# Polled or not?



## smwon (Aug 3, 2008)

My ND doe had quads Feb 18th. That means they are 2 1/2 weeks old. The boys I am sure are not polled. but I am really unsure about the other two girls.

I shaved their heads today in preparation for disbudding. But these guys are so different than I have ever had before. Usually by now the kids are overdue to be disbudded.

White boy









White girl









Brown girl









Brown boy









The pictures are not real clear, but can you give any advice? Both the boys buds are pointed, but both the girls are buttons... as a matter of fact the brown girls are almost non-existent.


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Sorry I can't help but I would think that by 2 1/2 weeks there should be some evidence of horns. Apparently the skin on the horn buds will not move around if horned and it will if polled. Hope they are polled and you don't have to disbud.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I just had my then 8 day old doeling disbudded last week...Her brother is definately polled due to the fact that his head is as smooth as a tennis ball and he barely has brow bumps, the doeling had bumps develop that were definately bigger than her brothers and they were a bit pointy. The 10 day old pygmy/nigi buckling had pointy bumps as well. I questioned the doeling because she did have polled parents and both her littermate brothers were polled, she unfortunately wasn't.

With their heads shaved its hard for me to tell, but since they are shaved and I can't see how the hair grew on their heads, all I can suggest is to wait a bit on the doelings, even though boys grow faster than girls, each doeling I've had here that has kept her horns have nice little points through the skin by the time they are 2-3 weeks old...bucklings are through by 2 weeks.


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## smwon (Aug 3, 2008)

I think I may have some pictures of them unshaved... let me go look.


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## smwon (Aug 3, 2008)

Brown girl









Brown boy









White girl









White boy (definitely horned!)


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

all look horned to me


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

Hmmmm well my polled doe has the swirls but shes 2 months old and definently polled. I guess you can just keep waiting and see if the buds grow at all.


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## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

Ok-I just had a kidding with trips-the sire was polled. None however are polled-all have horns...I hope-we just disbudded today-they were slow growing. BUT-don't some polled goats have humps where the horns would be? When do those develop? Wouldn't that be a bit confusing-especially when you have babies whose horns are growing slowly? I know you just have to wait and see-but the previous poster said something about the skin moving about on the scalp if they are polled. That seems logical...but is it reliable?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

The little buck I have now is 2 weeks old, definately polled going by his "poll hair pattern" and just recently started growing bumps...these bumps are round, not pointed and the skin moves over them freely...If I can. I'll get a pic of his head tomorrow and post it.


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## smwon (Aug 3, 2008)

Pictures would be great!


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

I agree, pictures would be nice. )


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

At 2 1/2 weeks they should definately have some sort of growth there. I'm going to go with polled. You'll just have to keep checking every few days and wait to see a hard little nub starts coming up.


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## kitten6500 (Dec 31, 2010)

I would only do the babies that you know have horns, and wait on the other ones. I think the polled goats can have a deer face, but I've found I really can't tell by looking, only by feeling their heads...


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## Haviris (Oct 7, 2007)

I've have a few fool me and not get buds til 3+ weeks. So I'd just keep checking, I'm assuming one parent is polled?


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## smwon (Aug 3, 2008)

Actually, the buck had horns, but the doe was disbudded. So if any really are polled, and I do believe the white girls is, then my doe must have been disbudded unknowingly being polled. From what I understand that is quite common.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I have had a very full last couple days.. I will get pics of my polled boys head soon...sorry about the delay.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Liz were you ever able to get pics? I had all of my kids disbudded at the vet last week. He commented on one possibly being polled but disbudded anyway. I felt nubs there and assumed this meant horns were on their way. Now after reading this ...


> if she develops bumps that are pointy then I'd say she's not polled...horn buds are pointy, even in your older kids....if they are round and not bony and the skin moves freely over the bumps then I wouldn't do the burn.


I wonder? were they buttonlike? did I goof?


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

polled bumps have hair on them -- another reason why I wait a coupel weeks to burn. Horns will not have hair on the tips.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Have you had any issue with scurs from waiting to disbud? My vet urged me to get them done right away so as to not get scurs.
Eventually I will end up disbudding myself but I want to watch someone do it first. :wink:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

not if you do it right -- you need to burn to the white.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

After he did mine they had a copper color ring and in the middle of most alittle nub still there that he said would fall off. He seams to be a good vet and does a lot of livestock hopefully they turn out good.


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## smwon (Aug 3, 2008)

Mine all turned out horned. The one that I thought was polled I actually just had to re-burn her horns. Their horns grew very slowly. But it was pretty obvious after a while that the horns were growing.


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## kitten6500 (Dec 31, 2010)

Did the slow growing horns just eventually come through the skin so you knew they weren't polled? I have a polled doe so I'm trying to learn what I can!


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## myfainters (Oct 30, 2009)

For future reference..the easiest way to tell a horned kid vs. a polled kid is by rubbing your hand over where the horn bud will be...you can do this as soon as they are born. If the skin over the horn bud area moves...the kid is polled...if it won't move...the kid is horned. Hope that helps.


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## kitten6500 (Dec 31, 2010)

Thanks!! That's a great tip! :hi5:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

smwon said:


> Mine all turned out horned. The one that I thought was polled I actually just had to re-burn her horns. Their horns grew very slowly. But it was pretty obvious after a while that the horns were growing.


yup thats what I thought - none of them looked polled to me.


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## smwon (Aug 3, 2008)

kitten6500 said:


> Did the slow growing horns just eventually come through the skin so you knew they weren't polled? I have a polled doe so I'm trying to learn what I can!


Yes, they did. Well, sorta anyways. The one I thought was polled, hers just kept growing and had a small horn shape and appeared to be trying to come through. I still wasn't convinced it was going to grow much. I couldn't tell the second time I disbudded her because the horn was healing and growing. One side had a definite pointed horn shape. The other side wasn't doing much. And because they have been purchased, I could not take the chance of them being horned when they went to their new home (they did/do not want horned goats!), so I just went ahead and disbudded again to be safe. It would have been nice to know for sure though.


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