# Banding off Horns



## Erin23 (Dec 21, 2015)

My goat Camille is about a year old according to her tag and I was thinking of banding off her horns, which are probably 20cm long. She's normally kind however feeding time she becomes very aggressive, ramming me in the back of the legs, ramming the other goats, and once she's hit me in the side of the mouth. She's becoming a stress to feed with her horns and I was thinking of banding them off.  Thoughts?


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## Poka_Doodle (Dec 21, 2015)

Welcome to BYH. @BlessedWithGoats was trying the method with her buck


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## BlessedWithGoats (Dec 21, 2015)

Welcome to Backyard Herds!! What kind of goats do you have? I have mixed breeds, with Alpine, Nigerian, Saanen, and Nubian being most popular in the mixes, but I have an Oberhasli mix as well! 

Almost all of my goats have horns, but I decided to try dehorning, I think it's too dangerous for me to have them with horns right now; between the other goats, dog(s), and my siblings, etc., I don't want anyone getting hurt, even though my goats, like yours, aren't normally aggressive. I do have one buck that is more aggressive, and as @Poka_Doodle mentioned, I'm trying the banding method of dehorning on him.  So far everything is good, I'm just waiting for the horns to fall off.  I hope to be updating my journal: http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/blessedwithgoats-journal-dehorning-ashton.31042/ with pictures as the process continues!


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 21, 2015)

I just put the bands on Zeus Friday.  Never done it before, so I'll let you know how it turns out.  I understand it takes about 4 weeks.


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## Latestarter (Dec 21, 2015)

Hey OFA, I didn't know you were doing this as well... I must have missed the post. This is excellent as there will be 2 folks doing this that we can share the experience of. Really excited to see/hear the results... Form you and BWG.

Greetings @Erin23 from the front range in Colorado  Glad you joined us! Hope you find as many answers (and even more questions!) as I did after joining! When you have the time, please  and then jump in and chat! We all love pics,  so if you have a few to share, we can all drool on our keyboards  Glad to have you with us!


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## frustratedearthmother (Dec 21, 2015)

I used this method to remove a large, but fairly thin scur on a doe.  It was 'semi-wiggly' but still fairly firmly attached.  After this goat got her head stuck in the fence in the heat of summer and nearly died of dehydration I decided to band her.  I don't remember it taking 4 weeks, but again, her scur was fairly thin.  It came off cleanly with no bleeding.  There is still a firm nub there, but it doesn't grow anymore at all.  It'll be interesting to see how it works for others - especially on bucks.


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 21, 2015)

I hadn't posted anything, I just put the bands on Friday.
FEM, I hope it doesn't take 4 weeks, but it is a pretty big horn base.
We really botched the disbudding.  We waited until he was 3 weeks old, and he probably already weighed 20 lbs. Cut the horn with hoof trimming sheasr when we did it, but the horn base was so big at that point, the iron wouldn't set flush on his head.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 21, 2015)

@BlessedWithGoats  & @OneFineAcre  this will be really good info.
2 of our vets are very "anti" banding 
I have always heard and read that it was extremely painful... but seeing real experiences from people you "know" IMO is a better info.


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## sadieml (Dec 21, 2015)

What about the pain aspect @BlessedWithGoats  & @OneFineAcre ?  Do your goats seem uncomfortable?  My brother used to breed Rottweilers and banded their tails.  The sniffed at them for a little while, but soon lost interest.  They never seemed to be in pain, just curious.  Janick never seemed to notice his banding when we wethered him.  I thought the object of banding was killing the blood flow and nerves, which also alleviates pain.  I am definitely interested to see how this goes, since we may end up with another wether with horns.

(edit to add)  I may well try this on Jaeger's scurs.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Dec 21, 2015)

The first day, when I put the bands on, I also put duct tape to keep the bands from slipping off. When you do the banding, you need to shave the area, because if the band/tape is pulling on hair, that will cause them pain. I ended up taking the duct tape off, after talking to my goat mentor, because he seemed to be in pain. I think I didn't have it shaved close enough to begin with, but the tape was stuck to some of his hair, causing him pain. After I took the duct tape off he was better, and by the next day I believe he seemed fine. He seems okay now too, and it's been almost two weeks since I put the bands on.  Please keep us updated on how your buck does too, @OneFineAcre!


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 21, 2015)

It's hard to tell in the picture, but we clipped around the horn base pretty good first.  The band and the tape don't seem to be bothering him at all.
He didn't like being restrained when we were filing a notch in the horns and putting the band on.  He didn't like that one bit.

It doesn't seem to be bothering him at all.


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## Latestarter (Dec 21, 2015)

So how close to the actual base are you placing the bands? I mean right level with the head/skull? You have to file a notch first? All the way around each horn? Is that simply to keep the band from slipping or does it aid in the banding success somehow? In my search for goats I have passed over a number of them because they had horns and I can't afford the $$ to have a vet surgically remove them and don't want to deal with months of recuperation afterwards... If this banding works, is relatively painless, and permanent, I'd consider buying goats with horns. I don't "want" horns on my goats, so I could just follow y'all's lead and band them.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Dec 21, 2015)

When I did Ashton's horns, I tried to put the band close to the base of the horn, where it joins the head.  His seemed to have a small groove already there, and the band has stayed so far.  Looking forward to seeing what OFA says about filing a notch in the horn!


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 21, 2015)

As close to the base as you can we got it pretty close
Filed a notch on the front and one on the back for the band to sit in
I'm not sure if it aids the process or not
We know folks in our club who have done it and that's what they said
It seems like it would help though


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## cteague (Mar 31, 2017)

So far my little guy has showed no issue with the bands being on. He doesnt like u to touch them.  But im wondering if it is he just dont like his horns touched. He still eats and plays. My only concern is it seems the horns are still growing and the band is just going up with it. When we put the band on it was at the hair line. It has stayed in its place where the grooves are. Should I put more under the other band in the groove??


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## sadieml (Apr 18, 2017)

Banding Jaeger's scurs worked well.  They didn't stay away completely, but the majority of the scur didn't come back.   I figure if you have to band 'em every  few months, that's still better than scurs or horns.


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## Latestarter (Apr 18, 2017)

Hey @sadieml


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## cteague (Apr 29, 2017)

Well my boy has horns. I put the band at the hair line and the band just grew up with the horns. Should i try it again now that they are a little bigger? Hes a pretty boy and i dont want to mess him up. But he is already using them when he plays. With the goats and me.


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## Latestarter (Apr 29, 2017)

Sorry it didn't work for you. I have no idea... Maybe the bands weren't placed low enough to start with? Or maybe not tight enough to cut blood flow?


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## cteague (Apr 29, 2017)

Latestarter said:


> Sorry it didn't work for you. I have no idea... Maybe the bands weren't placed low enough to start with? Or maybe not tight enough to cut blood flow?


I put them at the base next to the hair line. It maynot have been tight enough. He was also disbudded at a vet and that didnt work.


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## BlessedWithGoats (May 5, 2017)

The horn-banding didn't work on one of mine that was younger; I don't remember how old she was. Like you said, maybe the horns were still growing, cause her bands just moved up as the horn grew.


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## greybeard (May 5, 2017)

I (and others) have banded mature cattle's horns. Shave the hair off close, install the bands as close to the skull as possible, and duct tape them in place. Took 4-5 weeks but they were big horns.
(had to get the bigger bands..not the little green cheerio looking things--duct tape keeps them from rubbing directly on the bands and rolling the band up toward the skinny end of the horn.)


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## oldhenlikesdogs (May 9, 2017)

Recently banded 3 mature wethers, we are 5 for 6, one still has a horn yet, hopefully it will come off. We have successfully banded others in the past.

We use a horse hoof pick to work the band's down as far as possible, than use electrical tape to hold them. We use about 4 bands per horn.

Takes about 4-8 weeks. Goat needs to be older than a year, and it's better that it's even older. Young goats horns are growing too fast.

Some goats show more pain than others, all are uncomfortable during the process.


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## cteague (May 10, 2017)

Ok thank u. They sure do grow fast. U can see where the vet burned then and where i tried to band the horn. He is going to have some really narley horns.


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## oldhenlikesdogs (May 10, 2017)

cteague said:


> Ok thank u. They sure do grow fast. U can see where the vet burned then and where i tried to band the horn. He is going to have some really narley horns.


We tried banding some under 2 years of age and it didn't work out too well. They have brittle stubs, and scurs. Now that they are older it was a simple process. Unfortunately you have to wait until they mature. Otherwise a vet should be able to sedate and saw them off as another option.


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## cteague (May 10, 2017)

I believe i will just wait until they are older. Dont know if i could handle them being sawed off or not. We have learned a valuable lesson. We will just have to stomach the yells and do the disbudding ourselves so we know its done right. The one we did has no horns. The onea the vet grew.


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## oldhenlikesdogs (May 10, 2017)

cteague said:


> I believe i will just wait until they are older. Dont know if i could handle them being sawed off or not. We have learned a valuable lesson. We will just have to stomach the yells and do the disbudding ourselves so we know its done right. The one we did has no horns. The onea the vet grew.


If you want a job done right, do it yourself, applies here for sure. Many vets know nothing of goats, we have given up on them for our goats.


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## cteague (May 11, 2017)

The disbudding made us sick. But my husband said he will do it from now on. No doubt. That way we dont spend all that money for nothing. And i will just have to sell all bucks as is. No cutting or banding. If the folks want that done they can do it. One of mine almost bled out. No idea why. That was also done when we took them to get disbudded. The vet said she had never had one do that before.


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## oldhenlikesdogs (May 11, 2017)

cteague said:


> The disbudding made us sick. But my husband said he will do it from now on. No doubt. That way we dont spend all that money for nothing. And i will just have to sell all bucks as is. No cutting or banding. If the folks want that done they can do it. One of mine almost bled out. No idea why. That was also done when we took them to get disbudded. The vet said she had never had one do that before.


That happened during castration? You do need an iron stomach and hard heart to disbud kids. I personally have never tried. I bought the caustic paste once but could never use it.

I was happy when my Nigerian mixes suddenly started to be born polled, that was a nice surprise. I also had a fainter pop up. I no longer breed now. All wethers now.


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## cteague (May 11, 2017)

The bleeding yes. Vet had to clamp it 4 or 5 times to get it to stop.


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## oldhenlikesdogs (May 11, 2017)

Poor kid.


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