The new babies have arrived!!! Pictures/Questions.

[Missy]

Yoda is a little more active than Worf, which is funny since the day I brought them home it was the opposite. Yoda loves to chase the kids around where as Worf always wants me to hold him. I am not sure what kind of socialization they had before me, but they really want attention now. I am contimplating going and getting a couple more. Trying to decide if I want to pay the 25 dollars for a couple of doelings, or the 10 dollars for a couple more bucklings.....

Worf has bigger horn nubs then Yoda does. but they both have bumps.

 

[kstaven]

I have been trying to weigh the positives against the negatives. In my opinion, the positives for keeping the horns out weigh the negatives of keeping them. The neutering is not in question. It will be done.

They had the bucklings on whole cows milk and I got some to bring home with me. Yoda is content to drink the milk from a dish. Worf, not so much. bottles were the one thing I did not get however her has been doing very well with a sports bottle licking it as I gently squeeze, or sucking it from a dish as long as my finger is in place and he can attempt to latch onto it

Band them at 10 weeks or you may not be able to.

As far as horns go ... We run a dairy and don't remove horns. But having said this we live in a mountain region where they have lots of opportunities to rub, and run. Personally I don't feel it is a safety issue as much as convenience for dairies that really pushed the disbudding routine. 99 times out of 100 you find bored goats or those in confined quarters are the problem children when it comes to horns. All our buildings including the house are cedar sided and you will not find a mark on them from the goats. But you will find many marks on some of the trees up the hill.

 

[Roll farms]

I have a mixed meat / dairy herd.
A 200# horned boer doe hitting a 100# Ob doe over a scuffle at the feeder isn't pretty. And a 250# boer buck hitting a doe he doesn't like can be fatal.

We had a kiko buck that destroyed anything and everything he could...if it'd dent / bust / bend on his horns, he did it for fun. Didn't matter that he had 3/4 acre pasture to himself...he just liked to tear stuff up.

Last year a horned boer buck (the same one who killed a doe) decided that he wanted his neighbor buck's does. He destroyed a welded wire gate (rammed it repeatedly) until it buckled so that he could get into the other pen. It's a gate meant to hold cattle...he turned it into scrap metal.

Great for those who have horned goats and no problems. I'm just not that lucky.

 

[Ms. Research]

I have a mixed meat / dairy herd.
A 200# horned boer doe hitting a 100# Ob doe over a scuffle at the feeder isn't pretty. And a 250# boer buck hitting a doe he doesn't like can be fatal.

We had a kiko buck that destroyed anything and everything he could...if it'd dent / bust / bend on his horns, he did it for fun. Didn't matter that he had 3/4 acre pasture to himself...he just liked to tear stuff up.

Last year a horned boer buck (the same one who killed a doe) decided that he wanted his neighbor buck's does. He destroyed a welded wire gate (rammed it repeatedly) until it buckled so that he could get into the other pen. It's a gate meant to hold cattle...he turned it into scrap metal.

Great for those who have horned goats and no problems. I'm just not that lucky.

I've been reading this thread regarding the Horns vs Debudding, and I have to agree with Rolls. Glad some don't have problems, but sometimes luck runs out and now you have an animal that might hurt (intentionally or unintentionally). I'd rather be safe than sorry. Though you might think it cruel, or believe you are taking away the Natural instinct of a goat, you can find ways to help with that natural instinct without the horns (might be a little extra work on your part), and you will be able to safely take care of your animals.


Just my opinion.

 

[Goatherd]

I'd rather be safe than sorry. Though you might think it cruel, or believe you are taking away the Natural instinct of a goat, you can find ways to help with that natural instinct without the horns (might be a little extra work on your part), and you will be able to safely take care of your animals.

Really?

 

[LittleDarlings]

Both of my little ones came with horns intact. I have a ND buck and a Pygmy doe. I still haven't decided if any of their kids will be disbudded. It is definitely great to get both sides of the fence with all the info. Thanks!!

 

[LittleDarlings]

Ooops! To the OP, your babies are adorable!!

 

[Becky]

Those kids are adorable!!!

 

[Missy]

It was a very very bad day here. I came home from work to find little worf looking a bit lethargic. I fed him and he perked up a bit. So I thought nothing of it. I went back to VT and got 2 little doelings-I just couldn't help it Anyways, I got back home and noticed that Worf looked worse. He was laying on his side and would not get up. Within a couple hours and about 5 dozen phone calls, he had raspy breathing. I packed him up and brought him to an old friend of mine who raised goats for 40 years before retiring. She said he was either malnutrioned(sp) and dehydrated(he had runny stools when I got him, I when I asked about it, I was told it was from stress and change of food), or he had pneumonia. I brought him home, within an hour he died.

Then I received a phone call from the lady who breeds the goats notifying me that she noticed some yellow/green soft stools from some of her kids and they had a bacteria infection. I am going down tommorrow morning first thing to get some medication for it to treat the 3 kids I have left. She said when it is all cleared up with her kids, she will replace any that I lost. Very depressing for the kids.

 

[Ms. Research]

I'd rather be safe than sorry. Though you might think it cruel, or believe you are taking away the Natural instinct of a goat, you can find ways to help with that natural instinct without the horns (might be a little extra work on your part), and you will be able to safely take care of your animals.

Really?

Yes really. I think it's cruel to dock a dog's tail or ears just because someone thinks it's the way a dog should look. Doesn't affect his natural instinct. So why if you remove a goat's horns, not to make it look good, but to make it safe for both you and the goat, would it remove their natural instinct? They still like to rub their heads and play fight. They still like to run and jump. To help with their natural instincts, you give them things to climb, place to graze, etc. I've read so much that shows how you can make your goat's life comfortable and complete. Not one person, in any article I've read, said if you remove the horns, the goat will lose everything and all natural instincts will complete go away.

Livestock is completely different than a dog or cat, domestic animals. Livestock CAN hurt you worse than some domestic animals. Maybe I recognize this. Maybe I think that I am being responsible raising a goat without horns. I know they can hurt in other ways, because I'm not naive, but taking away that one weapon would help my odds on not getting hurt.

Maybe one day, after some hands-on experience, I'll consider my thought on horns. Still won't dock a dog's tail or ears.

For those who live with horns, good for you, they are magnificent looking animals. For those who don't, I'm right there with you. Either way, no one should take owning any livestock lightly.

Just my opinion.