# Question.



## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

There is a breeder that is selling a doeling (I won't say who) that has nice bloodlines and nice conformation, that comes out of a doe I particularly like, they are asking $200 for her. Now for the question, this doeling has a parrot mouth. They are saying that she may not be show quality but she would make a nice doe anyways, they recorded her as a grade in the herdbooks. Even with the lines and confomation, etc, would it be best to stay away from this doeling?


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

NO Don't do it. Parrot mouth will pass on to the babies, and she will have a hard time eating. Most big breeders that I know either put those down because of the quality of life is not always the best, or they give them away as pets. 
I would not pay one dime for her, no matter how nice she is.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I totally agree with Lori on this ...that may be a big head ache....


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

That's what I thought. Wasn't really planning on it. :wink: I have to say I'm quite disappointed that the breeder is selling her as breeder quality, it's a pretty big breeder. Poor little baby.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I know how you feel ....it is sad...  :hug:


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Yeah it's pretty sad Crissa, I'm really surprised they are selling her. Definitely stay away from her, parrot mouths aren't good at all.


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## Thanatos (Mar 16, 2009)

Can someone post a pic or a link for parrot mouth please. I have never heard of it.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

That is one thing I try to teach all my 4Hers when they are looking for new goats. LOOK at the mouth before you look at the rest. It is a lot easier to say no to a goat you have not fallen in love with first, then looked them over. :tears:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Jason....parrot mouth is another word for overbite...when the bottom jaw is behind the top palate, very noticeable and as mentioned does cause problems with eating, as does an underbite.


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## Thanatos (Mar 16, 2009)

ah ok so you want the teeth to rest against the gum on top with the gum nestled just behind right?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

You got it! :thumbup: 

With any thing other than a normal "goatmouth" you can really see a difference.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

You know, that is to ad they re selling her like that and for that price. It is a shame they do that and someone might buy her and not know what to look for, have her out on pasture and she will starve to death. :?


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

I have parrot mouth pictures!  

(if anyone wants to see)

LW


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Can someone post a pic or a link for parrot mouth please. I have never heard of it.


 yes lesserweevil.... Jason...was curious about what is looked like....please do....


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

ok here are pictures of my little girl Melody who had parrot mouth. What to do with her never became an issue as she passed at 3 weeks from an unrelated illness.




























LW


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Awww...how sad...I am so sorry you lost her ...she was adorable....  

It does show her parrot mouth...thank you for sharing....


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

Well TBH it is good that I lost her. Because I don't know how she would have coped when she was an adult, and whether I could've sold her. So she is probably happier now! 

LW


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Okay so I might be jumping in a bit late here but ...

My saanen doe Anna is undershot/parrot mouth. I will say right now it has never impeded her eating, grain, hay, pasture or browse.










She is pretty good structurally and has a well put together udder (although the quantity she is milking at the moment is disappointing but thats a different story) and very good bloodlines.

Parrot mouth is a cull/disqualifying fault in most breeds, including the saanen. So I was puzzled as to why the (well known) breeder still registered her. I bought her off another person so I didnt have the opportunity to question the breeder about that.

I came to the conclusion I would keep her and breed from her, believing that it would be easier to correct the bite on the kids than it would be to breed the same quality udder into the kids from other does with typical Australian udders (you all know how ugly they can get).

There are a few books around that claim that poor bites can be the result of nutrition and deficiencies. I always thought that was a bunch of crap. But tell you what, I've had Anna since January and now her bite is not as bad as it was when I got her! Honest, I swear, I had a hard time believing it too but it is ALMOST normal, not quite but certainly not the train wreck it was when I got her. Interestingly, I was drafting does for export yesterday, and I pulled a doe out from the wether feedlot - she was in there because at weaning time she was horribly overshot, well I checked to make sure she had milk teeth and her bite was dead set perfect.

SO - I will go against common opinion here and say if this doe is high quality (other than the mouth), good bloodlines, and cheaper than you could spend to get a doe of similar quality and pedigree with a good mouth, I would go for it and buy her. I figure you've got two chances - minerals might help it and correct it so the problem is gone. Or it might be a set fault, but really if you use a good mouthed buck you should be able to breed it out of the kids.


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