How can i remove my goats horns so she wont get hurt or hurt anyone else and not hurt her?
My goat Cloe keeps bucking people and im afraid that she is gonna hurt someone. Or hurt herself and i don’t want that.
First of all, let me start out by stating my belief that ALL goats should be dehorned in infancy. Yes, it is smelly. Yes, it hurts. Having said that, let me say that burning with a hot iron is the probably the most practical for the average farmer. Alternate methods include:
CAUSTIC PASTE: It sometimes fails. Do you really want to risk getting it in their eyes or rubbed off on someone else? Just too scary.
RUBBER BANDS: Advertised as “bloodless, painless.” The bands usually fall off. Will oftentimes leave “scurs,” (partial little deformed horns). It ends up being very painful when the bands cut through to the nerves. They just don’t work.
SAWING: You just let them grow and then saw them off from time to time. Your shirt and all the walls of the barn will be covered with blood before you’re done. (You can use a dehorning iron, a soldering iron, or a welding rod heated with a torch to cauterize the blood vessels.) Another technique is to saw so fast that you create enough heat to do the cauterizing. This makes you real tired real fast.
TAKE IT TO THE VET: Many vets have little experience with goats, less with goats which have horns, and even less removing horns from goats. They can anesthetize the kids to prevent the perception of pain, but I really don’t think this is necessary. I have received some criticism from a few vets regarding these comments. But if you can find a qualified vet in your area who can do the job properly, I would certainly encourage you to do so.
GOUGING: Yes, you read that right. There are devices which will scoop out the horn buds. These are more commonly used on cattle. No crueler procedure has ever been invented. Remember, I said this was the “get down and get dirty web site!”
Now that we have eliminated all those methods, perhaps you are thinking that it is best just to let them have horns. Not true! Animals with horns are more apt to fight with one another or be aggressive toward people. If the goat is eventually sold, this may cause problems for the new owner who may not be as patient as you are. If sold to a dealer who must transport large numbers of goats, there is more danger of injury during shipment. If your cute little goat turns into a mean SOB because you did not dehorn him, you have not really done him any great favor. We once acquired a mean horned billy who knew exactly what to do with his horns. Once, he caught me in the crotch with his horns and literally tossed me completely over the fence. If you think that dehorning by a hot iron is gruesome, you should see the bloody mess that is created when a horn is broken off or the outer layer is pulled off in an accident.
If you’re still not convinced, click here where we will try to make you sick with some real horror stories. Someone once asked, “Would you like to have that iron pressed into your head?” The answer is a definite “YES” if you will let me perform any of these on your head.
EQUIPMENT:
Dehorning box: This is a picture of a simple, but adequate dehorning box. It can be made from a few pieces of plywood and 2 x 4’s. The lid is essential and should have fairly strong hinges because you quickly flop it closed and sit on it to do the work. Some of the standard goat books have plans. The most important part is to make the groove for the neck deep enough so that the kid doesn’t choke or have its breathing restricted. Some kids who are nursing on Mom have a thickening in the throat which is harmless but which may cause choking in the box.
Dehorning iron: Buy one of the irons which have a ribbed plastic handle, not one of the wimpy wooden handles as in the picture below. The proper iron is of at least 200 watts. An excellent choice is the Rhinehart X30, 200 watt iron, which is available through Caprine Supply. Some have elements designed for large cattle (look like a loop) and these will not work. The iron mentioned above can be used on both calves and kids.
Other supplies: After both horns are burned you will need to put some iodine or good powdered antiseptic on the burns. You should have a couple of pieces of paper towel handy to keep this (especially iodine) out of the eyes. You will need to trim the hair from the buds before you burn, either with trimmers or scissors.
DOING THE JOB:
The horn bud is ready to be removed when it is about the size of a “pointed pea,” about 3/8″ high. If too small, there is a tendency for the horns to reappear. It takes considerable experience to get them off if they are too high. You will quickly learn the ideal height.
While holding the kid in your lap (not in the box yet) trim off as much of the hair over and around the horn as you easily can. Don’t take so long being fussy about this that you get the animal upset. It is really easiest to have two people involved in the actual burning.
You will now have to wait until the iron is sufficiently hot. Test the iron against a door frame or other non-valuable piece of softwood. It is
Nokturnal Mortum – Goat Horns
