De-Horning Goats

[stano40]

I recently got into goats from my first encounter with a baby Alpine Goat. This boy was a joy to have and a big love bug.

Since getting him a couple of months ago I also picked up a Nigerian dwarf wether which was also disbuded and a pygmy buck who was supposed to by castrated and dis-budded.

That was a week ago and now I just picked up two female miniature goats. One looks to be a pygmy and the other looks to be a mix, possibly pygmy/alpine.

Both of these girls have never been dis-budded and have a full set of horns. They are at lease 2 years old, healthy and energetic.

Can these girls be de-horned? Would it affect their health?

Thanks

bob

 

[Cottage Cheese]

first off,

Congrats on your 2 Pygmies!!! They are true sweethearts. in my opinion, they are too old to be disbudded; it would cause them unnecessary pain. Their horns are a part of the skull, unlike as a kid, just small buds, they are know fully grown, and a true part of their features. They should be fine with your other goats.

 

[stano40]

I am more worried about them hurting the other male goats who have no horns.

Also The one male pygmy is sniffing around the new females already instead of me for a change. What shots are recommended for them to have & what type of medication is recommended if needed.

I'm pretty sure none of the goats have ever been vaccinated for anything.

Another question I have is the use of baking soda. Is this a must to have?

bob

 

[ksalvagno]

There are ways to get rid of the horns. I think you can band them and they eventually fall off. There are some others on this forum that could give you a better idea of what to do.

The baking soda is nice to have out. I keep out baking soda all the time. If they get a little tummy upset, they eat the baking soda. From what I have read on some posts on this forum, you don't have to keep out baking soda. It is a choice. My goats eat very little of the baking soda and it makes me feel better that if there is a little upset tummy, it is immediately taken care of.

 

[stano40]

Thanks for all this good advise. I'll have to consider how traumatic removing their horns would be for them since my wife wants to breed them.

I didn't know you could band the horns and i would like to know more about that.

bob

 

[FarmerChick]

I owned a few goats without horns many moons ago and they were mixed in with my Boer goats. Never had a problem with some having horns and a few not. They survived perfect in the herd. I always let all goats keep their horns. I use them as handles..LOL

I have free choice baking soda out also. Great for bloat control....etc
goats will lick when needed. they know best

 

[stano40]

I just read about tipping the horns for safety. Cutting off 1" to avoid bleeding. Does this do any good?

bob

 

[Cottage Cheese]

Bob, there are many people who remove horns, but would you REALLY want to cut off 1'' of some perfectly good horns? It ruins their appearance. This is my opinion only. If a creature has horns, leave them, on lol! The girls should be fine with the buck; personally, I think it is better for the does to have the horns than the boys; its a peace of mind for me.

 

[Cottage Cheese]

Oh, CDT is all I am saying!! Get the MUST HAVE shots first, then the other ones later. I do vacc first, then wormer.

 

[stano40]

From reading many posts and different sites for information I think once they have the horns I probably would not remove them. Only if was detrimental to their well being. I just read so many people giving advise in removing the horns to prevent accidents and battle damage.

All the questions I'm asking is because I am really new to goat keeping and I want only the best for my babies.

I think though, I would prefer to dis-bud babies and castrate male's that I don't want to be breeders. I wouldn't personally do it unless I was trained in dis-budding.

We did learn how to trim hooves and the next few days my wife has off we will trim everybody's hooves. I do have a couple of books but I've found it's great to get first hand knowledge and practical experience from people that keep goats.

Is it best to have them vaccinated by a qualified goat vet or is this something I can do?

What vaccinations are a must. I was told rabies is not a big deal to do.

Do the bucks get different vaccinations than the doe's and is the vaccinations determined by weight?

bob

PS

Thank You for all this great advise.