What can I do about scurs?

[savingdogs]

I have a nigerian dwarf buck that I'm using with my does and reselling in 45 days. I'd like to improve him if possible.

His feet needed trimming badly and he is very dusty/muddy. I think a bath and a second hoof trimming will improve his looks. He also has scurs, one on each side. One is larger and curls under a bit towards his head. I knew about them of course when I went to see him and buy him, but I wonder now if I can improve the situation for him and again, make him more saleable.

He is easy to handle but did not seem to like me touching his scurs, especially the curled one that I was trying to check out. Can I trim these back? I don't have any disbudding tools or anything special but wonder if anything can or should be done for this. Because of the condition of his hooves, I was not confident that he was being cared for very well by his prior owners, although they certainly fed him enough. They just had tons and tons of goats and since I have only four can give him more attention.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

I don't have goats atm, however I can at least point you in a direction. According to Fias Co farm

"Bucks very often get scurs because they have so much testosterone that even if you are sure you got a good solid copper ring early enough, they manage to grow some horn (a scur). These buck scurs can get really bad, and you have to watch that they don't curl around and grow into the goat's scull. It this case, the scurs must be trimmed.

Trimming scurs: (We use a "wire saw" , also called an "OB saw", "Gigli saw" or Bone cutting saw ). You really only need to trim scurs if they start to curl around and start to grow into the goat's head. The reason you trim them is so they do not cause damage to the goat. Trim no more than one inch at a time, or you risk cause a lot of bleeding. Put the goat up in your milk stand (click here for free plans to build your own) to make this task doable, because they do not like it at all." http://www.fiascofarm.com/goats/disbudding.htm (scroll down a bit)

And if you want to see pics with some descriptions on trimming scurs : http://www.fiascofarm.com/galleries/Goat_Care_and_Information/Scur_Trimming/index.html

Good luck to you!!

 

[()relics]

scurs are usually cause by improper burning of the horn bud when the goat was dehorn/disbudded as a kid. All the horn cells around the base of the horn aren't killed and eventually begin to grow. Usually a scur can be loosened with your hand or the goat will loosen it himself by rubbing on things, like a billy with horns does. Generally scurs do not need to be cause for concern and should be left alone unless physical damage is obvious. JMO
Fiasco farms is a poor source to quote...it has been discussed here many times before so no need to go into the facts again...suffice it to say the information presented there is dated and opinionated at best as well as archived....Not JMO...Fact

 

[Beekissed]

A young ram lamb I bought recently had two scurs but knocked one off on the fence after the first day or so here. It bled a little but was fine. If they come off that easily, I was wondering if one could just see if they are loosely attached and then pop them off....or is that too painful, ya think?

I don't think he had been disbudded at all...he just grew these residual horns though his breed is normally polled.

 

[savingdogs]

Well one of the two is growing curved but I don't believe into his skull. I'll examine him for that more closely, but it seems to me it was fairly mobile as well. I don't need to borrow trouble so don't want to start something bleeding.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

scurs are usually cause by improper burning of the horn bud when the goat was dehorn/disbudded as a kid. All the horn cells around the base of the horn aren't killed and eventually begin to grow. Usually a scur can be loosened with your hand or the goat will loosen it himself by rubbing on things, like a billy with horns does. Generally scurs do not need to be cause for concern and should be left alone unless physical damage is obvious. JMO
Fiasco farms is a poor source to quote...it has been discussed here many times before so no need to go into the facts again...suffice it to say the information presented there is dated and opinionated at best as well as archived....Not JMO...Fact

Is this a better source? http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2061

If you think the site I suggested is so horribly inaccurate for information, could you give some of us newbs a better one? (not being snarky, I would just like a better info site if there is one because I want to be as prepared as possible for my goats and so far this was the most informative one I could find)

 

[babsbag]

I am not a goat expert, but I am in my second year raising dairy goats. Personally, I like Fiascofarms. Yes, they have some views on goat health that I don't always agree with, but most of what I read on the site is good down to earth advice. Like everything else in a book or on the web, it is one person's opinion and should be treated as such.

I have found nothing wrong with the site as long as you realize that holisitc goat health and being a vegetarian isn't for everyone and maybe it isn't for you, but I don't think they are trying to push it on their visitors. I just skip over the things I don't embrace and move onto the other great information they have on the site.

Inforrmation on feeding, disbudding, kidding, castrating, and raising goats in general can be found all over the web and I like having one central site that tells me a little about alot. It is not gospel, no site should be, but I still feel it is a good resource. I don't care if it is opinionated and archived. It still has some valid information. IMO

Their goat cheese recipes are good, BTW.

 

[()relics]

If you think the site I suggested is so horribly inaccurate for information, could you give some of us newbs a better one? (not being snarky, I would just like a better info site if there is one because I want to be as prepared as possible for my goats and so far this was the most informative one I could find)

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5810

In animal health/care issues where a poster may do or not do to one of their animals based on something they read, it is best to, know yourself before you advise someone else, In My Opinion, and Not To Be Snarky...
http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/goatlinks.html
http://www.smallruminantresearch.com/home
http://www2.luresext.edu/index.htm
http://extension.umd.edu/
any of these would at least give you Non-biased information....Anytime someone is trying to sell their products and feels that they need to twist the information to do so...well you fill in the blanks...

 

[helmstead]

Scurs are generally no big deal to remove. Most of them can just be grabbed with a good plier or hoof nipper depending on size - you hold still, the goat squirms...and POP off comes the scur. Actual HORN growth (deformed horns from a really bad disbudding mess up) will have a full blood supply and need to be banded or sawn off, then reburned (unless you wanna do it over and over again). We do this with a general sedative/NSAID.

With a true scur, there will be a little blood under the scur when it pops off. Actual removal is quick and probably a lot like a hangnail to the goat (they're over it immediately). You can spray it with wound kote.

With babies, often if you start popping off those little irritating scurs as soon as they grow, they will eventually quit growing (more true with does, tho, often bucks are best reburned).

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I dont' think scurs are a big deal. My buck had them last year, and one did need trimming so it wouldn't hit his head, but other than that, it's not a big deal. My buckling this year has them (because the breeder didn't disbud properly) and they don't cause an issue at all. He's managed to pop each one off at one time or another, and they usually grow back slowly.