Kinds of disbudding irons

squeakers girl · #1 04/12/07, 09:01 AM

If we get goats we will disbud all babies.
I have heard the electric dehorner Rhinehart x30 is a really good choice, but electric dehorners could be a problem. Up where we have the barn there is no electricity at all so we would have to either gather up the kids,haul them up to the shop by the house where we have electricity and do it there and then haul them back down to the goat pasture. Or..... we have like a small generator that is extremely loud but I think that would just scare the crap out of all the goats and that's not good plus too much trouble.
I found a disbudding iron that you heat with a blowtorch or charcoal,etc. I was wondering if any of ya'll had used it and if it works as good as the electric ones.
Do ya'll disbud when the horns are actually visible, or do you do it when you can feel the bump under the skin??

goatmarm · #2 04/12/07, 09:20 AM

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topside1 · #3 04/12/07, 10:16 AM

Rhinehart x30 is also the iron I use, could'nt be happier. Roughly ten seconds later the deed is done. Another tip: I use a paint pen, usually green or blue to mark the tip or the horn buds. The paint identifies the spot your aiming for...enjoy.

moonspinner · #4 04/12/07, 10:19 AM

My vet uses one heated by a butane torch and that baby really gets hot. As per no electric in the barn, me either and I've disbudded my kids in the house with no problem.

dbarjacres · #5 04/12/07, 10:19 AM

We use the X30 as well and like it. We have electric in our barn, but take the kids up to the garage.

I do know there is a calf dehorner that uses gas cylinders to "power" it, but not sure what the tip is like or if you could use an adaptor on it to make it smaller.

topside1 · #6 04/12/07, 10:22 AM

Haul the little boogers to the shop; it's a more controlled clean environment with electricity. Quite a bit of screaming involved too. If the shop has a radio in it, put in your favorite CD, and turn up the volume.

squeakers girl · #7 04/12/07, 10:34 AM

Thanks, I guess the x30 is what we'll get.
I am a softie, so it's going to kill me to purposefully hurt the babies but I'll get used to it.lol.

Thanks again, this forum is awesome!

Lemontreefarm · #8 04/12/07, 10:57 AM

I am also a softie and I don't think you ever get use to it -3rd year with Reg. Nubians. My Husband knows by the way I act that it must be disbudding time at the barn. Everyone I burn (17 this year) is hard. Even though they are running around jumping and playing within 15 minutes of the burn. Good look!

ps - I use the X30 and have had great results with it. Hated the X50

tioga12 · #9 04/12/07, 11:23 AM

We use a less expensive non-electric disbudding iron and a torch to heat it...works great. Friends of ours who have a lot of goats also use this with great results.

squeakers girl · #10 04/12/07, 11:28 AM

I have also heard NOT to put anything on the head after disbudding because it is a clean wound, but I also heard to put iodine on each spot. I think I will go ahead and put something on it just in case.

ozark_jewels · #11 04/12/07, 12:10 PM

I use the X50 and wouldn't use another. But I also disbudd about 150-200 kids every year, sometimes 20-30 in a sitting, if your not doing that many you may not need such a heavy-duty iron. I like it because I can do 30 kids and never have to wait between for it to heat up again.
Take them up to the shop to disbudd, it won't hurt them and its less stressful than the loud generater as you said. I don't have electricity in any of my barns either, so I always take the kids to the milk parlour to disbudd.
Use the Furral spray on their heads after you disbudd. It dries immediately and cools their heads off fast. My kids all run around with bright yellow heads for about a week after disbudding. Furrall can be found at any feedstore/farmstore. Sometimes you have to look in the horse section.

moonspinner · #12 04/12/07, 05:58 PM

Blue Kote or Wonder Dust or any antiseptic blood stopper works fine post disbudding.

Spinner · #13 04/12/07, 06:16 PM

I know a man that used a piece of metal pipe in a campfire to disbud. He was good at it and did a great job, but he had been doing it that way for several years. He might not have had such great results in the beginning. After burning them, he used "cut & heal" on them.

Freeholder · #14 04/12/07, 09:10 PM

I have one of the non-electric disbudding irons. I'm not using it now because I'd have to buy a propane torch to heat it with, and decided to just go ahead and get an electric disbudding iron instead, but the non-electric one works fine.

Kathleen