why do yall??

ozark_jewels · #41 01/28/07, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stanb999

With min. input and work. Think grass fed beef, free range chickens, or pork pasture raised.

I agree with you on the above practices....in some situations. And I did *not* bash you either.

stanb999 · #42 01/28/07, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

I agree with you on the above practices....in some situations. And I did *not* bash you either.

I know it was others.

okgoatgal2 · #43 01/28/07, 07:47 AM

i disbud. one year, i didn't, and my son who was a tall 8yo was feeding the goats in the pasture, and one of the young wethers (4-5 mo) stabbed him an inch below his eye with the horn. my mistake was not disbudding those males b/c they were destined for the freezer.

this year, i got 3 wethers in a trade deal that weren't disbudded. a couple of weeks ago, i was moving one of them into a pen with the littlest does, so he could eat better-he's much smaller-and he tossed his head up as i bent over him and stabbed me in the eye. there was a hole in my eye, way down where the bottom lid meets the eyeball. i couldn't see the rest of the day-and it hurt everytime i blinked for 3 days-the eyeball was scratched. for this very reason, horned goats have no place on my place after these are sent to the butcher.

maybe those people in your pic just don't know they CAN disbud? maybe they don't have the equipment?

disbudding hurts for a few minutes, but i can tell you they don't think about it for long-soon as they get that bottle or that teat they forget what the mean humans did to them-they certainly aren't made afraid of us.

Key · #44 01/28/07, 08:12 AM

Again, it is a personal choice, but disbudding is a must on my farm. Two different times, goats found a hole in the woven fence just large enough to stcik their horned heads through....and you can imagine the condition I found them in....Disbudding is also a choice we make becasue we have small children in with the goats daily.
I agree totally with Emily that browsing goats is imperative. Hay and grain fill the nutritional gaps in my goats' diet during the winter. My goats seek out trees, shrubs, bushes, etc, and I think the execerice they get from walking the pasture keeps them muscular and sleek. Some are trying to put them in tiny pens in our backyards. We all make personal choices about our goats that may not be popular with other owners.
I hate seeing anything in pain, and I do not look forward to the couple of minutes that it takes me to do about a dozen kids each year. I personally feel like this practice is the healthy choice for my herd. Plus, local 4-Hers cannot show a goat with horns, and I've found they take wonderful care of thier animals.

ozark_jewels · #45 01/28/07, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Key

I personally feel like this practice is the healthy choice for my herd.

Yes, I look at it as "short term pain for long term gain".

hornless · #46 01/28/07, 09:00 AM

My neighbor had a horned Nubian, pregnant, that stuck her head through the fence and broke her neck-it was awful. That was awhile ago and is a main reaon of why I disbud.

DocM · #47 01/28/07, 09:55 AM

Nobody bashed Stan, he was the one who came in with his fists up countering that any idea other than his was "crap". To read this series of postings and think otherwise is ludicrous. Truly. I wouldn't disagree that there are plenty of practices available to goat owners, but to say that disbudding is patently wrong (which stan has said over and over) is where the problem lies - it isn't wrong. I don't give two shakes if he raises horned goats all together in a pasture - and nobody here told him he couldn't do it that way. But if he's going to go on and on about how anyone else does it (disbudding, castration, and separation) and that its wrong and "unnatural", he better put on his rhino skin and expect that most breeders and showmen are going to disagree, strongly.

Patty0315 · #48 01/28/07, 11:04 AM

Years ago goats were not kept as they are now. Horned goats are fine when you have 100's of a of land . When you need not worry about fence lines. When they are out on 100's of a they dont want to cuddle anyways.

I do not have bloody fights with my girls or boys. They have no horns ! I will not take the chance of a 400.00 animal getting it's head stuck in a fence and dieing. I will not take the chance of my children or I getting stabbed by accident. I will not take the chance of my guard dog or donkey getting stabbed either.

I choose to wether the extras and sell or eat them. I do not want them breeding at will. I do not want to loose a young doeling becuase she was bred to early.

I do not want to be known as the crazy goat lady who has no clue who belongs to who.
I have spent alot of money to get good bloodlines and lots of milk . I owe it to myself , my family and my goats to raise them in the safest most humane way possible. To insure there safety and well being as well as ours. To me this means no horns . This also means to wether all but the top males. Not only does it reduce fighting for the girls but it insures only the best will be breeding.

Patty

AllWolf · #49 01/28/07, 02:08 PM

Question on disbudding. I have a little buck he is almost 4 months old and has horns is it still safe to get his horns taken off?

ozark_jewels · #50 01/28/07, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllWolf

Question on disbudding. I have a little buck he is almost 4 months old and has horns is it still safe to get his horns taken off?

You won't be able to disbudd him. You will have to band his horns, have them surgically removed or if they are not that big yet(what breed is he??, if he is a dairy breed his horns will be big at four months), you can cut them off with loppers and cauterize with a disbudding iron(not reccomended for beginners!!). I have used all methods mentioned except the banding. I hope to *never* use the lopper and cauterize method again. It worked fine, but too much blood for me. It was on someone elses goats.....I told them I'd disbudd for free next time as long as we did it before they were a week old!

southerngurl · #51 01/28/07, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Goats should be raised as a family herd young,old and male,female all together. Let them breed as they will. Only the healthiest and strongest bucks should mate (they will decide who.). You get only one milking a day.

But doesn't the milk taste like buck?

LOL, we got some goat milk that had some goaty flavor in it due to it being milked in one side of the barn, and the herd's shelter being the other side of the barn. My cousin said it tasted like you took a drink of milk, and then bit a goat. LOL It was a pretty accurate desciption. I could drink it, but not near as good as nice clean tasting milk.

ozark_jewels · #52 01/28/07, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southerngurl

But doesn't the milk taste like buck?

I have never had goat milk taste bucky when running bucks with does. That is usually due to unclean milking practices, not straining and cooling fast enough, or a sick or wormy doe.

AllWolf · #53 01/28/07, 05:40 PM

He is a little pygmy and was wondering if I cna get his horns taken care of before he got a little older. I didn't know weather to call it disbud or dehorn because he will be my very first goat being done that way. Everyone else I have had already been disbudded when I got them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

You won't be able to disbudd him. You will have to band his horns, have them surgically removed or if they are not that big yet(what breed is he??, if he is a dairy breed his horns will be big at four months), you can cut them off with loppers and cauterize with a disbudding iron(not reccomended for beginners!!). I have used all methods mentioned except the banding. I hope to *never* use the lopper and cauterize method again. It worked fine, but too much blood for me. It was on someone elses goats.....I told them I'd disbudd for free next time as long as we did it before they were a week old!

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #54 01/29/07, 01:45 PM

Allwolf, a vet would lop them off, pull the bleeders, and bring him back into the waiting room fine

I don't let folks watch me, especially because you would panic with what would be a very normal amount of blood from a procedure like this. Remember the first time I had an older buck castrated! I mean she 9my vet) just stood there spraying him with furox and let him drip blood! She didn't know that I was standing their freakin! He was fine, didn't even miss his next meal.

Vicki

susanne · #55 01/29/07, 02:04 PM

i love the look from goats with horns.
i saw a picture from a girgantana goat last week. this goat is raised in sicilia mainly for milk and meat.
why do yall?? - Goats

in germany it is not allowed to disbud the goats and people have adjusted to it.
my goats are all disbudded because it is convinient for me. is it the best for the animal? who cares

mare · #56 01/29/07, 09:17 PM

[QUOTE=susanne]i love the look from goats with horns.
i saw a picture from a girgantana goat last week. this goat is raised in sicilia mainly for milk and meat.
why do yall?? - Goats

kinda makes ya wonder how he holds his head up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sher · #57 01/31/07, 04:27 PM

My first three milk girls were disbudded. The rest of my goats are boer and boer crosses..they all have their horns. I prefer them on.

We really have never had problems with the older goats and their horns. We always give the young ones "room" when handling them so as to not get whacked. Its a rare thing that we would grab a horn for something.

We have only castrated two goats..Red and Black..they have been with us a long time..they too still have their horns. They live with the horse and some Dexters. Most of the horns seem to flow back and do not stick up. The little bucks go to market between 2-4 months old. So we do not castrate them.

I guess I'm kind of a throw back..lol..but it works here. I really don't see a problem either way..everyone usually has a reason for what they do or don't do..and it usually fits their situation to a tee.