Hermaphrodites and Polled goats

[Goat Whisperer]

Your in luck then Laterstarter because blue eyes are dominant...so get a homozygous blue eyed buck and you can have a entire herd of blue eyes.

Unless you have goats that break rules
I bred a blue eyed doe to a blue eyed buck. She had 4 living kids and only 2 had blue eyes. They "should" have been blue eyed.

On the other hand, we have a buck that has sired over 30 kids and all have been blue eyed, even when the buck was used over brown eyed does. His kids throw the blue eyes strongly as well.

 

[misfitmorgan]

I'm not sure I believe that it's the polled gene causing the hermaphrodites. I see quite a few hermaphrodites in other herds that have NO polled genetics gor several generations. Why were these kids hermaphrodites?

There are whole breeds of sheep that are polled.

I have to agree with OFA. I can't stand seeing all these flashy, blue eyed, moon spotted goats with absolutely horrendous udders

I really do like plain and simple. I see goats differently than others, I see the goat itself not the color.

I don't sell to people that are looking for color Don't get me wrong, it can be fun, but I think it takes away the natural beauty that dairy goats have.

With the mini's, they can still get to the PB status and have a terrible udder.

Personally we always breed towards improvement no matter what type, attitude, body weight, size, udder shape, capacity, height....generally a good sound goat with many years of providing for their owner. Which is a main reason why we are phasing out of current buck Ruger, his offspring is already gone....gorgeous buck but his attitude turned sour around 4yrs old. i think the best and right thing we can do for our goats is improve them....if you select for color of whatever or polled or not along with the process it is no different then breeding anything else. THe problem with mini's is anyone and everyone thought hey quick money! which is typical.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Unless you have goats that break rules
I bred a blue eyed doe to a blue eyed buck. She had 4 living kids and only 2 had blue eyes. They "should" have been blue eyed.

That's because both parents were heterozygous for blue eyes. They both had one blue eyed gene and one brown eyed gene. So 75% chance for blue eyes, 25% chance for brown.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Unless you have goats that break rules
I bred a blue eyed doe to a blue eyed buck. She had 4 living kids and only 2 had blue eyes. They "should" have been blue eyed.

On the other hand, we have a buck that has sired over 30 kids and all have been blue eyed, even when the buck was used over brown eyed does. His kids throw the blue eyes strongly as well.

Actually your goats are following the rules of genetics.

I would wager the blue eyed doe and buck in the first set are hetrozygous...so they can throw 75% blue 25% brown.....with the blue being 25% homozygous and 50% hetrozygous.

The other buck is a Homozygous blue...so 100% of his kids will be blue eyed no matter the does eye color. Those offspring from blue does will likely be homozygous blue as well and the ones from brown eyed does can be hetrozygous.....so yes they can make blue eyed babies too.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

For most genes, there are two sets of alleles, each coding for a particular trait. If a certain trait is dominant over the other trait, that is the trait expressed, even though they may carry the gene for the other trait. If the recessive trait is the expressed, brown eyes in goats for example, they do NOT carry the blue eyed gene. But, a goat with blue eyes can carry the brown eyed trait, and therefore pass it on to its offspring.

 

[misfitmorgan]

For most genes, there are two sets of alleles, each coding for a particular trait. If a certain trait is dominant over the other trait, that is the trait expressed, even though they may carry the gene for the other trait. If the recessive trait is the expressed, brown eyes in goats for example, they do NOT carry the blue eyed gene. But, a goat with blue eyes can carry the brown eyed trait, and therefore pass it on to its offspring.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Genetics are so interesting!

 

[babsbag]

I agree that it is fascinating. I know that a polled goat must have a polled parent, it can't skip a generation as the gene is dominant and will always be expressed if it is present. I have a friend that had two does freshen on the same day (Saanens, so they looked alike) and she was trying to figure out which kids belonged to which doe. Well she had it wrong... someone pointed out that the polled doeling had to belong to the polled doe; but the does thought otherwise.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

@Southern by choice, what do you think?

 

[Green Acres Farm]

I agree that it is fascinating. I know that a polled goat must have a polled parent, it can't skip a generation as the gene is dominant and will always be expressed if it is present. I have a friend that had two does freshen on the same day (Saanens, so they looked alike) and she was trying to figure out which kids belonged to which doe. Well she had it wrong... someone pointed out that the polled doeling had to belong to the polled doe; but the does thought otherwise.