Horns or no horns?????

[TXmom]

OK, here's the pic of my goat and his "Dunce Hat", as my husband calls it...

The 1"x2" stick is about a foot long, so it's way too big to fit in squares of the fence. It's also too big to fit in the pop door of the chicken coop...another big plus!

The other goat is either smarter, or his horns are too big to get into the fence...I'm not sure which...but he's only been stuck once and he never did it again.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Now that is CUTE!!! Love the eyes too.

He doesn't act like he minds his headgear. I wonder what the other goat thinks?

Thanks for sharing the pic.

LOVE the boers as much as the nubians except they get so much heavier. Anyone breeding mini boers so they look the same but smaller for us folks that would want them as pets and brush eaters and not dinner?

What would you get if you bred a boer buck to a nubian doe?

 

[TXmom]

Thanks, Sweet Cheeks. It's a good thing he's cute, or he would probably be dinner by now. I have to remind him of that OFTEN. We actually bought them as pets and brush goats to clear our yard, not for food, but I'm not making any promises there.

They actually are part Nubian...I believe 75% Boer, 25% Nubian.

He hated his headgearat first...he kept banging the stick on everything he could find, and the other goat even hooked his horns under it and tried pulling it off for him! He was only trying to be helpful

Now he's just used to it, or gave up trying to pull it off. We had to try several ways to secure it before we found one he couldn't remove. Those are hose clamps holding it on.

 

[AuroraSprings]

LOL That's the funniest thing I've ever seen done with horns. BackyardChickenForum-ers are some VERY inventive people.

As for "Horns or No Horns?"

I breed registered Pygmy goats and I'm dead-set on disbudding. I have two does that have horns. Sure - it keeps them cooler here in the dead of summer, but I'd trade anything to go back and disbud them. My oldest one (9 years, bless her heart) has been sick lately and I was attempting to administer some oral meds and between trying to hold her from backing up, hold between her horns so I don't get stabbed and hold her chin to make her swallow, I felt like I about died. I DID come out with a HUGE nasty bruise where she got me twice in the thigh, though. Most people would have put her in a stanchion, but she never stays put in one (tears it up with her horns) and she weighs about as much as I do and she's too stubborn to be put up there.

Basically, horns are more trouble than they are worth. ESPECIALLY on bucks! My recommendation would be to get disbudded babies and while they grow up, look for some to disbud THEIR babies when the time comes. And when it does, get them early!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:
What's wrong with using a box and what's with the ice? Sorry I've never heard anything negative said about using a box and also never heard of using ice

.

Hi Well first off sorry if I offened you or anybody else I just say it the way I see it.
I disagree with the use of a box because the kid is in there thrashing around you really can't tell how they are doing. As for the hand it could happen just as easy with a box because you still need to hold the head.
The way I do it is I put a mat down, kneel on the mat, fold the kids legs under it as if laying down, then hold the kid between hour knees/lower legs and GENTLY lower down to hold the kid in place. By doing this you can feel how the kid is doing and take a break if needed. Most make it just fine but I have had some that panic so much that we needed to take a little time out.
I have had people who have been disbudding for years watch me and say they are never using a box again.
I also only do about a 10 count take the iron off for a few seconds and do 10 more. By then the cap will usually pop off then I ice. Then I do the same for the final burn 10 10 then ice and check. When I am done I use blue cote with a duaber so I can control where it goes.
The ice helps to reduce possible complications from the heat of the iron. Like possible dain bramage!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

This "breeder" sounds crazy.

I've noticed many times people come up with crazy excuses if they've had a bad experience, laziness, or they're just plain crazy.

The idea that the disbudding changed the shape of the goats head is out there. Yes, they may "look" different shapes but it's more than likely an optical illusion from having or lacking horns.

Brain damage? Only if it is done wrong! Local goat breeder told me of a time a vet unexperienced with goats went to disbud a new goat owners kids and used a cattled iron. Burned the kid so long and hard that the kid actually DIED. So yes, I can see if it was done WRONG it would cause brain damage. Other than that it just sounds like an excuse. We often make silly excuses and comparisons, at one time I had 10 horses and 2 of them were pains in the rear, both of them were white. Hubby and I always joked "Never gonna buy another white horse again!". At least we were joking in our silliness. This lady could have had the same thing happen, had a herd of horned goats and a couple polled and the hornless were just idiots and she came up with some crazy theory as to why the hornless were so stupid.

The kids do tend to scream murder during disbudding. Disbudding is not a pretty thing and I'm sure most goat owners loathe doing it, but the long run advantages outweigh the short term discomfort.