How to determine the age of a goat by teeth, horns and appearance and wrong methods

When buying a goat, a novice farmer often has doubts and anxiety. A person can be understood, because the productive period in the life of an animal comes to an end after 8 years of life. Knowing how to determine the exact age of a goat will help avoid disappointment. In order to make a choice, an experienced livestock breeder carefully examines the teeth and evaluates the appearance of the horned beauty.

Determination of age by the condition of the teeth

According to the condition of the incisors of the horned beauty, one can draw up the most accurate picture of the age and productivity of the animal.

The passage of time is inexorable, and biological processes are reflected, first of all, on the skeletal system and teeth of the pet.

1. As befits babies, the kid is born defenseless and toothless. When palpating the gums in the baby's mouth, rudiments are guessed - the tubercles of the future incisors. The first teeth, called hooks, appear by the end of the first week. After another 5-6 days, the baby has internal and external teeth - incisors.
2. By the end of the first month of life, the kid's jaw acquires new teeth - edges. At this stage, all the milk incisors line up in a slender row.
3. Within 90 days from the moment of birth, the pet is actively forming teeth. As a result of the continuous work of the body, the edges take on their final form.
4. The onset of 4 months of age is associated with the appearance of a new type of teeth - molars. At this stage, the rate of development of molars in the lower jaw is slightly ahead of the upper part.
5. 5-9 months. This is a difficult period for determining the age of the kid. At this point, the condition of the incisors depends entirely on the diet of the animals. Depending on the type of food, animals wear their teeth at different rates. Delicate, soft food does not require effort to chew, while the animal has to grind rough food thoroughly. Careless owners often have a pet with completely worn incisors.
6. Guessing the age of a 9 month old pet is much easier. It is by this moment that the pet has a second row of posterior teeth - molars.
7. The next significant milestone in the development of the pet is the period from 1.3 to 1.4 years. During this period, there is an active replacement of milk hooks with permanent molars.
8. By 18 months, the main formation of the dentition ends. The pet has a clearly visible third posterior molars. A pair of permanent incisors are clearly visible in front.

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Description and features of the goat and sheep and the difference between these animals

An adult has 32 young, healthy teeth. 8 of them remain dairy, and 24 are indigenous. Milk incisors are easily distinguished by their white coloration. The shade of molars is yellowish, sometimes creamy.

In the future, the approximate age of the animal is calculated from the location and appearance of the teeth. It is not difficult for an experienced farmer to get a picture of the daily diet and health of an animal.

Changes in the condition of the teeth occur throughout the life of the animal. By the age of 2 years, the pet has a new pair of lateral incisors.

1. By the age of 3, the pet boasts 6 permanent teeth. Up to 4 years old, lost milk teeth are replaced with permanent ones.
2. At 4 years of age, the front teeth, located in the lower part of the jaw, are large, wide, without signs of decay and disease. The edges reach the same level as the incisors. The dentition is closed. Literally after 6 months, the teeth wear out, and the tops of the middle incisors look out of the gum
3. In a 5-year-old animal, the outlines of the incisors are rounded. This effect is achieved due to the pronounced wear of the teeth. Gaps are already visible between the incisors. The degree of abrasion depends largely on the diet of the animal. If the pet is given mainly coarse food (coarse hay, hard branches), teeth deteriorate very quickly. The introduction of crushed grain and soft hay into the goat's diet helps to prevent trouble.
4. After 6-7 years, the teeth take on a tubular shape. They seem to "spread" to the sides.
5. 8-9 years is a critical age for a pet's dental health. They become brittle and literally crumble when you chew food. It is difficult for an animal to grind regular food. Age-related changes have a deplorable effect on milk yield and milk quality.

If the breeding animal is of value to the farmer, the animal is transferred to a special feed. The sparing diet includes chopped compound feed, chopped hay or steamed grass pellets.

It should be noted that in rare cases there are only ones who have preserved their teeth until the end of their lives. The quality of feed, water and climatic conditions affect the pet's condition.

How to determine the age of a goat by the horns

Swindlers love to tell a story about the unmistakable determination of the age of an animal by the ring patterns that adorn its horns. If you believe the "experts", the number of rings can be judged on the number of years and lambing lived. Of course, this statement has nothing to do with reality. A goat is not a tree, and cannot boast of annual rings on its horns, so it is unlikely that with the help of a pattern it will be possible to find out all the ins and outs about the pet. However, there is one small nuance here. If large growths are clearly visible on the horns of the animal, most likely the goat has reached a respectable age. In addition, in a one-year-old animal, the horns have an even shape and are fervently directed upwards. In an elderly individual, the horns bend back.

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Where to start if you decide to have a goat for milk and maintenance rules

Outwardly

When buying a goat, you should pay attention to the condition of the animal's coat. The owner of shiny, silky vegetation is most likely young and healthy. This is not what the old specimen looks like. After the animals reach 8-9 years old, the coat becomes dull and thin. However, this method cannot be called reliable. The quality of a pet's coat largely depends on the conditions of detention and a quality diet.

The physique features also indicate the age of the pet.

1. The young hooves are still soft. Adult animals often suffer from deformities of the hoof horn.
2. The body of an old animal is bony. The protruding spine, protruding beads, thickened joints on the limbs leave no doubt about the venerable age of the goat.
3. In nulliparous pullets, the udder appears only towards the end of pregnancy. A few weeks before delivery, the udder begins to swell.After the first lambing, the udder of the goat is small, round, without pigmentation. The nipples are small.
4. Adult goats have saggy, large udders.
5. The outlines of the body of a young individual are square, while the body of a mature animal resembles a rectangle.
6. The small head of a young goat is somewhat small in comparison with the size of the body.
7. In young animals, it is difficult to determine the breed characteristics. This is due to the peculiarities of the development of animals. The appearance of the pet is finally formed only by the age of 4.

You can distinguish young animals from older individuals by observing the behavior of pets in the herd. The young generation of goats spends time in games with their peers, actively runs and jumps. Adult animals are not prone to such agility, they graze measuredly in the place designated for them.

Wrong methods

Often people try to determine age by having a beard. This is a mistake, not only an adult goat can have a beard, but also a young individual. It is also impossible to know the exact age of a goat from the size of the udder.