How can you tell a goats’ age if you have no records, and how can you be sure a seller is telling the truth? There are some observational methods, such as goat teeth, that you can use to estimate their age. As each individual grows and develops at its own rate, these methods are not precise but can give you an indication. Goat teeth and horns are reasonably reliable indicators, although individuals vary in the rate of development and wear. Other features give additional clues but are subject to health, nutrition, genetics, and the life that the goat has led. These include goat weight, frame size, muzzle width, beard growth, muscle tone, “knee” (carpus) calluses, and joint noise.
Although goats all have the same basic needs, details can vary due to age, sex, breed, and individual requirements. Nutritional, activity, and comfort needs may vary, for example. If you plan to breed, you want to ensure that your animals are mature enough to meet their own physical requirements while carrying and feeding young. You will also want to be aware of goat life expectancy.
Goats may live 12–18 years, depending on their health, genetics, and lifestyle. The first two years are important for laying down strong skeletal structure and teeth, and for healthy physical and behavioral development. Well-balanced nutrition when feeding goats is vital during this time, preferably consisting of varied natural forage, with mineral supplementation if necessary.
Goats have eight lower front teeth, called incisors. There are no upper incisors. The bottom incisors butt against a toothless dental pad under the upper jaw. These are used to grasp and tear forage. The molars, further back and difficult to observe, do indeed include teeth in upper and lower jaws. They are used to grind forage and cud.
Deciduous incisors generally erupt one pair per week from birth, so you can reckon a goat kid’s age as follows:
- 1st/2nd pair erupted: 0–2 weeks old;
- 3rd pair erupted: 2–3 weeks old;
- 4th pair erupted and growing: 3–4 weeks old;
- Starting to spread: 3–9 months old;
Spread and wearing down: around 1 year old.
The first two middle permanent incisors emerge as a yearling approaches 18 months old, quickly followed by the second pair by two years old. In the following year, the third pair erupt, while the outer pair are replaced by four years old. Adult teeth are noticeably wider and may differ in color from baby teeth, which will be showing considerable wear at this stage. We can estimate age from when adult teeth replace deciduous teeth and their subsequent wear:
- Central pair: 1–1.5 years old;
- 2nd pair: 1.5–2 years old;
- 3rd pair: 2.5–3 years old;
- 4th pair: 3.5–4 years old;
- Signs of wear: 4+ years old;
- Spreading: 5+ years old;
- Lost or broken: 6+ years old.
As growth is continuous during the first four years, and wear is dependent on circumstances, your goats may quite normally be in advance or lag behind this ready reckoner.
Goats with lost or broken teeth are retired from production and need softer feeds, such as pellets and specialty products, to maintain their nutrition.
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