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Teeth, Life Expectancy & How
to estimate a goat's age
Goat Teeth:
Goats have no upper front teeth; their upper front mouth is one big gum
Goats do have lower front teeth.
In the back on their mouth they do have both upper and lower teeth. These molars are very strong.
Goats are born with teeth. They do start out with baby teeth and will loose these as their adult teeth come in.
Average Goat Life span:
Does = 11-12 years average age, but... usually the death
in does is kidding related. Does that are "retired" from
breeding around age 10 live longer... up to 16-18
years. I just recently found a doe who was 24;
she was retired from kidding at age 10.
Wethers = 11-16 years average age
Bucks = 8-10 average age - bucks usually live shorter lives
than does and wethers due to the stresses
of going into rut each year; this really takes a lot
our of them.
Most goats do not reach their full size until they are about three
years of age. (They keep growing for about three years)
You
can estimate a goat's age by looking at their 8 lower front teeth.
Goats have no upper front teeth (unlike our logo), they have
just one big gum on top in the front. This is not an exact way
to tell
their age. Various factors such as diet and health care will
influence the growth of teeth. Also, be aware that every goat
is different.
One goat's teeth may grow, fall out, and/or show wear, at slightly
different ages than the teeth of another goat.
Kid
Kid First
year
All teeth are small and sharp.
Goatling/Yearling
Goatling/Yearling Second year
The goat looses the two middle front teeth when he is around 12
months old, and they are replaced by larger, permanent teeth.
Two-year-old
Two-year-old Third year
The teeth next to the middle pair are replaced by permanent teeth
when the goat is about 24 months old.
Three-year-old
Three-year-old Fourth year
The goat now has six permanent teeth, with only one pair of kid
teeth remaining.
Four-year-old
Four-year-old Fifth year
The set of 8 front teeth is complete.
Over
five years old
The age
of the goat beyond 5 years must be roughly estimated by the
amount of wear on the teeth. This rate is variable; diet and
health care have a large effect on this. Goats on rough, coarse
diets and rough pasture will grind their teeth away faster than
a goat on a softer diet or better quality ration.
The
teeth will spread, loosen and finally drop out as the goat ages.
Note: the only goat we have had loose a tooth to old age was 9 at the time. We have also had goats be older and not loose any teeth.
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