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03/11/11, 09:55 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,486
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Polled or Horned?
My polled Alpine doe kidded with twin does today.....how do I tell if they are polled or not? Would hate to disbud if I don't have to.
There were three kids total.....one dead buckling and the girls. I compared the tops of all their heads....all three have one single hair swirl in the center of their heads. Didn't really know exactly what I was looking for, but was hoping at least one would look different so I could compare them, but with all identical, doesn't help much, lol
Felt the heads as well, couldn't feel any bumps, but perhaps a few hours old is a bit too early to feel anything. 
Is there any way to tell if they are polled without waiting for horns to start coming up?
Will take pictures of their heads in the morning and add them to this post.
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03/11/11, 10:01 PM
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Farm lovin wife
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,236
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If they have little swirls or cowlicks on top of their heads, they're horned. (the fur will create a little swirl where the new horn will grow in) No cowlicks and the hair lays down flat, then they're polled. There's another thread on this topic with pictures of both kinds. It's a very distinct difference that once you see it and recognize it, you'll be able to tell.
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"Be still sad heart, and cease repining. Behind the clouds, the sun is shining. Thy fate is the common fate of all. Into each life, a little rain must fall." -Longfellow
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03/11/11, 10:05 PM
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Farm lovin wife
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,236
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Here's the link to the other thread with pictures. 
Polled or not?
__________________
"Be still sad heart, and cease repining. Behind the clouds, the sun is shining. Thy fate is the common fate of all. Into each life, a little rain must fall." -Longfellow
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03/11/11, 10:13 PM
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The cream separator guy
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Southern MO
Posts: 3,919
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 6e
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Is that a sure-fire method? I would wait and see if any buds formed...
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I'm an environmentalist, left wing, Ron Paul loving Prius driver with a farm. If you have a problem with that, kindly go take a leap.
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03/11/11, 10:32 PM
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Farm lovin wife
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,236
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Yep. It "seems" to be a sure fire method. Can't tell you why though. For some reason, I guess horns make for cowlicks. LOL If by some chance, one that you thought was polled starts to grow horns, it can always be disbudded later on.
__________________
"Be still sad heart, and cease repining. Behind the clouds, the sun is shining. Thy fate is the common fate of all. Into each life, a little rain must fall." -Longfellow
Last edited by 6e; 03/11/11 at 10:39 PM.
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03/12/11, 11:26 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,486
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Okay here are their heads, dry because mom finally stopped licking their heads ..
Fuzzy girl I think is horned.... I feel the slightest points under the skin and there are swirls on both sides:
The sleek girl though has me confused.... I feel bumps under the skin, but they are much wider than the other doe and rounded... like a squished marble instead of points...
The pictures aren't the best and the swirl of colors confuses things further....Guess well just wait and see.....think I may shave their heads later today to get a better look...
At this point I'm just pleased as can be that I have twin does... if one is polled, fabulous...if not, not biggey... I need to learn how to disbud anyways, lol
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03/12/11, 11:28 AM
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Farm lovin wife
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,236
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I would say your bet is right. Can't tell for sure as the pictures are kind of fuzzy, but it looks like the first is horned and the second is polled. Is one of the parents polled?
__________________
"Be still sad heart, and cease repining. Behind the clouds, the sun is shining. Thy fate is the common fate of all. Into each life, a little rain must fall." -Longfellow
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03/12/11, 11:31 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,486
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Okay here are their heads, dry because mom finally stopped licking their heads ..
Fuzzy girl I think is horned.... I feel the slightest points under the skin and there are swirls on both sides:
The sleek girl though has me confused.... I feel bumps under the skin, but they are much wider than the other doe and rounded... like a squished marble instead of points...
The pictures aren't the best and the swirl of colors confuses things further....Guess well just wait and see.....think I may shave their heads later today to get a better look...
At this point I'm just pleased as can be that I have twin does... if one is polled, fabulous...if not, not biggey... I need to learn how to disbud anyways, lol
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03/12/11, 11:52 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 6,143
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Tally's boy's head looked like this when he was born but he most definitely was going to be horned. He got disbudded yesterday.
I was kind of surpised to see the single flat swirl instead of the two smaller cowlicks.
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03/12/11, 12:25 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,486
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Yes, the mother is polled. I was told shes "giraffe" polled because she has the nubbins instead of just a flat head. Mother's dam and two sisters are also polled...
I'm pretty sure fuzzy girl is definately horned.......
The other I'll just wait and see......probably going to disbud fuzzy tomorrow or monday if I can get a helper and wait just a few extra days on the other girl...
Tootsie's babies had huge, without a doubt swirls, and their center swirl was barely noticeable at all....which is what made me think these could be polled at first because their heads look so different than my previous babies...
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03/12/11, 01:35 PM
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Farm lovin wife
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,236
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It doesn't hurt to just wait and see. Also on polled goats, the skin will move freely over the skull whereas horned goats, the skin is "fixed" over the top of the horn buds. That method doesn't work very well for me though. I prefer swirls vs. no swirls.
Oat Bucket...I have never seen a horned goat that doesn't have swirls over the horn buds.
__________________
"Be still sad heart, and cease repining. Behind the clouds, the sun is shining. Thy fate is the common fate of all. Into each life, a little rain must fall." -Longfellow
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03/12/11, 02:03 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 6,143
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I hadn't either until Tally's boy. But he most definitely had horn buds that needed taken care of.
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