# Dehorned and weathered goats?



## neongirl83 (Nov 23, 2012)

Im looking for goats for sale and some adds say " dehorned and weathered." I would probably want a weathered goat because I dont want to milk a doe twice a day. Whats the advantages of weathered males and dehorned goats?


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## Goatherd (Nov 23, 2012)

A wethered or castrated male goat is rather different than an intact male or buck goat.  They tend to be more calm and friendly towards humans and often have behaviors and characteristics similar to a pet dog.  Of course there are exceptions to the rule.  
Some will say they don't have the odor that is often associated with a buck goat.

As far as horns are concerned that is a very personal decision that you have to make on your own.


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## neongirl83 (Nov 23, 2012)

Thank you! That really helped!


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## Catahoula (Nov 23, 2012)

Just want to add...if you want a goat without horns, get one that is already disbudded (meaning the horn buds were burned off before the horns actually grew). Just from my own experience...to dehorn a goat that has its horn is not something you would want to do. The procedure is painful to the goat and could leave the goat with large holes in its head which would require a long healing time. Meahwhile, you would have to keep the wound clean so the wound does not get infected. Of course, sometimes circumstances may come up where you have to dehorn a goat. Just want to give you a heads up...if you want a goat without horns, get one without horns.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Nov 23, 2012)

Catahoula said:
			
		

> Just want to add...if you want a goat without horns, get one that is already disbudded (meaning the horn buds were burned off before the horns actually grew). Just from my own experience...to dehorn a goat that has its horn is not something you would want to do. The procedure is painful to the goat and could leave the goat with large holes in its head which would require a long healing time. Meahwhile, you would have to keep the wound clean so the wound does not get infected. Of course, sometimes circumstances may come up where you have to dehorn a goat. Just want to give you a heads up...if you want a goat without horns, get one without horns.


I agree!! I will never get a goat that has been disbudded especially if it is a buck. imo if a goat was born with horn you better leave them on. There are SSSOOOO many issues with dibudded goats and in the end it is bad for the goat. Not so much with does but it can be very bad for bucks. For a buck scurs DO grow back and you must remove them because they will end up getting driven into their head either thru fighting, or the scurs will grow back into their head. It happens all the time too. Sometimes the scurs will grow around into eyes or necks, etc. So when the scurs become an issue you must remove them. Removing horns and scurs can be deadly and if it isn't it can be ugly. Sometimes they need to go into the sinuses and that leaves a huge hole in the goats head. Points is, get naturally polled goats if you want no horns. Again does, not as many issues but still can be and buck, you'll get issues.

I've had a buck that had his scurs smashed off by fighting thru a fence and now those scurs are again growing back. Thankfully he had small vessels and only bled a little. (if he had full vessels in his horn he very well could have bled to death) I was happy they broke off because those scurs were going to cost 300$ to remove. They were just starting to grow into his head. He and another buck fight and play fight and they both have scurs. They break and bleed all the time. I go out sometimes and they both have blood all over their heads, faces, and chests. The other buck gets his scurs busted into his head all the time. I think it's cruel to disbud bucks just because of the issues they have from it. It's quite sad actually.


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## Pearce Pastures (Nov 23, 2012)

Just another note, a doe will only need to be milked if you breed her and she gives birth.  

If you are looking just for pets though, a disbudded (which means the horn buds were burned off), wethered male would be a great companion.  I do disbud all of my goats and if it is done right, which takes experience and the right tool, the horns shouldn't grow back, but with males it is harder to prevent scurs.  Scurs are a pain and can be managed but they can break and bleed.    

As StrawHat Kikos mentioned, another option for you to look for is a polled goat, which means they are naturally hornless.  They are not too hard to find and then there is not worry about horns, removal, or scurs.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Nov 23, 2012)

Pearce Pastures said:
			
		

> Just another note, a doe will only need to be milked if you breed her and she gives birth.


I knew I was missing something. I was going to say that as long as the does isn't breed she won't give milk. lol But you still deal with screaming heats. lol


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## cityartfarm (Nov 28, 2012)

My doe has scurs and we trimmed them to about 2 inches.  The horns were growing into her neck.  Now that they are manageable, 
she can tolerate the queen bee in the pen.  Before trimming she would retreat to the corner if Verna came after her. (Mostly it's a food dominance) 
Now I want to trim Verna's too.  Any thoughts on trimming horns?  Trimming does not seem to be a problem for them albeit hard work with the wire...

The farm I got Pearl from had 6 or more botched disbudding...so sad.


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## that's*satyrical (Nov 28, 2012)

Also if you want super friendly you can get a bottle raised baby. My goats are still pretty friendly even dam raised but I have the time to spend with them every day. If you get a bottle raised they will be guaranteed to be friendly a good thing if all you want is an awesome pet. Oh and you will need to get 2.


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## Fullhousefarm (Nov 29, 2012)

If you're not in a hurry and don't want horns you could also try to find a naturaly polled goat. My daughter got a naturally polled wether from our neighbor as a companion for her dairy goat. (She has two naturally polled bucks and lots of the offspring are naturally polled.)  He was dam raised, but she visited him several time a week and is super friendly, and generally better mannered that her bottle-raised dairy doe. If you want a pet you do NOT want a buck. You can get a nice dairy wether for very inexpensive, and they will usually be disbudded if the owner shows or sells to anyone that does show.


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