# Goats with horns and Head butting



## Gallidaihia (Jun 15, 2013)

Hi, I am a new goat owner but a long time admirer. I recently bought my first 4 goats, all babies. They have gone from being completely wild to thinking I am the greatest thing since sliced bread. (I've decide nothing is better for the ego than bottle fed goats. My herd consists of one full Nubian, one Saanen Nubian cross and 2 kInders. The first two I bought from a farm that had them dehorned, the Kinders I bought from a friend who did not have them dehorned. I was in the process of moving cross country when i got them and ended up not getting them dehorned, they are 9 weeks and 11 weeks old. they are going to be pastured goats and i have read diffrent things, I am down in Arizona where predators can be a problem so I have read that they are better off with horns (I do intend to get a lgd). Other than being dairy animals the girls will also be farm based therapy animals. Ive read that it is not to late to have them sawed off, but I dont know if it is worth it or not. What are your guyses opinions?

I also had a questions about head butting, Ive been around wonderful goats that would never think about butting and I also had a friend who had goat that would get you any time your back was turned. I have a young daughter and I want to make sure my goats dont get into that habbit, Ive trained lots of horses and dogs but not goats, how do I handle them so this does not become an issue?

thank you


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## michickenwrangler (Jun 15, 2013)

I have horned goats and daughters too (biological and step, current ages 10 and 8). We have a rule that they are not allowed in with goats--horned or otherwise--unless an adult is nearby.

Horned or disbudded, I have never had an issue with head-butting humans. Sure, they slam into one another but they seem to know that humans are off limits. That being said, one of my does, if I handle her kids and they start bawling, she will bite me. But never a head butt. I've been around horses and dogs my whole life too and I'm used to asserting myself as "alpha" around animals. If your goats know that you are in charge, they will respect you.

This afternoon, I was in my dry doe pen building a hay rack. My buck is in with them too. My little Alpine/Boer came trotting over to say hi when the buck ran up and just SLAMMED into her, knocking her at least 3 feet sideways. Then he came over to me, polite as can be, wanting the spot between his horns rubbed. It did cross my mind what would happen to me if I gt caught in the crossfire, but other than occasionally coming over to chew in the drill, they didn't do a whole lot.

I would not get horns sawed off unless there was a good reason for it. Example, our 4-H leader has a mixed herd of horns and hornless. One Boer cross doe of his was disbudded ... kinda. She has some horrible scurs. One curled around her ear and almost cut off circulation. The other stuck out sideways and was impaling other goats by accident. He decided it was safer to have a vet remove her scurs. Even at the risk of her bleeding to death, it was still better to lose one than to have her injure many. The vet did a pretty good job of removing the horn (she had to scoop out the horn bud) and the doe is fine.

However, taking your goats as therapy animals, I would be leary of horns around civilians. It's one thing if you and your family are used to the goats and the horns, but you don't want someone to lean over and inadvertently get poked in the face or get a hand pinched when a goat moves its head or get knocked over when someone being friendly scratches the goat in their itchy spot and they decide to use said human for a scratching post.


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