Disbudding

[OneFineAcre]

We burn both sides 6 seconds
Then do the ice pack
Then we take hoof trimming shears and cut the nub flush
Then we burn the center of nub which might bleed some with the side of the tip for 6 seconds
Then we ice pack
Then we do a second burn for 6 seconds
And we use a buck tip on our bucks which is bigger than the 3/8 tip

I know people that use the 3/8 tip
On bucks but do a figure 8

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I don't diss bud I have had several done and it changes them I don't care for it they were created with horns so leave them with horns. You can mess it up bad I've seen goats that are not all there cause of diss buding even ones that walk with there heads side ways. I had a very nice nub that I got diss budded and she was never the same kind of brain dead. But I do believe the guy that did it was in a bad mood the say he did it.

Many factors are involved.

I see so many use the same line you said. The reality is that when you narrow down all the factors, it's not what anti-disbudding people want to hear.

I've seen many times where people say the goat was never "right" after disbudding.

But they don't look at the whole picture.

I've seen people use a full size calf dehorner on a Pygmy kid! This happens more often than you think!
I truthfully wouldn't expect a goat to come out "normal" after that.

People who burn at a day old and leave the burner on to long.

Vets gouging and burning- I'm not talking about snipping off the nubs, I'm talking actual gouging.

Then there are those that sedate. Sedation can cause this issue too. We've disbudded many kids, we used to sedate until one year the kids weren't coming out of sedation as they should. Happened to 2 kids.
Stopped the sedation and have had 0 issues.

We used to have a horned herd. Not anymore. I've had a goose get it's throat torn open. I've been jabbed more times than I can count. Not on purpose, all accidental. I've had goats hung in trees. I've had goats hung in fences, hay feeders, and even each other. Yes, even when having the "horn safe" feeders, fencing, etc. It still happened. @Ferguson K had a goat gored recently.

Recently, I almost lost 2 bucks that locked horns badly. It was a miracle that I could even get them apart. If they break a horn, you better be able to rush them to a vet before you end up with a dead goat.

We had a goat that was just a diva. She would use her horns on every animal on the farm. Everything was in fear because of this one goat. She was surgically dehorned.

There is always a risk, but you have the same risks, if not more, when you leave the horns intact. I'm not going to lie, it can be scary! But I'm doing this for MY safety as well as the goats/LGD's/etc

I don't want this to be a debate, but don't you have fences for your goats? I remember you posting photos of your kidding stall… Goats were not created behind fences, man put them in fences. Just like we disbud. Goats were taken out of their natural environment, so I don't see why disbudding would be any different.

Everyone needs to do what is best for them and their herd. If you keep a horned herd with no issues, that's awesome. But for people like me, disbudding is a necessity.

 

[Southern by choice]

This is an example of a goat that decided to sharpen her horns til they were like daggers... then she got aggressive with the other animals... Yes, that is a point, like a dagger.
She was dehorned. DANGEROUS... for her, the animals, and the humans.

I held to the "goats have had horns for thousands of years" for a time. In some scenarios I think horns are fine but for many they are simply a liability.
We switched over a few years back. We have had requests for horns but I simply will no longer do it. Far to many parents with toddlers and small children especially like Nigerians and in their lack of experience they just don't know the risk. So far everyone we show the horns (in the pic) to and they touch them, see and feel how sharp... EVERYONE has said that it changed their mind and definately wanted polled or disbudded.
We do keep our Kikos horned but that still isn't without it's many issues. The dairy goats... nope... no horns.

Until you have been gored, taken down, or known someone who has had an eye poked out or their leg gored it is hard to grasp.
When we were a horned herd my vets ALL said GET THE HORNS OFF! The one would shake his head and say, "I don't want to have to say I told you so when a horn goes through your leg, or an eye!"
The goat that belongs to the horn in the picture... she is a much nicer goat and no longer a danger.
Our herd queen however is a POLLED Nigerian Dwarf! LOL

 

[Southern by choice]

oops... forgot to add.
We have found every goat is a little different.
Some goats are born with the horn about to poke through. We will not disbud any goat regardless until at least day 3.
Most goats are at about a week. Some of our Nigerian does have gone as long as 3 weeks.
A small quint Nigie at 1 lb 10 oz... may not need done for 5 weeks! Where a 4-5 lb dwarf may be ready before a week or not til 2 weeks.
Our standard goats seem to need done the soonest. Bucks are a nightmare LOL.
We always use ice packs, and do not have a set time. but we do break it up. L, ice, R ice, L, ice, R, ice sometimes it is LR, ice LR ice. We always shave first and we do spray burn relief after. Then they get a bottle!
Regardless of who does it things can go wrong. Something to always keep in mind- If YOU are NOT the one doing it and you are asking someone else to then remember this...
NO ONE wants for something to go wrong and the person burning is far more worried about YOUR goat then you will be!

 

[Ferguson K]

If I wasn't home when Damsel was gored, I would have lost her. She lost scary amount of blood in a short time. All horned goats are now gone.

We used to have horned goats. Boer goats. Lots of them. I'll never have another goat with horns.

 

[OneFineAcre]

This is what the figure 8 looks like.
He still had a small scur.

 

[Sunny Searle]

My Nubian Boer crosses that were born five days ago are still showing no signs of horns, their dam is naturally polled but the sire has horns. How long before they get horns, or is it not going to happen?

 

[Latestarter]

If they're going to have horns, I'd think they'd start growing out nubs within the first few days to a week. Perhaps you got lucky and have polled kids just keep checking.

 

[babsbag]

I would think you would feel them by now. On my standard sized goat I can usually feel them at 2 or 3 days. I also have some polled goats I occasionally get polled kids, so maybe you are lucky.

 

[Latestarter]

This is what the figure 8 looks like.
He still had a small scur.

Hey OFA... Why do you burn the extra area? If it's not directly over the horn nubs, is there some special reason to burn there? Where did the scur develop? over where the horn originally was or elsewhere?