to disbud or not to disbud

cjb · #1 06/29/07, 03:59 PM

We have 3 bucklings this year and am placing all of them in pet homes. I planned to disbud and castrate them all before they go. One of the new owners has a wether already who has horns and likes to butt her dogs to get them to play. This baby boy will be his new playmate.

Should I leave him with horns so he has some defense or does it matter?

SHELBY · #2 06/29/07, 04:10 PM

I would leave his horns,

But then again I like horns on animals, If God gave them to them, they must need them for something.

madness · #3 06/29/07, 04:34 PM

I'd ask the folks that the goat is going to. They might particularly like horns. Or they might now think that it's a horrible idea and wish their current wether didn't have them!

I, too, personally like horns. But lots of folks on here have the opposite opinion. I think for the most part it is just that: opinion. There aren't any set rules, so talk to the new owners and see what they want!

And someone else can chime in and tell me I'm wrong if it does matter...NOT an expert here!

Feral Nature · #4 06/29/07, 05:07 PM

I always ask the new owner before I disbud a wether. Some people really want the horns and as long as the horns are not at my farm, I don't care. I do tell them my reasons for disbudding though.

Woodroe · #5 06/29/07, 05:56 PM

Leave the horns, mother nature gave them why take them away!

ozark_jewels · #6 07/01/07, 09:02 PM

If it is a pet home, I would most certainly disbudd him. Even if her other wether has horns. They will be fine together. A pet wether has a very low liklihood of having a long, happy life with one family. The next family he gets may hate horns. You have to really just like a goat to put up with housing, fencing and feeding a useless wether his entire life. Anything that makes that said wether a pain is likely to shorten his happy lifespan. Any *pet* wether is sold disbudded for his sake. The only time I leave horns on by request is when they are going to be raised for slaughter.
Yep, God gave them horns......but he also gave them testicles and "nature" never intended for them to be kept and raised as most "pet" wethers are. Whenever we change the natural lifestyle of an animal, we have to adapt them for the good of all.