# One of my ewes have 4 teats



## Codym907 (Dec 30, 2017)

I was feeling to see if my pregnant ewes might have bagged up yet and was noticing that my one icelandic ewe has 4 teats. Is this normal? The second pair doesn't seem very functional because they are smaller than the other ones.


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## Sheepshape (Dec 30, 2017)

I've noticed this on quite a lot of my ewes (maybe 30-40%). Never known them to be functional, though.


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## AimeeDx (Jan 2, 2018)

I had a ewe who had 4 teats, one pair smaller than the other, and both pairs worked well!


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## Sheepshape (Jan 2, 2018)

AimeeDx said:


> I had a ewe who had 4 teats, one pair smaller than the other, and both pairs worked well!


 VERY unusual......did her ewe offspring have the same?

It reminds me of those pictures of women with 4 breasts, or the folk with extra nipples. Let's not go there!


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## Childwanderer (Jan 9, 2018)

One of my ewes has four teats, two of which look like non-functional miniatures. I do not know whether the smaller pair give milk. I'm not bothered by it, and don't feel that it is a problem. Some googling revealed this article from a University of Illinois website about a breeding experiment performed by Alexander Graham Bell in selecting for extra teats in the hopes of increasing ewe fertility and lambs produced: http://livestocktrail.illinois.edu/sheepnet/paperDisplay.cfm?ContentID=6721


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## Childwanderer (Jan 9, 2018)

This study suggests that extra or 'supernumerary' teats don't effect milk production in dairy sheep, but that amputation of extra teats can reduce milk production: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24665954
https://www.semanticscholar.org/pap...ecia/cd22be7557b4c034ad85f61c61667dee939dc83d


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## Jennifer Hinkle (Feb 22, 2018)

I have Katahdin ewes that have 4 teats and they have had twins, only 1 pair of them seem to have been used.


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## secuono (Feb 22, 2018)

It happens, producers cull them usually .

My BFL×Cheviot has 4, 2 normal and 2 tiny. Also have a Babydoll with 4.

You can see them early on if you look close and carefully.


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## mrs.mystang89 (Jun 27, 2019)

@mystang89 here is a post about extra nipples


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## secuono (Jun 27, 2019)

Here's a wee little nub of a second nipple on a lamb, if anyone wants to know what to look out for. 



 
I believe that I have other pics I can share later, too.


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## mystang89 (Jun 27, 2019)

Those nipples make it very awkward milking by hand. Can't stand getting the milk all over my hands because the milk was expressed out the wrong nipple.


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## The Old Ram-Australia (Jun 27, 2019)

G'day, so does she have 4 quarters? It could be that the extra 2 are blind?..T.O.R.


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## mystang89 (Jun 27, 2019)

The Old Ram-Australia said:


> G'day, so does she have 4 quarters? It could be that the extra 2 are blind?..T.O.R.



Nope, only 2.  The nipple is right next to the main nipple.  Kinda like a dew claw or an extra finger, only difference being that there's milk that comes out.  I'll take a picture tomorrow when I'm out milking her so you can see what I'm talking about.


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