found out some other things that the breeder got away with. Good to always check for clean teats in your own goat kids and in any you are looking at to purchase. It is recessive for sure.


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## IHEARTGOATS (Jun 14, 2016)

We've been breeding a long time and we've had it pop up from time to time. We've had one doe kid with a teat defect this year.
We just never breed that buck and doe together again that produced the defect.
Another breeder I know that has about 100 kids per year says that he usually has on average 2 per year.


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## wndngrvr (Dec 10, 2011)

Also sometimes something can just pop up I think. I had a little doe born with double teats on both sides a couple of years ago. Never ever had that before and never since. She went as a pet to a lady that had no intentions of ever breeding her.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I bought 2 doelings from a herd with a great reputation in this area. One of them was exceptional. I bred her to my best buck with visions of show winners jumping through my head. She had triplets, 2 does and a buck. Imagine my horror when I discovered all 3 kids had extra teats. A closer look at the dam showed that she had 3 teats. The 2 doelings had 4 teats and the buckling had 3. No one in my bucks extended pedigree had extra teats, same for the does sire and dam and family. The breeder was horrified. She refunded my money. I sold the kids as pets. I am keeping the doe as a reminder to ALWAYS check teats when buying a doe.


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

My Gizmo has fishtale teats and an overbite. Good thing he is a wether. Luckily we dont do show goats here.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

lottsagoats1 said:


> I bought 2 doelings from a herd with a great reputation in this area. One of them was exceptional. I bred her to my best buck with visions of show winners jumping through my head. She had triplets, 2 does and a buck. Imagine my horror when I discovered all 3 kids had extra teats. A closer look at the dam showed that she had 3 teats. The 2 doelings had 4 teats and the buckling had 3. No one in my bucks extended pedigree had extra teats, same for the does sire and dam and family. The breeder was horrified. She refunded my money. I sold the kids as pets. I am keeping the doe as a reminder to ALWAYS check teats when buying a doe.


 Oh my, that would be so devastating. I am sorry that happened.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I was crushed because I could not afford to replace these does. The breeder went out of business due to serious health issues, and those that bought out her herd are charging prices way above what I can afford. I have the other doe, who I am hoping will produce this year, as she didn't settle last year. Heartbreak is all part of farming, but it still stinks! However, I did learn a lesson and will never buy a goat until I have checked their teat count!


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Check bucks teats too! And, if you are buying a new buck, check adult bucks for lumps in the scrotal sack, especially up near the body. 
( where you would band).


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

so... i was just thinking dec, jan i had to treat for lungworm. the dam kidded march 3rd. any chance it could of been from all the deworming i had to do?


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## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

It’s highly unlikely. If you were using a dewormer such as Valbazen, deformities aren’t common that late in gestation. Additionally, most issues you’d see are more serious abnormalities such as ruptured diaphragms.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

No, teat issues are caused by genetics, it is in the bloodlines of a goat who had bad teat structure.


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