# tight to head straight back horns?



## robbor (Sep 29, 2012)

Im just wondering her about goat horns. My lil runt boer doe (8 mo) has really tight to her head and down straight back horns. Do they normally turn i lil as they grow? I know all kind of horned animals can have formation problems that are not good.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I'm not positive here but I do think that most Boers do have horns that grow back then out...I have Nigerians/pygmys and their horns are varied from growing straight up to growing at a curve back.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

My guess is that her horns are too close to her head and she has a formation issue/problem with her horns, being that she is a doe it probably wont matter, but this would be a big problem with a buck. Eventually the horns would thicken and grow into the back of the neck. The should not look like they are growing straight down her neck.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

As she grows those horns will start to curve.


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## kiddoe (Oct 8, 2012)

Can you post a picture? I'd like to see what she looks like!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

As long as her horns, do not grow into her skin, she will be OK. A pic would help though.


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## robbor (Sep 29, 2012)

*horns*

took pics, ill post in a day or to. working really hard. The horns arent a huge concern at this point. see ya in a few.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

We will wait.


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## robbor (Sep 29, 2012)




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## robbor (Sep 29, 2012)

Im learning more day by day, espically not what to buy, lol. Ive seen some mention of teat structure and was looking last night online and noticed today just at a glance "BB" (baby boer and she is 8 mo) here has a split teat or one functional teat. time to get them up on a table n give them a good check. We have been looking for another goat or 2 and have been looking at local goats for sale and so far none have been impressive at all. We have one online friend to check out his herd who has supposedly been schooled on buying quality goats. I cant wait to check his does out and hone more what to look for. This goat was supposed to be fullblood, non reg, only thing i didnt like was her size and didnt find out her age till i got home and found out she was the oldest. Im hoping that once bred to nice big fullblood buck her kids will be a lil better, but not expecting much, she my learning curve, lol.


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## fd123 (May 29, 2012)

Shes a nice looking little doe from what i can tell.. Good Luck finding alot of Boers with a clean teat structure..Messed up teats seems to be VERY COMMON with Boers from what ive seen around here! Her horns should begin to curve kinda up and out soon...I just had to look at her age again after seeing such tiny horns..I guess them being so small at her age is because shes a runt..??... at 8 months all of my Boers horns were 3 to 4x's that size.. Do you have good minerals for her free choice?


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## robbor (Sep 29, 2012)

Ya i have minerals out since day 1, but my 2 does dont eat them well. i had a third that just was killed that ate minerals very well. . This lil doe never ate any food well from day 1, and was infested with lice. I tried to contact the breeder about her after her eating did not improve after the first month but they refused to reply at all. I was really green when i bought my goats and asked that the breeder help me choose the best quality fullblood non reg boers out of their herd for my first goats. The 3rd goat that was killed was probably 1/2 spanish, lol. Thanks KD goat farm! I just bought different minerals, and they are getting B shots and worming this week when i get a chance. Ive also been looking for a famacha class but it look like im going to have to wait till mid next year to get first avail. She is still my favorite, i like the underdog. But no more, next goats r going to be high quality breeders at any price to build my herd. And i have to get me a guard dog.


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## fd123 (May 29, 2012)

I have a little doe kid that i got from a lady a while back that was in a fenced wooded area with No grain, feed, minerals....Nothing but forage...When i got her she was full of parasites also.. I try and feed my goats the best feed, and minerals available. This 1 doe has had crusty horns since day 1.. She looks super healthy and shiny now since getting everything needed ..but her horns still look sorta lacking... I made a thread on here a while back about her because she had broken both of her horns at the points. The way her horn condition was explained to me was..>> Being when i 1st got her she was in such bad shape, and deprived the proper minerals, and care needed for a kid to thrive . Now that everything is furnished that is needed to be a healthy goat , her body was taking everything internally needed That had been lacking, and any excess would eventually go to her horns.. This is VERY true!! She is now a very healthy girl (body wise), and about the first 2 inches of her horns coming from her skull looks PERFECT and smooth as they should in a healthy goat. I have no doubt as time goes by that she will eventually have some beautiful head gear!


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

Although, your doe will never catch up, and her horns will remain looking stunted, Genetically, she still could produce nice kids. WE purchased a runt doe summer 2011, she will be 2, this feb. 2013 and expecting her first kids. She is still very small compared to the others that are her same age, and her horns still look awful. With a pedigree full of ennoblements we decided to take a gambale and see what the offspring will be like. Sadly, she looks to only be carrying a single. But maybe that will be a good thing her first year, since she is still not very big, Maybe a little under 100 lbs. She was in horrible shape when we got her, skin and bones, pot bellied, fuzzy(so we nicknamed her fuzzball), the one thing she had going for her is she is a fighter and always hungry. I am disappointed that she didn't get any bigger. She had bone growths on her ribs, vet things from being so malnourished, She was not ill, or with lice, but just starving. That part is another story. 
but anyway, her horns are terrible. but we are hoping for great things from her offspring. 
here she is


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh wow, they are starting to curve really in, worse than I thought. Her horn size looks to be of a 3 or 4 month old? But you say she is 8 months?

The horns may eventually grow into her skin the way it looks, I would maybe, if her horns are still semi soft ,maybe put a little PVC pipe under her horns back there and duct tape it, so, it might retrain her horns to come up a bit. I don't know, if it is to late for that or not though. Another thing to consider is getting her horns removed by a knowledgeable goat vet. I do see a future issue there, if they continue to grow that way. As I mentioned ,she looks younger in the horns, than 8 months?

Be careful with getting them at the sale, you are getting someone else s problem. I recommend, finding a local breeder and try to get goats from there instead. I know the cheaper they are, the more issues, such as teats ect, may be flawed. If you want to breed the bad teat out of her, you will have to have a clean teated buck, but, that isn't a guarantee ,you might get more throwbacks or you may get some that are clean. You never know. Especially not knowing the background of all the bloodlines and teat structures within them. 

Attached is a teat chart ABGA, which does your doe have ?


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

I was surprised at her horn set as well, the way they are growing, there should be promise of curving out by now.


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## robbor (Sep 29, 2012)

Ya to bad they are not like ram horns, if the curled and were that tight i could rename her "princess leia", lol. im going to look into cl/cea tests and when i get my next 2 goats ill have a vet come out and look at her. id like to find something else to mix with their minerals to get epically her to get on them good. im not going to worry to much now, it is what it is. I was just wondering bc she has the tightes horns ive seen and ive seen wild animals have their horns grow into their body or really close.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

She does have the tightest horn set I have ever seen. I do suspect long term she will have problems.


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