Banding Horns

[Susyr22]

I recently purchased a 7 month old dairy doe with horns. I have banded them with castrator bands and wrapped electrical tape around the bands to keep them in place. its been about a week. I checked them out today and I hardly see any difference. Looks like the bands barely made a mark. So I replaced the bands with fresh ones. How long does this usually take? Someone told me two weeks, but I can't see it working in that short amount of time. The reason I am banding her is because she is agressive and likes to use her horns on my other doe's. I'm afraid of her damaging my milk goats udders

 

[helmstead]

It takes 30 days to several months. Replace the bands every 30 days. There's a whole article on this on my husband's website (link in my signature).

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Pleas let us know how it progresses, I'm interested but nervous of doing my goats, all 4 have horns. We are going into fly season here so I won't be looking at doing mine for 6 months or so.

 

[DKRabbitry]

I'm interested but nervous of doing my goats

Ditto here. I have some very nice lamanchas that look beautiful with their horns, BUT I know eventually I may have issues with one of them, sooooo... I know the option is there, I am just worried it will hurt them. I am also kind of nervous about learning to disbud kids come spring :/

That is a nice article helmstead. Do you have any photos of what it looks like when they get closer to falling off and after they have fallen off?

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Ditto on the disbudding here. I don't have the tools to do it so I'm hoping the lady I know with goats will be kind enough to show me how it's done. Read: I desperately hope she'll do them for me this round.

I'm also curious how long it takes them to grow enough horn back to be a nuisance after banding.

 

[helmstead]

Ditto on the disbudding here. I don't have the tools to do it so I'm hoping the lady I know with goats will be kind enough to show me how it's done. Read: I desperately hope she'll do them for me this round.

I'm also curious how long it takes them to grow enough horn back to be a nuisance after banding.

They don't ever grow back to be a nuisance. They might be up to an inch long little nubs if you don't get the bands low enough, but nothing that's an issue. We've dehorned about 30 goats to date using this method.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Oh cool, thank you! I assumed over time they'd grow a lot more than that. Looks like my goats might have a date with the bander in about 6 months.

 

[Susyr22]

Awesome, Thanks! Ive seen some pics online here is a couple of links.


http://www.goatworld.com/articles/disbudding/dehorning.shtml


http://www.littlecudchewers.com/Dehorning Older Goats.htm


I think I might try double banding to see it that helps. Always nice to get different opinions, as I get different answers online on how long it will take. My doe doesn't seem to be in any discomfort at all like they say they will be when you first put the bands on. Maybe its because she is young and her horns aren't super hard yet/. I dunno
Good Luck to you all.

 

[Chaty]

I have banded a few horns and be aware that if she butts something when they get to working thru the horn it can and will break and bleed...ALOT! White goats with bloody horn looks like a big mess. Some dont bleed but some do. I have used this before on goats I have aquired as I dont have horns. I disbud mine as its easier to do it this way for a few seconds than deal with a grown goat that has been hurt from a horn fighting or killed stuck in a fence. If the horn grows back it usually dont get very long and is very weak and sometmes breaks off easily. Good luck and shave the area around the horn base before you put the band on as it pulls really bad when dont without shaving the hair off. It can take months for it to work or just a week or 2, very unpredictable when they fall off. I dont remove the bands once they are on as it really hurts even if it looks like it isnt working.

 

[BlackWatchLady]

We banded our two babies... I would rather have disbuded them since it is quicker. But we still don't have a disbudding iron. I can try and get some pics of ours. One has lost one horn, but I don't know how "normal" it is. It sort of "degloved".. The horn came off, leaving something there.

I need to talk the DH into an iron, before the doe I think will be kidding in Nov or Dec has her kid or kids!