Please tell me everything about disbudding with paste!

[elevan]

There is a mobile unit called Healthy Herds in NH that does things like this.

Here's their info.

 

[s.z.ichigo]

There is a mobile unit called Healthy Herds in NH that does things like this.

Here's their info.

Thanks. I did contact them, and they were out of my price range (would have been about $150).

 

[TGreenhut]

There is a mobile unit called Healthy Herds in NH that does things like this.

Here's their info.

Thanks. I did contact them, and they were out of my price range (would have been about $150).

That's crazy expensive! I go to someone who does it for $10 a goat!

 

[s.z.ichigo]

There is a mobile unit called Healthy Herds in NH that does things like this.

Here's their info.

Thanks. I did contact them, and they were out of my price range (would have been about $150).

That's crazy expensive! I go to someone who does it for $10 a goat!

Well, to be fair it was $20 per goat, but at $1 per mile, the travel cost was prohibitive. And it was too far for me to take them myself since they'd be separated from their mothers for hours. I've got a lady much closer helping me on Wednesday at $10 per goat.

 

[TGreenhut]

Thanks. I did contact them, and they were out of my price range (would have been about $150).

That's crazy expensive! I go to someone who does it for $10 a goat!

Well, to be fair it was $20 per goat, but at $1 per mile, the travel cost was prohibitive. And it was too far for me to take them myself since they'd be separated from their mothers for hours. I've got a lady much closer helping me on Wednesday at $10 per goat.

Great, I'm glad you found a better solution! Good luck with disbudding- it's one of my least favorite parts about raising goats.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Do you apply that paste one time? How does it work?

 

[s.z.ichigo]

Do you apply that paste one time? How does it work?

The way I understand it, is the paste causes a chemical burn to the skin around the horn, and that keeps new horn cells from growing. It's kind of like Nair, if you've ever used that, and leaving it on your skin for too long feels a lot like a Nair burn.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Do you apply that paste one time? How does it work?

The way I understand it, is the paste causes a chemical burn to the skin around the horn, and that keeps new horn cells from growing. It's kind of like Nair, if you've ever used that, and leaving it on your skin for too long feels a lot like a Nair burn.

But, do you just put it on one time? I'm just curious. We have a disbudding iron.

You said you have someone coming this week with an iron?

How old will they be, and how big are the buds?

 

[s.z.ichigo]

You're supposed to put it on just one time, yes. We did multiple tries ourselves because it took a while to get the hang of it, and I kept doing it wrong. In theory, it's a single application.
My guys are about three weeks old now. They're Nigerian Dwarfs, so their horns don't grow as fast as full-size goats, but this is still a long time to be waiting, from what I've heard. It's hard to say how big the horns are, as I'm not sure how you're supposed to measure them. Most of them feel more like hard little mounds under the fur, rather than protruding horns.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Glad you found a better option. I was going to suggest finding a used iron on Craigslist and watching videos on YouTube.