Supernumerary Teats
Remove them?
A topic on the veterinary boards lately has been the ethical or
unethical nature of removing extra teats on dairy does. Here are some of the
thoughts
Extra teats are clearly
separate and distinct from the main teats. These teats are usually located
behind the main teat and are much smaller. When they are seen in bucks they
are usually in front of the scrotum.
Extra teats are considered a
serious defect in the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA)
rulebook. A doe with
an extra teat will be placed lower in the show ring. Removing extra teats on dairy
calves is still a routine procedure. To disqualify a heifer because of
extra teats is not justified economically or for maintaining
breeding soundness. The possibility of discontinuing bull
lines that transmit this trait is not an issue. Goats are
another matter; the dairy goat people have taken more after dog
breeders when it comes to rules for extra teats. Many would argue that in
commercial goat dairy situations it is also NOT economically
justified to cull a weaned kid that has an extra teat. If a
commercial dairy can actually wean a healthy live kid that is
acclimatized to a large herd situation are we going to recommend
culling it for something as trivial as an extra teat? Of course
this would be a grade-unregistered animal at
a commercial dairy that would not be contributing to the gene
pool of ADGA registered stock. Others argue that removing extra
teats may allow a future owner to use the goat towards American
status kids and the genes could enter the ADGA herd books that
way. Thus, to be
absolutely sure that this defect doesn't genetically enter
registered stock's gene pool eating or euthanizing it yourself is
only absolute answer.
Very often these extra teats do
not interfere with milking but they can. These teats can be removed easily
while the kid is young. When we remove these teats we
have to be sure to remove them in a front to back direction (not
side to side) so that the scar blends with the normal folds of the
udder. One risks
taking off the wrong teat when removing supernumerary teats in
young stock. Some does have had blind halves when they
freshened because someone removed the wrong teat.
.
