September 2015

Animal Industry News Update Volume 16, Issue 3

Aging Goats by Mouthing

Rodney Johnson rjohnson@agcenter.lsu.edu

Goats, as with other ruminant animals, lack upper incisors. Instead, a hard dental pad on the frontal
part of the upper jaw serves in place of teeth. All domestic animals have two successive sets of teeth.
Deciduous teeth, or milk teeth, are the first set of teeth in young animals. These are replaced by a
permanent set of teeth as an animal ages.

In kid goats, the first pair of milk teeth incisors occurs at birth to one week of age. The second pair of
milk teeth incisors erupts at one to two weeks of age, the third pair at two to three weeks of age, and
the fourth pair of milk incisors appears at three to four weeks of age. These baby teeth stay for the
first year of the animal’s life.

The first paired set of permanent or adult teeth start in the center, replacing the baby teeth at about
12 months of age. These animals are sometimes called “two-toothed goats.” The next pair of adult
teeth to come in is on each side of the center pair. This happens when animals are about one and a
half to two years old. The third pair of adult teeth is adjacent to the previous pair and erupts when
animals are two and a half to three years old. The last and outermost pair erupts when goats are
three and a half to four years old. Goats with a “full mouth” have all eight adult incisor teeth erupted
and in wear, and are at least four years old.

It is difficult to age goats over four years of age. The variation has to do with the amount of wear on
the animal’s teeth, and this is affected by the animal’s diet and environment. As animals age, their
teeth spread, look more elongated, and sometimes break or fall out.

Development of Goat Teeth

Animal Industry News Update September 2015 Volume 16, Issue 3