Dehorning question

[Jillis]

I went to look at 2 four month old Nubian-Alpine cross does yesterday. The owner has a horse barn. He had got the goats as pets for his grandkids but is expanding and needs the stall they are in, so he was selling them cheap. He knows NOTHING about goats. These two were really nice looking girls---nice conformation, udders, and good temperaments. Unfortunately, they had not been disbudded and they each have a 5 inch set of horns on their heads. He was only asking $30.00 apiece!!! I would like to get them, but I won't have horned goats in my herd. Can anyone tell me what is involved in dehorning at this age, adn if it is expensive? TIA!
Blessings, Jillis!

[mary,tx]

You might call your local vet to see if they do surgical dehorning. A friend of mine had it done with a doe when the disbudding didn't work. She told me is cost around $75, I think. It worked out well for her.
Others have had success with banding the horns, and there is a website somewhere that shows how to do it. I have not had success with it, and a vet friend told me once that people bring their goats in with abcesses and problems after they have tried it.
mary

[Jillis]

Thanks Mary! I have decided not to do it. I did call the vet and it would end up being to costly per goat to make it worth my while. Too bad! They were nice girls...
Blessings, Jillis

[Dee]

Some people band older goats. There was a whole thing on it in another forum

http://www.greatgoats.com/articles/dehorning.html

If they are that nice, maybe you can give it a go. Good luck.

[6e]

I don't know if I would ever try that banding thing to dehorn. We bought 2 Boer does from this woman that had tried banding to dehorn their goats and now the horns are growing back in, but they're growing back in all deformed and the one's horn is going to curl right back into the top of her head and will probably have to be taken to the vet. The other's ones are going to curl around into her ears. I don't think I'm in favor of the banding thing. It seems to me that banding would be alot like trying to get rid of your finger nails by cutting them back into the quick. You may get rid of them for a little bit, but you've left the source and sooner or later it's going to grow back in.
Instead of banding or having the vet remove them, have you thought about just taking the points off? I don't know if that would do much good either, just a suggestion.....

[Dee]

Ah, now that is a whole different discusson. If the person did not do the banding in the correct manner, they will grow back. That was why the illustations showed where the bands needed to go.

I had a kid done by a different vet, a vet that all the 4Hers used and she has constant scurs growing back. He used a larger iron, popped off the ring and didn't touch the top. Grossed me out the way he did it.

[6e]

That is quite possible that this woman did not do it right. I didn't see how she did it, we were just told that's what she did.
I did look at the pictures on that website. It seems that that would be an excellent way to start infection. But, like I always say when it comes to crying babies.....Whatever works!

[deetu]

I wanted to try banding some feeder kids to see if it worked but the banding tool I bought and never used broke in my hands, ironically because I never used it. I think I will try this year since my vet has announced that he isn't going to do any more horns.