Question about the "polled" Gene

[Jaime]

I had bought a Registered Nigerian dwarf doe last winter, and recently I've started to do some looking around in her lineage and found out that both of her parents were polled, but on her papers she is dis-budded.
So my question is is it possible to breed a polled goat to another polled goat and get a horned kid from the two? She has a little scur that barely pokes out more than a half an inch but could she still possibly be polled despite the scur?
Here are some pictures of her as a kid and of her now.

I should also add that i bought her with her single kid who definitely had horns.

 

[farmerjan]

I don't know about goats, but in cattle, if both parents are polled, but not listed as HOMOZYGOUS POLLED then they CAN carry a recessive for horns. In cattle, polled bred to horns will MOSTLY always result in polled off spring the first generation. Sometimes it doesn't work in the breeds of the longhorn/corriente/watusi/brahma ...... But for the most part you will see polled offspring. Remember that they will then carry 1 polled and 1 horn gene. Continuing to breed polled will result in less and less chance of a horned animal.... but there is that recessive that will turn up every once in awhile.
So, if there are some horned genes in the background, don't be surprised to find an occasional horned or scurred animal.

Maybe goats are different?????

 

[D and L Meadows]

If both parents had only one polled gene, then yes, 25% chance they will be horned. If one was pure polled, so both genes polled, than all kids will be polled. A pure polled buck is nice to have, but I don’t like taking the risk with breeding polled to polled.

 

[SaanenMom]

Yes, you can get horned from a polled x polled breeding. So far, there is NOT a test to determine the polled gene. It also appears that homozygous polled, while a possibility, does not happen as eventually polled bucks and does end up with a horned kid. The numbers needed to prove homozygous in animals requires quite a few offspring. A heavily used buck could get the numbers needed but really not possible for a doe....even for NDs that have litters.

Now, as to being an intersex/hermaphrodite....it appears that there is a gene for intersex, the PIS (can't remember what it stands for....haven't had my coffee yet this morning), that is close to the polled gene and it transfers when the kids are fetuses. I believe that it's being studied but not absolutely sure. There is a polled group on FB and the info has appeared there. Being that I drive long haul to support my goats, I haven't read the reports.

Laura