why do some kids have waddles and others not

Farmingit · #1 04/21/12, 08:31 AM

two of our new kids have waddles, while two others do not?. should the waddles be removed? is there any harm in keeping the waddles till adult goat? thanks

Ford Zoo · #2 04/21/12, 08:49 AM

The wattles are just a genetic trait. I personally love them, but I read that some people remove them for shows in certain breeds. They are harmless, but sometimes develop cysts at the bases. These are only unsightly at most and generally don't cause any problem either.

mrs whodunit · #3 04/21/12, 09:07 AM

Hmm You could have a one waddled goat. LOL Talk about looking lopsided LOL

whiskeylivewire · #4 04/21/12, 09:34 AM

I have 2 with wattles and luckily they aren't in weird places...they just hang from their neck back by their chin. Both kids that my sire(who has wattles) threw this year had wattles. I do not remove them; I think they're adorable

CJBegins · #5 04/21/12, 09:42 AM

why do some kids have waddles and others not - Goats

This little doe has one at the base of her right ear and one on her left neck. It's a little strange but I left it alone.

**mygoat** · #6 04/21/12, 09:44 AM

I think most people remove them for show because it's harder to clip an animal with waddles. I personally leave 'em alone. I'd probably remove them IF I had an oddball placement... So far they've been in the right spot, though I have had a kid every year that has a normal wattle on one side, and a smaller than normal one on the other side.

thaiblue12 · #7 04/21/12, 11:01 AM

What do you mean keep them till they are adults? I would not remove them then, it may bleed badly and leave large ugly scars.

I have wattles in my herd, I personally dislike them. I never cut them off risking infection, scars or what not on newborns. I just deal with it.
I know lots of people on here and in person who love them. I have had a few people buy a certain goat since they had wattles passing up a kid without.

CaliannG · #8 04/21/12, 03:48 PM

My DH thinks wattles are cute. Me, not so much. However, the common nickname for them is "goat jewelry".

Wattles are kind of like color traits in half the breeds. Saanens, Oberhaslis, and Toggs, you know what color the kids are going to be. But with Nubians, Lamanchas, Alpines, NDs and Sables, even if you breed two like-colored goats together, the kids could come out with any color.

Wattles are like that....you never know where they might show up.

Alice In TX/MO · #9 04/21/12, 07:40 PM

I love wattles! Somewhere I saw a pic of a goat with them actually on the underside of the goat's ears.

JBarGFarmKeeper · #10 04/21/12, 07:55 PM

I am having wattle envy...I have a lot of goats and have NEVER had a wattle!!

Donna1982 · #11 04/21/12, 08:21 PM

I love wattles!!! Monkey has them and I actually was disappointed when Boo was born and didn't have them.

saanengirl · #12 04/22/12, 06:54 AM

Wattles are a dominant genetic characteristic, no wattles is recessive. No wattles bred to no wattles will always produce no wattles. Wattles bred to wattles or wattles bred to no wattles will produce wattles at least part of the time. Whether or not it produces wattles all the time depends on whether the wattled parent is homozygous or heterozygous for wattles. Most wattled goats are heterozygous, so can produce both wattled and non-wattled offspring.