Advice on Getting 3yr Old Buck Dehorned

[babsbag]

Changing his dressing was dang near impossible and I even asked a neighbor that I hardly knew to help hold him one time. I ended up up using a sanitary pad with a sticky strip on it and stuck that to a strip of gauze and tied it under his chin like a bonnet with a big bow. Then wrapped it all with vet warp. It was not fun, goat heads are hard to wrap.

 

[Southern by choice]

Changing his dressing was dang near impossible and I even asked a neighbor that I hardly knew to help hold him one time. I ended up up using a sanitary pad with a sticky strip on it and stuck that to a strip of gauze and tied it under his chin like a bonnet with a big bow. Then wrapped it all with vet warp. It was not fun, goat heads are hard to wrap.

The things we do for goats!

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

@Southern by choice and @Pioneer Chicken, ~ how much do y'alls vets charge for this? We've had 2 instances (so far) of having to put a goat under general anesthesia and both were pretty pricy. Just curious what the price range was for you and I will ask my vet in a couple weeks next time we visit.

Average is $50 (scoop method) depending on base and length of the horns. The cosmetic is around $200 but I have no interest in that.

Thanks y'all for your advice. I love my buck's conformation but right now I have him up for sale. I have a Lamancha doe with a much smaller horn but if I can't get that off too, I think I'll be rehoming her as well. Wish I had not been in a rush to buy him but his kids were impressive and I thought I could get the horns removed.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Andy was 8 months old when I had his done. He is a boer so they were pretty good sized. Changed his bandages regularly and once healed, he occasionally has a scur grow that is small and flimsy, and they break off without much fuss.

Swagger (Nigerian) had bad scurs that got out of control (and he was out of control tearing up their shelter with them)and his took several months.... I think about 6 to completely heal. Once I would get it healed enough to leave it uncovered in an attempt to let it dry out, he would scratch it with a poopy hoof or whatever and get an infection in one side. Back to bandages and stuff again. He has now been closed up and no sign of infection for a couple months.

Andy is sweet enough that my assistant just tied him o a fence and wrestled him in place for the bandage changes. Swagger isn't quite that nice and even in the milk stand, locked in, he needed 2 people to change them.

If dehorning sounds like less of an option, could you just use the buck for now and sell him once your does are bred? A temporary guest with horns might not be as bad as the idea of a permanent one.

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

If dehorning sounds like less of an option, could you just use the buck for now and sell him once your does are bred? A temporary guest with horns might not be as bad as the idea of a permanent one.

That's what I decided this past fall. I let him breed my two does (yup, have a really small herd) for spring kids. My registered ND ended up kidding early (I'm pretty sure that my Lamancha doe rammed her) and none of her quads made it. Definitely disappointed and a little discouraged. At least my ND doe has a super promising udder. So, that being said, not sure if I want to keep him till fall.