Polled Goats

Special thanks to B. Roberts of Fainting Goat Heaven for much of the information below.

Goats may be found with and without horns. Breeders may choose to breed solely with horned goats, polled goats, or a mix of horned and polled goats (as pictured here). If a breeder chooses to breed only polled goats there are some factors that must be taken into consideration to avoid intersexed, “hermaphrodite”, offspring. The information contained within this page should briefly explain the basics that need to be addressed when breeding polled to polled goats. The factor which controls hornlessness is inherited as a Mendelian dominant and if the gene is present the goat will be polled, if the gene isn’t present the goat will be horned. Surprisingly hornlessness is closely linked to a factor that modifies fertility. In the homozygous form the female goat may be pseudo-female, pseudo-male, or a pseudo-hermaphrodite; they are of course infertile. A homozygous polled female may look female on the outside but may be missing internal reproductive organs to be a true female, have reproductive organs of both male and female, along with a host of other genetic mishaps right down to having externally visible organs of both male and female. Homozygous polled males may have smaller than normal testicles and reduced fertility. It’s also been said that a homozygous male will have a smooth head verses the two protruding bumps which can be felt on the top of the heads of polled goats, bumps located at the top of the head where normal horns grow from. Polled doe kid from a polled doe and horned buck.

The horned homozygous goat inherits the factor for horns from both parents. The homozygous polled goat inherits the factor for hornlessness from both parents. The heterozygous polled goat inherits the recessive factor for horns from one parent and the dominant factor for hornlessness from another. All polled females capable of breeding are heterozygous.

The below graph shows the possibilities which can occur when breeding a horned goat to a horned goat, a horned goat to a polled goat, and a polled goat to a polled goat.  Remember, genes can play their own tricks and there have been reports of things such as two horned goats having a hornless kid.

PP – homozygous polled

Ph – heterozygous polled (carrying the gene for horns)

hh – horned

Here is a chart of the possible matings that could take place, and the percentage of horned and polled kids expected from these matings:

The genetically homozygous polled doe usually is anatomically an intersex and, therefore, infertile. Most owners can reduce the incidence of homozygous polled animals by never mating 2 polled animals. While most intersex goats are polled, similar anatomic aberrations are seen occasionally in horned goats. These would most probably be chimeras (freemartins), the result of anastomoses developing in utero between males and females. Such chimeras in goats are rare (considering the high frequency of twins) when compared with cattle.

*These are considered risky breedings and it’s best to stay away from these breedings when possible unless the breeder is prepared to deal with possible intersexed kids. Merck Veterinary Manual

Whether you choose to breed polled goats, horned goats, or both, the decision is up to you. Keep in mind, polled goats CAN still get stuck in fences, tear up fencing, and destroy barn doors. A goat’s head is very strong and much depends on the individual goat’s personality and their willpower to get to whatever is on the other side of the fence.