how old is to old to dissbud?

[hardworkingwoman]

Hi,
I have a friend that just got a little doeling with horns about 1 1/2 inches long, she was born late Feb. She wants to dissbud but I told her that it was to late. I just want to make sure so she can get it done asap before it is really way to late. I told her that I would ask the pros on this thread for info. what kind of problems could she run into if she does dissbud this late in the game?
Thanks!!

[Natural Beauty Farm]

It can be done, but she will need someone experienced to do it and it needs to be done sooner rather than later.

If horn is not bigger round than iron opening....

Have iron heated glowing red
Cut off the tip with tin snips or wire saw
Burn
cool
burn
cool

check in few weeks and do again if needed

[hardworkingwoman]

thank you!! Sounds a little scary to me but will pass the info on!

[CaliannG]

~sighs and shakes her head~ In spite of instructions, she needs to have someone EXPERIENCED do the job, and if hat someone experienced looks at it and deems it too late, and she still wants the goat to not have horns, she can take the kid to the vet and have her surgically dehorned.

Which is a MUCH better option in this case, rather than taking a chance that they are already too large.

[Lada]

I used to have mine done very early, but this year I had someone do it who preferred to do it later, when the horns are about 1/2" long. He used the cattle iron to do them. The lady I buy my feed off of has hundreds of goats and had always done them at a few days old, but used this same guy this year and had much less problems with scurs, and didn't have any go shocky or act strange. And, it worked out well for us too. He said he has done larger horns, and in that case he burns, then clips, burs, then clips, etc. until he gets down to the base.

[CaliannG]

Originally Posted by Lada

He said he has done larger horns, and in that case he burns, then clips, burs, then clips, etc. until he gets down to the base.

REPEATEDLY burning? Just keep doing it over and over and over again?

And I thought the SINGLE burning and the screams associated with it were bad!

[Alice In TX/MO]

I think I'll keep doing them at a week old.

[LoneStrChic23]

I just helped a friend with her kids....the doe kid had a lil 1" horn poking out and I thought that was too much! I left when they did the buck kid, his horns were about 4" & they cut them off, then burned...... I left after they starting cutting the horns, it was too much for me.

I disbudded my babies at 5 days old. It was pretty uneventful and the twins were even head butting each other shortly after being disbudded. I don't like disbudding, but I like horns even less.....for my babies if for some reason I can't disbud before the horns have started coming in, I'll leave the horns and either sell them cheap or send them to freezer camp at weaning.

My friend's little doe took the disbudding much worse than my babies.... I think they were 4-5 weeks old....

[HappyFarmer]

Yes they can be disbudded, preferably by an experienced goat person or a vet. Having the vet disbud 2 of mine late, it is not something I would want to do & I've been disbudding for several years now. MY vet put mine under anesth.

The problems she can run into are as stated above, burn cool burn cool. But also, the cavity at the skull will become an open hole after a few weeks, and be wide open, maybe as much as 1/4-1/2 inch. Given time this will slowly close up (6-8 weeks), however we are coming on fly season. If she chooses to disbud them, she needs to be pro-active regarding fly strike. Also feed them low to the ground to help keep hay & debris out of the holes, help deter infection.
HF

[6e]

I think I'm with Alice on this. If I can't get them done at about a week old or thereabouts, I just don't do it. That goat will just end up going to the freezer or perhaps banding the horns off? I couldn't handle the trauma for the goat or all the complications associated with doing it any later.

[thaiblue12]

I would not do it. Before I found my disbudder, there was a lady at one of the goat shows, she said she could burn the 1-2 inch horns right off a pair of 2 month old boys. I had told her I was looking for a disbudder for the younger kids and was not going to do a set of older boys. Oh it is easy she claimed. They way she described it made me feel ill so I told her no thank you! They were sold as a pair of weed eating wethers for $40 each. I usually get $75 for wether babies.

When I did find my disbudder he did a 17 day old boy and he said it was hard on him so I cannot imagine doing such old kids. Mine are all done at around a week old, he does not over burn them, they never have blackened or fried looking heads so to me he is worth the $5 a head I pay. I have 3 boys who have tiny scurs which are easily knocked off during play, none of the does do. I tell him that while I dislike what he does I love him for the way he does it

[Oat Bucket Farm]

If I had babies that old, I wouldn't do it, I would just have couple of goats with horns.

[Laverne]

Can the little horns be banded? I have never read a comment about this. Or do the horns need to be grown out to band?

[hardworkingwoman]

Yes that is a good question. Can the little horns be banded? Could that be an option?

[Cyngbaeld]

Yes, you can band them if you get the band tight enough.

I've never seen holes in a skull after disbudding.