'Clean' Teat Formation is Attainable
By Ann Marie Hauck, The RAM H Breeders Ltd, Alberta, CANADA

     As long as any breed standards allow for any form of split teat formation in Boer goats, there will always be a problem with teat formation. Breeders must bend over and look, see what is really there, and breed or cull their stock accordingly.
      In 1994, we started selecting for single, clean teat udder formation. In the breeding program, we selected sires with strong conformation, good feet and bite, powerful muscling, good spring of rib and a clean one-and-one teat formation. Finding clean one-and-one teats in 1994 was much more of a challenge then than it is now. That was a breed standard we set for our own herd. We are not by any stretch suggesting that this must be a breed standard, but the breed standard should discriminate against any form of split or cluster teat.
      Most North American breed standards state the following (or something very similar):
      " A doe should have a well-developed udder which is firmly attached. Boer goats were developed to produce multiple kids. For this reason, South African producers selectively bred them to have more than two teats that other goats have in order to feed triplets and quadruplets. One or two functional teats on each side are acceptable. A split teat is acceptable if it is not joined for more than 50% of its length. In all cases, the final judgement should be made according to whether the kid can successfully take milk from the teat."
      The defects vary from association to association, but lets take a look at this breed standard. All goats, whether dairy, fiber, pack or pet produce multiple kids. It is what goats do, the norm is to produce twins but triplets and quadruplets are also common. Look at any breed description for goats or any specific breed of goats; this is not something new. Split, fish, calbash and cluster teats are primarily generic to Boer goats. Many dairy goats will also produce triplets and quadruplets and will successfully raise those kids with two teats. The issue is not the number of teats on the udder; the issue is how much milk is in the udder. Look at any other species (mammal) and these types of teat formation are not seen nor accepted.
      The South Africans may only require functional teats, but that does not mean that we can't raise the standard. There has been some suggestion that it will take 35 to 50 years to consistently get only two teats on Boer goats. I would strongly disagree.
      We have been selectively breeding for a one-and-one clean formation since 1994, primarily through sire selection. All herd sires used have only had a one-and-one clean teat formation, as well as displaying strong conformation, muscling, correct bite, etc. The teat formation is an addition to basic selection criteria. Each year we have continued to bring in new genetic material. The majority of the kids produced that have malformed teats are the produce   of the new genetic import.

      The numbers show that through selective breeding and using production data, that clean udder formations are obtainable. This may not be 100 percent but it will definitely be the majority as we continue to selectively mate the Boers. Our experience has shown the teat formation of sires tends to be dominant.
      I am not suggesting that all Boers having split teats or other teat malformations be slaughtered or culled from stud breeding programs, but we do need to recognize that this is a congenital fault and we need to have selective breeding to eliminate the fault.
      There are a number of great does one can purchase that may not have perfect teat structure but present numerous other positive characteristics. Buyers should not necessarily discriminate against these does. With careful selection of sires in the breeding program, some wonderful progeny may result.
      This is where herd records become so vital. Given the following (exert from Message From the CEO, by Jim MnMorries, Boer Breeder, Fall 2000)
      " I do not want to get on a soapbox, but we have a problem with teat alterations. The judges tell me that at every show they find many of the goats with scars and one judge said he found stitches still in the goat from teat removal. This is wrong and we must get a handle on this problem."
      Buyers need to be very careful about who they are purchasing stock from. Is the owner of the animal a credible breeder? Does he/she have integrity and herd production data records or a good vet with surgical skills?
      In the long run, the breeder exercising corrective surgery is only fooling himself: unfortunately the industry will also be scarred. Perhaps this is an issue the various associations need to consider and take some serious action to prevent, or at the very least, severely penalize.
      Split teats are a problem. There is not an easy fix (corrective surgery), but there is a solution to the problem and that is to incorporate selective matings for animals existing in your herd today.
     When purchasing stock, only purchase from buyers who can show you some historical production records and, finally, put some pressure on the associations to toughen breed standards for the show ring. Often, if a breed characteristic (fault) is eliminated in the show ring, in time, it will disappear altogether.

E-mail am@ramhbreeders.com
 

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