# Does my Nigerian Dwarf buckling have horns?



## StudMuffinNigis (Feb 10, 2011)

He was sold to me as polled. He is now 4 weeks and 3 days old. I did not notice these until this week. His sister is polled, father was polled mother horned. If so, is it to late to disbud? Thanks


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## julieq (Feb 10, 2011)

Those sure look like horn buds to me.  But hopefully someone who's used to dealing with polled goats will write in also.  No, it's not too late to disbud if you need to.


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## StudMuffinNigis (Feb 10, 2011)

The thing is nothing is coming through the skin. And I heard polled goats especially bucks still grow some buds/lumps buy they never come through the skin. And I would think for being 33 days old he would have horns by now I'd he wasn't polled that is why I am baffled. Thanks for the comment. More help please!


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## jodief100 (Feb 10, 2011)

It is difficult to tell from the photos.  I have one polled goat, she has little bald spots were horns would be but they are smooth.  Her baby is 2  1/2 weeks and no sign of either bald spots or horns.  Do the bald spots have "points"?  See if you can get a clearer picture.  

Usually if they have horns you can tell within a week or two.  How young was he when you bought him?  If they sold him to you only a few days old, they may been guessing he was polled based on his father being polled.

With goats, the polled gene is dominant.  There is a recessive trait carried on the polled gene for hermapherditism (sp?).  So a polled goat with two polled genes is sterile in females, reduced fertility in males.  Given that, a fertile polled goat is almost always heterozygous with one polled gene and one horned gene.  A male might be homozygous polled (two polled genes) and still be fertile but it is rare.  So assuming his father was heterozygous polled and mamma was horned, there is a 50-50 chance he is polled based on genetics alone.


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## StudMuffinNigis (Feb 10, 2011)

I knew that there was a 50% chance of him being polled. And for 3 weeks he had no swirly hair in those spots, just smooth and looked polled. Now he is getting a clear circular hair spot and these "pointed knobs" are about a 1/2inch. I did get him young and it was a guess that he was polled. I saw 2 week old Nigerian bucks who had obvious horns already. This guy is 4 1/2 weeks old now. I would hate to try an disbud if he was polled and these are just part of a bucks characteristics whem polled. Thanks for the help. I can try for a better picture.


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## helmstead (Feb 10, 2011)

'Em are horns.  Definitely NOT polled, and needs disbudded.


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## jodief100 (Feb 10, 2011)

If those are pointed, I agree with Helmsted.  I just couldn't tell from the photo if they were smooth or pointed.


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## StudMuffinNigis (Feb 10, 2011)

They are pointed! would you call him a late bloomer or normal? And are these longer than most wait to disbud or normal length? Thanks


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## chandasue (Feb 10, 2011)

Seems sort of late to me. The ND bucklings I've had were very easy to tell in under a week where the horn buds were.

Edit to clarify: late to discovering them, I'd disbud as soon as you can. ND buck horns are stubborn and you might want to do a search on here for the figure-8 burn video that's posted.


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## helmstead (Feb 10, 2011)

Oh he's FINE to be disbudded now...they'll still fit in the iron.  I've had a doe who didn't show her buds til she was a month old!  It happens.  Probably low testosterone.


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