Questions About Raising Dairy Goats...

Sandy christen

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That's what I think I have 3 bucks and they all have there horns gives them there character so I would have to disagree ....
 

frustratedearthmother

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I don't need "character" in my bucks - I need safe animals that don't tear up fences, injure themselves, each other, ME (or anybody else)!
 
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Sandy christen

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Well I'm sorry but I guess it depends on the goat mine are fine with them yourself might not be to each there own have a good day
 

Southern by choice

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Well I'm sorry but I guess it depends on the goat mine are fine with them yourself might not be to each there own have a good day

Sandy, @frustratedearthmother is not being rude. This is a great group here and many of us have YEARS of experience. FEM has many years. Your bucks may be ok now.... but you haven't experienced fall rut, 2-3 year old bucks, or bucks that are 200-300 lbs. As you know I love bucks and raise them to have manners but even so horns really are dangerous. Years ago we ONLY had horned or naturally polled goats until we started having issues. Our Lamancha doe Millie decided to start sharpening her horns... they were like daggers... then she started using them... on the LGD's and goats. Never us BUT no matter she was dangerous. We did remove them and saved them. WE show them to all our clients that don't understand why we disbud. Once they see them they say Ohhhhhhhhhhh, wow. Millie became a danger to us just by having them. A goat can suddenly jump back push nother goat etc. There gOES AN EYE... OR IF Standing and they jump back your femoral artery.

Horns do destroy buildings, fencing etc. We have had goats HUNG UP in trees, one goats collar got caught on another's horns and was strangling.

I have always been a pro-horn advocate but the more years I have goats the more I personally realized the danger and risk. Now all our goats (dairy) are disbudded or naturally polled.

Experience is valuable. Everyone should make the decision that suits them, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Sometimes people learn things best by experience, as in my case. I do try to spare people like many others on the forum. WE all care about goats and about the people who keep them.
 

ldawntaylor

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I have to agree with frustratedearthmother and Southern by choice. Horns are a danger. I happen to have three young bucks and two young does who have horns. The bucklings are going to auction this fall. The doelings I have to make some decisions about. If the doelings are allowed to keep their horns I know I will have to be VERY vigilant.

More often than not the harm/damage is not from intent. But, from just behaving like goats.

I personally have had too many near misses to want horns on my goats. Nearly lost an eye, a near miss to my leg - behind the knee, and recently a near miss to my stomach. I had a scratch for several days as a result. And yes, I was being careful around those goats at the time. I've also had a kid killed by a horned doe.

Another aspect to consider. When a horned goat damages a horn it is very traumatic for the goat. So, I believe it is best to get that trauma over with early in life. I did not have the resources to follow that belief this winter and spring and now I am regretting that fact.
 

TAH

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I love the look of the horns but I have learned with our mini Nubian. He thinks he can do anything with those horns poking the other goats, putting his horns in our other goats collars. We came home one day to find him thrashing him self in the fence my dad thinks that he would have fought him self to death. All of our milkers and buck are dehorned besides the mini :rolleyes:. I have heard that Meat goats such as the Kiko are pretty safe with there horns is this true?
 

Southern by choice

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I love the look of the horns but I have learned with our mini Nubian. He thinks he can do anything with those horns poking the other goats, putting his horns in our other goats collars. We came home one day to find him thrashing him self in the fence my dad thinks that he would have fought him self to death. All of our milkers and buck are dehorned besides the mini :rolleyes:. I have heard that Meat goats such as the Kiko are pretty safe with there horns is this true?

Their horns grow differently... they spiral out and to the sides (males mostly) we do leave theirs on. BUT they do get hung up sometimes and if one decides a fence looks good it will shred it in a minute. It is hard to deal with a 200-300 pound animal caught in something... they are stressed and heaavy. NO dairy goat will have horns ever on my farm again.

Our Nigerian doe took her head and flung it at one of our geese and tore her throat open.
I think horns are pretty but like @OneFineAcre said ... I evolved in my thinking... and I did sadly it was through far too many bad things happening. None of the goats have ever been mean to us with them just too many issues.

I have a picture of Millie's "spears" on here on one of my articles.... which BTW i need to update.
 
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OneFineAcre

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Their horns grow differently... they spiral out and to the sides (males mostly) we do leave theirs on. BUT they do get hung up sometimes and if one decides a fence looks good it will shred it in a minute. It is hard to deal with a 200-300 pound animal caught in something... they are stressed and heaavy. NO dairy goat will have horns ever on my farm again.

Our Nigerian doe took her head and flung it at one of our geese and tore her throat open.
I think horns are pretty but like @OneFineAcre said ... I evolved in my thinking... and I did sadly it was through far too many bad things happening. None of the goats have ever been mean to us with them just too many issues.

I have a picture of Millie's "spears" on here on one of my articles.... which BTW i need to update.
We learn
We grow
We have certainly had to evolve our thinking since we moved
For us it's been worms
Actually miss our dry lot
 

frustratedearthmother

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Yep - my first goats had horns.

I learned a few lessons the hard way. First one was when I found a pregnant doe hanging in a hay net one morning...dead as could be. She had hung up her horns in the net and in her thrashing had wrapped it around her neck and strangled. Learned two lessons that day. Horns are dangerous and hay nets are even more so! That was a couple decades ago, but it is still ingrained in my memory. Hard to get that picture out of your head.

My first pygmy buck had a huge, majestic set of horns. Yep - they gave him character and gave me a dislocated knee cap. That was his first strike. The second one occurred when he rammed a pregnant doe and she aborted triplets. He didn't get a third strike...he got a bullet that day. Yep...we learn.

There were other instances in the year or so before I got totally away from horned goats. The fences they destroyed - partly because I had cruddy fences back then and I underestimated the power that even a short-legged goat has.

There is no other goat related chore that I HATE more than disbudding. I dread it each and every time - but I do it because I think it is necessary.
 

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