Supernumerary teats in Ghanaian livestock. I. Sheep and goats

In 1068 sheep of the Forest type, the sudan type, the Nungua Black Head type and their crosses, and in 145 doses of the West African dwarf breed in locations near Legon/Accra, the udders were studied for the occurrence of supernumerary teats. In sheep a frequency of 4.3% was found, in goats of 29.7%. In sheep and goats the supernumerary teats were always cranial to the main teats, and they were found more often on the left half of the udders than on the right half. Because of the high heritability, the relatively high occurrence of supernumerary teats in the goats investigated is attributed to inbreeding.