Breeding sheep with 4 teats in a flock in Devon, England

Authors

• D. A. R. Davies Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Liverpool, Leahurst, Neston, South Wirral, L64 7TE, England

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.72324

Abstract

A survey of British breeds and crossbreeds revealed that they contained ewes with extra teats, in many cases even functional. In one flock, a crossbred mix of three breeds, some selection for 4 teats had taken place and 79 of 147 ewes had 4 teats and 2 ewes had 6 teats. Length of the extra teats varied up to a 09:1 ratio relative to the rear. 38 of the 79 ewes had a ratio between 0.6:1 and 0.9:1. The distance from front to rear was generally between 0.2 and 0.5 of that from side to side. In 1986 the 147 ewes were divided into 5 unequal size family groups, A (51), B (53), C (21), D (6), each group mated to one ram with 4 teats, and group E (12) to a ram with 2 teats but whose dam had 4. The mean teat number for the ewes in the groups was 3.26, 2.95, 2.70, 4.00 and 3.76 resp., and for their offspring 3.84 (91), 3.06 (95), 3.4 (37), 3.3 (12) and 3.1 (9), More detailed analysis of the larger groups, A,B and C, showed that the proportion of lambs with 4 teats from 4 teated ewes was 0.96, 0.76 and 0.88, resp., and that in groups A and B the proportion of lambs with 4 teats from 2 teated ewes was 0.78 and 0.31 respectively. Milk production of 14 ewes with well developed fore teats was measured in the first 10 days of lactation using the oxytocin technique. The mean yield of the front teats was only 0.057+ 0.010 of the rear, indicating the wide variation and the limited production of the population at present in the flock.