Do You Disbud Your Kids?

[GLENMAR]

We disbud all of ours. We have registered Nubians. I don't normally show, but may end up selling a goat to someone who wants to. When we bought the goats there was never any question in my mind that we would be disbudding. That was one of the first things that I had the breeder show us how to do. I now do several every year for other goat people.

 

[babsbag]

I disbud mine, including most of the boys. If they are going to go as pets most people want the horns off; if they are going in a ADGA show no horns so it is a pretty easy choice. I have raised Boers and the horns stay as they had to if they were showing, unless they were fair market wethers, then for safety the horns had to be gone.

Once you find a dead goat in a fence that was caught by her horns and spent the day there in 100°+ degree weather you might think twice about disbudding. Or find one stuck in the fork in a tree. It is amazing where they can get stuck; even with 2x4 no climb wire I have them get stuck in other places.

No horns here. Also dairy goats' udders appreciate their herd mates no having horns.

My fences and my feeders appreciate no horms.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

X a million!

My first goat death was a horned doe who got hung in a hay bag, got it twisted around her neck and must have died a horrible death.... Never bought another horned goat and learned to disbud immediately thereafter!

Oh, and taking a blow to the knee cap by a horned buck wasn't any fun either!

 

[babsbag]

I will say that on my Boer buck the horns make a great steering wheel. It is actually very easy to control a goat with horns but I still prefer no horns. Also the Boers' horns grow a little closer to the skull than the dairy breeds and they don't seem to get the stuck as readily. That being said, when they DO get stuck, the are really really stuck. I have a feeder that I built with panels from Premier1 and the openings are 3x5 and one of my Boers got a horn wedged in it and thought I was going to have to cut the panel. I got her out and fortunately she didn't break her neck thrashing about, she was panicked...for that matter I was too.

 

[Valais]

Further reading:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/goats-horns-or-no-horns.aspx
https://pt-br.facebook.com/EskKikoGoats/posts/128989643968176
http://goatberries.com/2011/03/horns-or-no-horns-on-goats-which-is-better/
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/heatstress.html

I think the main points on both sides of the fence, are that disbudding is done for safety reasons, both for the safety of the goat, and the safety of the humans. Additionally, in the United States, it is done for the purpose of showmanship.

On the flip side, people against disbudding argue that freak accidents are bound to happen, whether a goat has horns or not. Proper atmosphere and handling will decrease the chances of any incident occurring, and horns are not only a beautiful part of a goat, but they are natural defense against heat exhaustion, and a defense mechanism against predators.

I would agree, that whenever possible, we should not be removing parts of an animal, unless deemed absolutely necessary. It seems they general consensus is split, with disbudding primarily being common practice in the United States.

 

[Sweetened]

I will say i had a goat who i took out of a fence 26 times in one day. My other horned goats trained with a stick of shame (dowel or stick strapped to their horns to make them wider), but not that goat. As with all my horned girls who have ever been stuck, they dont panic, they just hang out and wait, because they know ill get them.

I think goats lacking horn awareness is something that has been bred in from lack of selection for animals who have that sense. I look at it almost like Nubians having lost their mothering instinct in our area due to the CAE prevention program. Animals who are crap mothers are not doscovered because theopportunity isnt there and it perpetuates a cycle.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Horns are amazingly pretty. A nearby farmer who I don't know has a huge fenced in wood lot and has what I think may be Spanish goats (hard to get a good look because they are not often near the road and it is a very big area they are in). They are magnificent!

But I do disbud. Why?

I have been stabbed in the thigh with those horns.
I have left them on and have to fish them out of the fence daily.
I have had close friends lose their goats after getting caught in a fence despite their attempts to keep them out.
I have heard of people with mixed herds who have had serious injuries to animals due to those with horns.
I have small children (mine, neighbors, nieces, nephews) who love to play with the goats and it would only take an accidental toss of the head to lose an eye.
I milk and horn are a pain when it comes time to put them in a stand.

I don't at all judge the reasons others give for keeping them but for me, it is a trade off. I will feed them, maintain their health, protect them from predators, and give them lots of love---but I don't want to deal with the risk or hassle of horns when the procedure is very quick and done.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

And just for a laugh---the "bumble bee" goat who stabbed my leg. Yup. Golf balls drilled out in the center and attached with colorful electrical tape.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

The golf balls of shame.....

 

[Valais]

I am surprised you manage to keep those golf balls on. I would have expected them to be rubbed off in a matter of hours, haha.