Is my goat growing horns again?

[sriston]

Leroy, my ND buck, was disbudded when we bought him. He was a baby when we got him and he turned a year old on May 08. He is the only one of our goats that has been disbudded; I know we are in the minority but we like goats with horns.😄

Recently I have noticed that he looks like he is regrowing his horns (sort of). Yesterday I felt of them and they are actually pressing on his scalp but the best I can tell, they are not embedded in his scalp. These are hard- there's nothing soft about them. They feel just like horns.

Why is this happening and what should I do about it? I am afraid they will grow into his skin, like an untrimmed dog toenail will sometimes when it curls.

I am -attempting- to post some pictures so you can see what I am talking about.

Thanks!

[copperkid3]

That's what they're doing alright . . .

And unless they are trimmed regularly or removed entirely,

will be causing the sort of problems you've already alluded to.

[harvestmoonfarm]

You need to have a vet remove them. Those are scurs, and will grow through his skin if not taken care of.

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Scurs happen with bucks a lot. At this point you're going to need a vet to trim them back or trim a tiny bit from the ends at a time if they aren't fast growing. In the future you can use hoof trimmers to keep them short.

[mrs whodunit]

I use bands on those but in your case them growing around into the head I doubt you could get bands on.

A trip to the vet is in order.

[notwyse]

She could cut the tips then band. Scurs might come off fairly easy. Goat will not like it....

[mygoat]

A nice set of scurs is all. I'd cut the ends off enough to get a band in there, then place a band low towards the skull. Most scurs pop off regularly and a loose scur won't grow into the head - a very sturdy scur might, but those look like they are the 'wiggly' type.

[Alice In TX/MO]

If they are wobbly, they may come off if he bangs his head on something. Or if you grab the scur with a pair of vise grips.

[CraterCove]

Use a wire saw and handle it yourself without the vet bill.

http://www.caprinesupply.com/product...-wire-saw.html

Have some styptic powder on hand and or wound coat. Last time I tried to carefully trim my buck's scur he tossed his head and just popped the sucker off. Didn't bother him and most of the time he takes them off himself when they become troublesome.

[sriston]

Thanks for all of the replies and advice. These are very hard and they cannot be wiggled at all. They are every bit as hard and sturdy as the horns on my other goats, which is what confused me because everything I've read about scurs mentioned that they were softer than horns and they would wiggle.

I don't think I would ever attempt such a procedure myself; I have no experience at doing anything like that. That said, there are no vets in my area that have any experience with goats.


Will these keep returning? In all honesty, if this will be a reoccurring problem, I think I would just as soon have him euthanized or processed.

Thank you!

[sriston]

Oh- I wanted to ask also, if these were to pop off (he's always head butting the girls when they play and rubbing his head on the trees) will it bleed?

[CraterCove]

Yes, they will bleed. If its not too bad I just spray it with some blue coat or something similar.

I understand not wanting to incur vet fees... I sure wouldn't let a vet that wasn't familiar with goats do just about anything on any of mine. They are likely to reoccur throughout his life. If it's not something you want to deal with, your solution of having him processed out is probably best.

Good luck!

[sriston]

Again, thanks for the info. A couple more questions as I am weighing my options:
-When "banding" is mentioned, are you talking about the same bands that I use to band the babies to wether them?
-If I trimmed these a tiny bit at a time (to try to get them off his scalp), would they bleed? One is not touching his scalp yet and I was considering using a hoof rasp as an emery board of sorts.

[mrs whodunit]

Originally Posted by sriston

Again, thanks for the info. A couple more questions as I am weighing my options:
-When "banding" is mentioned, are you talking about the same bands that I use to band the babies to wether them?
-If I trimmed these a tiny bit at a time (to try to get them off his scalp), would they bleed? One is not touching his scalp yet and I was considering using a hoof rasp as an emery board of sorts.

Yes the same bands as used in banding. I sometimes use a chainsaw file to put a small grove into the horn to hold the band or bands. The bands sometimes will need to be replaced.

Havent had horns regrow after using the bands.

With the horns curling around maybe if you could just get the band started then you could roll it down to the base of the horn

It takes awhile for the bands to work.

[Alice In TX/MO]

If you trim the ends, they will not bleed. It's like a fingernail. The growth bed is closer to the head.

[notwyse]

Put the bands as close to the base of the horn as possible. Your goat will not be fond of this. It takes time for the band to work....but it works well. No anesthesia. No huge open bleeding areas. No flies.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Um. If they knock the loose scur off while it is being banded, there is lots of bleeding.

[CraterCove]

Yeah if you consider going the way of banding I might recommend (again lol) the wire saw as an alternative. Much faster, one sitting with him in the milk stand eating grain and if one pops off while you are doing it then you are right there to help the bleeding and whatnot. If he knocks it off while banded it could happen anytime day or night. Seems like a good way to get an infection, in my opinion.

[notwyse]

When I once had the vet remove mature horns he cit what looked like into the sinus area. Huge impressive mess. Yes horns bleed if knocked off... As there is a blood supply to the horn. I am suggesting with luck this can be avoided. I never tried a wire saw...

[mygoat]

It will bleed if it pops off or if you cut too far. Not a big deal, it won't hurt him though he will get blood all over.

Banding it's really NOT an intense procedure, and vets are likely to try to 'dehorn' them (surgical, and is an intense procedure). While 'dehorning' is permanent, it is an open wound that usually opens the sinus cavity and most goat owners do NOT suggest it. They will likely recur if you pull them off or if they pop off. I wouldn't cull an otherwise good animal due to scurs because they are pretty common and honestly, don't cause any problems.