Dehorning Nigerian Dwarf Goats

[MissPeep]

Hi all!
I am new to owning goats this year and everyone in my herd was disbudded at a young age by the breeders. I’ve found a doe that is lovely, but she wasn’t disbudded. Is it too late to do anything about her tiny horns? I’m not sure it would be safe to have one horned goat. Thoughts?

 

[Callender Girl]

She's beautiful, looks a lot like my late Dora. My experience has always been the opposite; my goats come with horns and the ONE girl I had who had been disbudded and the ONE disbudded wether both suffered for not having protection.

I think if disbudding isn't done at a very early age, it's not a good idea. If you choose to get her disbudded, I would certainly check with a vet who knows a lot about goats.

Again, she's lovely!

 

[MissPeep]

She's beautiful, looks a lot like my late Dora. My experience has always been the opposite; my goats come with horns and the ONE girl I had who had been disbudded and the ONE disbudded wether both suffered for not having protection.

I think if disbudding isn't done at a very early age, it's not a good idea. If you choose to get her disbudded, I would certainly check with a vet who knows a lot about goats.

Again, she's lovely!

Did you have any problems mixing horned and disbudded goats?

 

[Callender Girl]

I did. The problem was that even disbudded goats get and give head butts. According to my vet, poor Gordie -- one of my original herd -- eventually died because he had been violently hit so many times by the horned goats that it damaged his spinal cord.

My only other disbudded goat, Daisy, mostly tried to avoid being hit. Daisy was a sweet, gentle girl. She died of a respiratory issue, not because of her horned herd mates.

When I got my first goat, Rocky was a just a few days old. I had intended to chemically disbud him because I kept hearing that goats SHOULD be disbudded. When I read the label on the chemical, how it burned and how I should be careful not to get it into his eyes and blind him, I decided that goats who are born with horns should have horns. That's just me.

Although I've gotten goats that have been disbudded, I would never do that to one of my own. But, I know a lot of people have a different view point.

 

[Fancy228]

Hi all!
I am new to owning goats this year and everyone in my herd was disbudded at a young age by the breeders. I’ve found a doe that is lovely, but she wasn’t disbudded. Is it too late to do anything about her tiny horns? I’m not sure it would be safe to have one horned goat. Thoughts?

Did you get her disbudded? If you did, did you have to wait until her horns were done growing?

 

[cassie]

You should probably have the vet do it. If you have a dehorning iron I could tell you how to take the horns off yourself even at this point. Personally, I am no fan of horns for any number of reasons. Horned goats can and do injure people and each other, particularly if the points are sharp. I also had them get their horns caught in fences and feeders.

 

[cassie]

Did you get her disbudded? If you did, did you have to wait until her horns were done growing?

Horns never get done growing. They will continue to grow throughout the life of the animal.