# Dehorning and Disbudding horns that are growing back



## laadeebug (Aug 25, 2011)

I have a Nigerian Goat who was disbudded when he was about a week old. He is now 5 months old and I just realized that his horns are growing back. In fact they are about 1/2  to 3/4 inch high. What should I do about it? I prefer no horns for their safety. I read about tennis balls and things to put on but I really am not interested in that kind of stuff. Do I need to get it taken care of ASAP or how do I go about it?
I appreciate anyone's help.
Thanks


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## DonnaBelle (Aug 25, 2011)

I have several adult goats that were disbudded when 5 days old but now have small "horn buds".  As long as they don't grow back into the goats head, it's not a problem.

Sometimes if the disbudding procedure wasn't done there can be scurs.  They can just be lumps of horn, OR can grow in weird shapes which can circle back into the goat's head and cause problems.

I haven't had any scurs that were a problem.  Of course they don't look great, but I'm not entering any of my goats into a beauty contest so no problem.

I have seen pictures of scurs that grew out into a loop and pointed back down toward the head, that kind of situation should be addressed by a vet.

DonnaBelle


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## treeclimber233 (Aug 29, 2011)

How do you handle horns that are curled back into the skull.  My buck has that problem.


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## aubreynoramarie (Aug 29, 2011)

I had the same question. When I got my goats I was under the assumption that there would be no horns but my little wether already has about 1/4 inch horns. I do not want those to get any bigger  my little Doe has none at all.


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## kstaven (Aug 29, 2011)

treeclimber233 said:
			
		

> How do you handle horns that are curled back into the skull.  My buck has that problem.


They are going to have to be cut if they are turning back into the skull. I read things like this so often I am glad I made the decision to leave horns intact.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 30, 2011)

Keep in mind that many, many disbudded goats have little remnant scurs that only get 1/2-3/4 inch long and that's IT.  They don't continue to grow and they're easy to pop off.  If your kid's tiny scurs are loose you can sometimes wiggle them until they pop off or just leave them alone if they aren't continuing to grow.  It happens quite often and that type of scur is no big deal.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 30, 2011)

kstaven said:
			
		

> treeclimber233 said:
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When I read things like this it makes me so glad there are people who know how to disbud properly.


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## kstaven (Aug 30, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> kstaven said:
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Problem is they are in the minority.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 31, 2011)

Perhaps I'm just lucky, but I don't have any scurs in my herd.


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