Horns Growing into head

[Sheepshape]

Just curiosity,really. I have a very large ram who has horns which relentlessly grow into the sides of his head. Every couple of months I have the 'doubtful honour' of taking the 'cheese wire' and cutting them off. this is followed by brisk blood loss which I stem with a tight pad, a bit of bandage and then Vetwrap. These fall off after about a week.

Anyone else have this problem and what do you do?

 

[Roving Jacobs]

Are you just cutting off the part that's cutting in or the whole horn? If its been a continuous problem at this point I would just remove the whole horn either with the wire saw and then cauterizing the base with a disbudding iron or look up how to use castration bands to remove the horn. Having a vet out to remove them would probably be the best idea since he's older and it's going to be a bigger deal than snipping some scurs off a little one.

 

[Southern by choice]

I agree, better to just have them removed. We had our goat's horns removed for other reasons but it was well worth it.
I would wait til fall however, because of fly strike. It really wasn't that big of a deal to change the dressings etc.

 

[Sheepshape]

I'm used to polled sheep,but this guy has grown horns. I'm pretty nifty with the cheese wire now,so probably best to wait until the cooler weather and to take the whole horns.He has a huge head,so I'll get hubby to 'muscle up' a bit before then!
He may go to market before then,and the problem will no longer be mine....but I'm much more likely to deal with it before he goes than to leave it to whoever takes him on.

 

[mysunwolf]

Yeah, we have a ram like that. We just repeatedly trim the tip when we do feet trimming. I guess it would depend on how big/thick the horns are.

 

[goatboy1973]

I'd wait til cooler weather and use the castrator bands to get the horn off.

 

[Bossroo]

Just wait until the bleeding heart animal rights group start harassing you by circling around you like buzzards on a road kill.
So, before that occurs, just do the permanent cure and send this ram to freezer camp.

 

[Sheepshape]

NO freezer camp for me....strict vegetarian. The ram gets his horns regularly trimmed and is at no risk of any group shouting 'animal neglect/cruelty'.

He was seen by a local sheep farmer today who thinks he is a very good breeding ram,so he'll either get a full 'horn removal' or advise new owner re regular trimming (probably the former to ensure that the problem is resolved)


So goatboy1973.. I think you're probably right, but this guy has the biggest,thickest horns possible....will the bands be enough? (Oh and as an 'animal softy' I don't castrate either,so do the bands come in super strength???).

I'll take a pic of the ram....newly sheared.

 

[goatboy1973]

If his horns are that big, the castrator bands will not work. This sounds like a surgical procedure but if he tolerates regular trims and he is easily caught, then I would just trim. Goats generally do not tolerate anesthesia that well.

 

[Southern by choice]

If his horns are that big, the castrator bands will not work. This sounds like a surgical procedure but if he tolerates regular trims and he is easily caught, then I would just trim. Goats generally do not tolerate anesthesia that well.

With the dehorning we assisted in the procedure with our vet. A sedative is given but they are NOT knocked out completely, also a nerve block is given. You need the goat to have a little resistance.
I know this is a sheep but same thing goes.
As far as anesthesia there are so many vets that are just not good with anesthetizing goats and you hear this alot.
Truth is in Europe all disbuddings are done with anesthesia.
All of our goat kids are sedated and given nerve block for disbudding. We have also had to have scurs removed that amounted to more of a dehorning and we had a mature doe dehorned. No problems with any of our kids or any of our goats being sedated. Some of these goats are 4-5 lbs.
The area that is removed needs to be cauterized. So a hot iron is needed. I would not attempt this with any ram that was not sedated. Even under sedation they are strong and will take 2 people to hold.