anyone use a band saw for keeping scurs down?

[moonspinner]

With the recent threads on ways to contain/eliminate scurring, I'm trying to figure which way to go. The lone scur growth I have on a young buck is due to my not knowing I had a faulty electrical outlet while disbudding. I clearly wasn't getting enough juice to the iron. And of course, the victim had to be the one buck I decided to keep! Anyway, his scurs are growing fast and wondering if anyone has used a band saw to pare down their scurs. Does it work fast and how far down to you saw?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Someone I know with Boers uses pruning shears.

[toomb68]

Originally Posted by moonspinner

With the recent threads on ways to contain/eliminate scurring, I'm trying to figure which way to go. The lone scur growth I have on a young buck is due to my not knowing I had a faulty electrical outlet while disbudding. I clearly wasn't getting enough juice to the iron. And of course, the victim had to be the one buck I decided to keep! Anyway, his scurs are growing fast and wondering if anyone has used a band saw to pare down their scurs. Does it work fast and how far down to you saw?

sounds awkward and dangerous to me...to both you and the animal.

[chamoisee]

I wouldn't use a band saw. Get plenty of strong help that doesn't mind blood, heat the dehorning iron up really hot, and use a Saws All. As soon as the horn is sawn off, cauterize and burn the heck out of the stump with the dehorning iron. You want to cut close to the base of the horn, without cutting the goat's head at all. A milking stand or other head lock is ideal but you really, really need at least one person to hold the animal's head perfectly still, and the one doing the sawing has got to be very careful and steady.

It is gory, but it's over with quickly. The goats recovers quickly. The horns don't grow back if you burn it well.

[moonspinner]

Didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea. I meant Wireband saw, the thin OB wire. I'm just imagining an actual band saw on a goat! People would think I'm a masochist or something.
BTW, I'm pretty experienced at disbudding and got right on reburning when I first saw scur growth. I usually have good results with a second burn, but this time was a nightmare. I immediately drew tons of blood the second I placed the iron over the scur and no cauterizing would stop it. I had to stick his head under the faucet and it took almost a half hour to stop the bleeding. I could make no headway on this boy. So of course, I'm very reluctant to try that again.

[chamoisee]

Oh! No, OB wire is a disaster. I tried it once. The Saws All is a lot faster and more humane.

[naturewoman]

Didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea. I meant Wireband saw, the thin OB wire. I'm just imagining an actual band saw on a goat! People would think I'm a masochist or something.

Yeah...visions of chainsaw massacre. Ick!

I have a doe who has small scurs and she breaks them off and they bleed a little...it bothers me, but maybe not her. Should I try the dehorning after she's broken off a scur? Didn't know you could do that if it didn't work right the first time.

[Jan in CO]

AKKKK! I had a mental picture of you lifting the goat, turning it on it's side and putting that scur through a stationary bandsaw! My hubby informed me that wasn't what you meant. Whew. Don't you just hate it when disbudding goes like that, and you have to redo it? Bad enough to have to do it once, but to have to redo, yikes. Our fair has a policy that no market goat can be shown with horns/scurs longer than in inch, or larger in diameter than a dime. Quite a few have to be redone to comply. I had a couple I sold this year that my friend had to redo. Jan in Co

[chamoisee]

Yeah, you can burn the area after the scur breaks off. If the soft core of the horn is still present, you'll want to snip that off (pruning shears) before burning.

I much prefer the Saws All and burn method to banding the horns. It's bloody and traumatic for the people, but a lot easier on the goats both immediately and in terms of recovery and weight loss.

[mmurrey]

This was our first year disbudding and all of our horns grew back. Of course even the fair whethers. We have been using a dremmel to keep them down to meet the minimal groth for fair. He doesn't seem to mind it. we just take a little off each time. When it starts to bleed we quit, and the next time we do it the area that was bleeding dries up and we take a little more off. We do it weekly, so it does take a little while. Hope this helps!
Mellissa