Baby question

[Freeholder]

I bought a pregnant doe last week. She's half Ober and half Boer. She kidded this morning, two nice, strong, vigorous does that are three-quarters Boer. They are really pretty babies. But, one of them has a parrot-mouth, or what would be called parrot-mouth in a horse. Undershot lower jaw. Anyway, I guess she'll go in the freezer -- I'm wondering if she'll be able to eat solid food all right, or if I'll have to butcher her straight off milk?

Okay, my main question is this. I had planned to sell both kids, as I don't want to breed Boers. I'm milking their mother, got her for a family milker that should have lower milkfat than my Kinder doe, so we'd have some milk my grandmother can drink (she drinks 2%). Now I'm wondering if I should just plan on putting both doe kids in the freezer, even though the one is perfect? If I sell her (the normal one), and the new owner breeds her, is there much chance her kids would be born with the parrot mouth? The parents of these kids are both normal, and there are two full brothers up in Washington somewhere in training to be packgoats, who are both normal. I've never had this problem before, and am just not sure what to do -- I don't want to sell a doe kid if she's going to pass her sister's defect on to her own kids.

Kathleen

[nappy]

Kathleen, I think you have an ethical dilemma with those kids. You have probably answered the question in your mind already. Years ago I naively bought a milking doe with a parrot mouth and was informed later that the defect is genetic. So breeding her and selling the kids would be promoting an undesirable trait. She died before I was faced with the decision of what to do with her kids. Since then I've been paranoid about a parrot mouth. I later bought a registered Alpine buckling that kind of looked like he had one but the light hairs on his lower lip of his dark face gave him that appearance. Thankfully I did not cull him as he is okay at 2 years old. I believe that the doeling should be able to eat unless the defect is extreme.

Nappy

[LuckyGRanch]

I would plan to sell her. Just fully disclose and let your buyer make the decision. I have Boers and I know Obers and Boers make a really nice cross. Personally...if you told me what you did here, I'd buy her and take the chance. I could always put her in the freezer if I needed to. Would I pay top dollar...no but, a reasonable discount.

With that in mind...I have no genetic knowledge of exactly how this is passed on so...it may be a foolhardy gamble on my part.

[susanne]

i have a doe with an undershot. she is one year old and it seems she has no problem with eating. i will breed her since the jaw is not that importend with milking (only little bit) but will definitely put every kid in the freezer when they are old or big enough.
susanne

[Freeholder]

Thanks for the replies. The doe with the parrot mouth is definitely going in the freezer. I was just wondering if her sister's kids would be all right -- I think I'll try to sell her, with full disclosure of course (I wouldn't do it any other way). They really are beautiful babies.

Actually, what I really want to do is trade the normal-mouthed doe kid for another kid, either another half Boer out of a really good doe, or a full dairy kid, buck or doe kid doesn't really matter. I guess I'll go ahead and try to do that.

Thanks again.

Kathleen