Is there any way to prevent scurs?

[goatbarn25]

I have a mini alpine buckling born February 11th, and we disbudded him and his sister at 3 weeks old. I know that it was later then it should have been, but I forgot that we were going to dehorn the babies until they were already 3 weeks old. We burned them off the best we could. The doelings horns are gone, and haven't shown any signs of growth. The buckling is another story...his started to grow back around the edges, so yesterday we tried to reburn them. I don't believe that we stopped the growth, since they were already so big. Is there anything that we can do so that he doesn't get scurs? There is the Dehorner Paste that you can buy. but it says to put it on when they are 10 days old or younger. Do you think it would pay to try the paste? Or is this just a hopeless case? Thanks

 

[Mini Horses]

Personally, I'd not try that paste now...or ever really. Bucklings need a larger area worked at disbudding. You'll know for future. Generally the scurs that are "edges" work off easily once a little larger. A little bleeding. Got a close up pic?

 

[goatbarn25]

I was going to take a picture when I went out to the barn this evening, but forgot, so I will post a picture Monday. So you said that the scurs that were the edges would work off easily once bigger, do you mean easily burnt off, or would they come off by themselves? I am sorta new to this all, so I appreciate your help

 

[Mini Horses]

Not burn off but, they often rub them off. All depends on how much horn tissue is there. If it's thin and like a ring, or if a larger area and thicker horn. Hard to say without seeing or even suggesting what to do. He's 6 wks old now.

 

[Ridgetop]

Don't bother trying to reburn them. Next time you will know to do a wider disbudding job to avoid scurs. If the scurs grow out they will not be actual horns. Instead, they will be thin pieces of horn. Often, they are flexible, and you can cut them off with a clipper. They shouldn't have any blood vessels in them. If they do bleed when you clip them off, or when the buckling knocks the off, just sprinkle Blood Stop powder on them. If you don't have any Blood Stop, you can use flour to stop the bleeding.

Are you keeping him as a buck or are you planning to band him?

 

[goatbarn25]

I plan on keeping him, and I will band him soon. I also have never banded a goat before, is 8 weeks old about right for banding him? I watched some videos online, so I should be able to get it figured out otherwise.

The one picture is highlighted where his horns were growing back before, and the other is what his horns look like as of today. Once his scurs are big, and if they were to get knocked off or I were to cut them off, will they continue to grow, or will they eventually stop?

 

[goats&sheep19]

. I also have never banded a goat before, is 8 weeks old about right for banding him? I watched some videos online, so I should be able to get it figured out otherwise.

That is around the exact time I do it; I like to leave it as long as I can, without his 'bits' getting too big to fit though the band.
It helps a lot to have a second person to help hold on to him.
Just make sure you have both testicles on the correct side of the band.

 

[goatbarn25]

Okay, thanks

 

[Ridgetop]

That is around the exact time I do it; I like to leave it as long as I can, without his 'bits' getting too big to fit though the band.
It helps a lot to have a second person to help hold on to him.
Just make sure you have both testicles on the correct side of the band.

And make sure you don't catch the urethra tube in the band. Make sure he pees some time after he is banded. If he has not had his CDT shot, make sure to give him one.

If his scurs grow back, and he keeps knocking them off, eventually they will probably stop growing.