# What is wry face in goats?



## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

A lady was telling me the other day about wry face in a goat of her's. In 17 years, I've never heard of it. Anyone know? How common is it? 

Suzy


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

http://home.nas.com/jnkllamas/Con Wry Face .JPG

This is to the extreme.

It's not common at all, in fact most are caused by sinus infections (they aren't born with it) that soften the bones of the nose all the way from the eyes to the nose. A wry tail is when they carry their tail up over their back and off to the side, some bucks look like this naturally once in rut.

If you cock your lower jaw over to the side and missalign your teeth, that is a rye face. Vicki


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## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

I actually had a set of twins with wry faces this year.....definitely not a sinus infection on either -- it was apparently genetic. They looked normal at birth, and it wasn't until they were a few months old that I noticed it. Even then, I really thought it was the wild markings on their faces that made them look wonky -- but it wasn't. It was like one side of their face was growing while the other wasn't. Oddly enough, their bites were perfect -- it was jut like you took their nostrils and tweaked them sideways.

One breeder theorized to me that it was the result of breeding a longer headed Alpine to a shorter one -- but I really think it was just a genetic fluke that showed up. The second doeling of the pair even went to the Boise show, did VERY well in the show ring -- not one judge picked up on it. 

At any rate, both of them were sold to a commercial dairy -- darn shame, because otherwise they were incredible looking kids.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

I wonder if it's something more common to Alpines. My friend had one Alpine doe who had a crooked face. Like you, Tracy, at first she thought it was her markings. As the doe grew, it became more apparant the face was crooked. She was sold as a family milker as the problem didn't affect her ability to eat.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I saw those babies at Tracy's. Wry face is kind of funky!


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## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

This lady had Alpine's also. Very odd and that photo was not nice. I couldn't tell it was a goat even. So, this is not a common thing then. Does anyone know if it has to come from both parents? This has my interest now. Vicki, anything written on it that I can look up?


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

The only wry face I ever saw was in a spanish/Alpine cross. 
The seller (horse trader type guy) tried to tell me she got kicked in the face and that is what caused it but you could tell it was wry face.


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## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

Well, I found some info that I'll post it below. 

Wry Face and Wry Tale

The former is a disqualification fault and is apparent from birth. If an older animal develops a twisted face, it can be due to disease (such as pneumonia affecting the facial bones) or to malnutrition.

Wry tail is often undetectable when a kid is born; it can be a result of the tail being turned back in utero, which straightens in a few days. Nubians have it (legally) quite often. It is believed be allied to a crooked spine by some authorities. Obviously, unlike a crooked face which may affect an animal eating, it is not so serious, but it is a disqualification fault in the show ring. It possibly would be unwise to keep a buck showing the deformity, but it will not affect the milking ability of a doe.


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## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

I would think it has to come from both parents....I had never seen it before until I brought in this buck with some outcrossed genetics.

And I would argue that quote too -- these does did NOT show any signs of it at birth whatsoever -- they were several months by the time it became apparent.


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## wheytogosaanens (Oct 26, 2007)

We had a wry faced doe born here once. The kid was wonky from the start - The wry face was obvious and she couldn't walk for 4 days, but scooted around on her chest and knees. We were relatively new to this and she had such a strong will to live that we kept her. She eventually started walking just fine but her nose and jaw were definitely pushed over to the side. She could eat just fine and in fact had a jaw of iron. Forget about prying her mouth open for anything!

We went ahead and let her grow up and bred her to a Boer buck. I wanted to know if it was going to pass to her kids. They were both perfect, so a genetic fluke perhaps. The girls named her Paquerette, but she was called Whacky Paqcky because her body was a little whacky as well. We sold her cheap as a family milker, no papers, to a lady who desperately needed a milk goat. And she was a strong milker and a strong goat. 

BTW, this was a line-bred goat.


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