Maataloustieteellinen A ikakauskirja
Vol. 60: 620—621, 1988

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

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

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.

Index words: functional extra teats, teat length, teat distance, teat number, milk production

Introduction

The presence of extra teats may result in
higher yields, but in Britain the main interest
is in having ewes with four functional teats so
that triplet lambs can suck on the ewe simul-
taneously and thereby reduce the problems of
uneven growth and teat damage.

Materials and methods

Ewes of many breeds and crosses have been
found with extra teats and a Devon farmer,
Philip Gaunter, has carried out considerable
selection for the trait within his flock, a
crossbred mix of Dorset Horn, Border Lei-
cester and Lleyn with a prolificacy of 1.7.

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In 1986 the flock comprised 147 ewes, 79
of which had 4 teats and 2 had 6 teats. These
were divided into five unequal size groups A,
B, C, D and E, as an initial step in setting up
a closed flock breeding scheme. Groups A, B,
C and D were each mated to a single 4 teat
ram and group E to a ram with 2 teats but
whose dam had 4 teats.

The number of teats of ewes and their
progeny was recorded and also in ewes the
length of and the distance between teats was
measured. A small number of ewes with well
developed fore teats was milked following an
oxytocin injection.

Results

The teat number of ewes and lambs in the
groups in the 1987 lambing season shown in
Table 1 indicates that there were noticeably
different results in the five progeny groups.
Nevertheless it should be relatively easy with
selection to increase the mean number of teats
in a flock and to maintain a predominately 4
teated flock.

Table 2 shows a more detailed analysis of
the two largest groups A and B. The signifi-
cant differences between A and B lamb groups
(X 2 for 4 and 2 teat ewe matings = 6.4 and
33.1 respectively) suggest teat number was un-
der the control of two or more genes.

The distance from front to rear teats was
generally between 0.2 and 0.5 of that from
side to side. The ratio of the length of the ex-
tra teats relative to the rear varied up to 0.9; 1.
38 of the ewes had a ratio of 0.6:1 or more.

Milk yields were estimated in 16 ewes with-
in the latter group (Table 3). The proportion
of yield varied considerably and the correla-
tion between front : rear length and propor-

Table I. Mean teat number of ewes and lambs.
1987 lambing season.

Family Group A B C D E»

Ewes (E) 3.3 3.0 2.7 4.0 3.7
Lambs (L) 3.8 3.1 3.4 3.3 3.1
Difference
change (L) v (E) +0.5 +O.l +0.7 —0.7 —0.6
* Ram used had 2 teats; in all other groups rams had 4 teats.

Table 2. Proportion of lambs with 4 and 2 teats from
4 or 2 teated ewes in family groups A and B
(one 4 teated ram used per group).

Group A (n =52) B (n =51)
4 2 4 2Ewe teat number

Lamb teat
number

4 0.960.88 0.760.24
2 0.040.12 0.240.76

Table 3. Proportion of total milk from front teats of
ewes in which they were well developed
(n = 16).

rangex s.e.

Front : rear length 0.74 0.6—0.9 0.025
Proportion of yield
from front teats 0.057 0.001—0.12 0.0098

Correlation (r) between front : rear length and
proportion of yield from front teats =0.16

tion of yield from front teats was low
(r = 0.16). It would appear that length of teat
may not be a very precise guide to potential
milk yield. There is, therefore, a need to rec-
ord yield in early lactation if the best
producers are to be identified and then used
for further breeding. This has, therefore, be-
come a high priority in the flock’s further de-
velopment.

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