# Pros and Cons of disbudding?



## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

Ok, my babies are 5 days old today. I'm not feeling any horn growth yet but called my vet to see when she could do the procedure. Well my husband went online to see how it was done and now says we "can't do that to our babies."(My husband comes from a big ranching/hunting family but these goats melted his heart lol) Since they are mixed breed my boys won't be showing them and they will just be family milkers. Would it be ok to leave their horns? Then when we buy "show" goats purchase some that are naturally polled or already disbudded. I'd like to hear pros and cons of horns vs no horns. Thanks!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

There's nothing wrong with leaving them horned if you don't mind the horns.

The downsides to having horns...

Horns sometimes get snagged up on things like fencing.
They can be dangerous. Getting poked accidentally can be painful. I don't like having little kids around horned goats.
Horned dairy goats cannot be shown in most shows.
Horns sometimes don't fit well in the milk stanchion.
Horned goats seem to be a bit dominant toward other goats and a lot are rough on fencing.
A lot of buyers don't want horns so that can effect sales.

Pros...

Horns act as a natural cooling agent.
They can provide *some* protection againt predators.

Disbudding truly isn't that bad...it looks a lot worse than it is. I disbud about 85 kids a year and it's no big deal. They get disbudded and quickly put back with their dams and they forget about it right away. The pain is very temporary. I'm definately not a fan of horns, but again, if you don't mind them and have weighed the pros and cons and are ok with it then there's nothing wrong with leaving them horned.


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## rdmtnranch (Mar 4, 2013)

Not to highjack this thread, but I think this questio goes along with it. What if you have a horned goat with polled or disbudded goats and you are breeding them. Is there a higher chance of them butting another doe and causing misscarage?


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I've found that horned goats with non-horned goats...the horned goats are always the dominant ones, highest on the pecking order, and will boss the others around since they have those horns as an advantage...they aren't on even grounds with the non-horned goats. Preferably, horned with horned...non-horned with non-horned is a good idea.


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## MotleyBoerGoats (Mar 23, 2013)

my self i have had a bad experience with horns so we dont have horned goat we had a nd that put another goats eye out so i wont have horns but they are more aggressive if they have there horns so i guess it just depends on if you can afford the vet bill from having horns


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I have horned and disbudded and polled goats all together. My polled doe is the boss.

At this point, I'm choosing to not disbud. I don't need to. However I'm always open to learning new things so that may change in the future.


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## Erik_L (Nov 27, 2012)

I think goats just look better with horns.
I've read on this forum that if you're going to "show" your goat, they are not allowed to have horns.

Erik_L (2 Boer & 1 Spanish/Boer) from his iPhone using GoatSpot.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

We just did two darlings the other day. It is my least favorite part of goat raising but really not that bad. I hold the kid in my lap while hubby burns and I count slowly to 10. As soon as the iron is off they stop crying. We let them run around to make sure they are okay and then return them to Mom and they are none the worse for wear.

I have had negative experiences with horns so we just do not have them. We got a buck last year too late to disbud. He is a sweetheart but will end up in *freezer camp* sooner than if he had no horns. We do not let his penmate (or the does he is breeding) wear collars as the first day he was in with Midnight I found him hanging from Tommy's horns by his collar.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

I do not disbud/dehorn because I detest it, I like the look of horns, and because they are a means of dispersing heat for the goats. When I first got my goats there were quite a few that had been disbudded/dehorned - some of them not very well, either. 

It gets hot here in the summertime, and the first summer I noticed that the horned girls were laying in the sun and the heat didn't bother them where the disbudded/dehorned girls were laying in the shade with their tongues hanging out panting. Sure, I've had them get their heads stuck in the fence, but that is not a big enough issue to warrant disbudding. I cannot see where horned goats are any harder on fences than non-horned, and my polled goats hold their own against the horned ones.


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## rustygoats (Feb 11, 2013)

Just purchased a dehorn buck and I am a fan of horns but I am having mixed feelings about him not having any.


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## mhoward2 (Jun 30, 2012)

Personally I like horned goats. I think they are better looking if they have horns. I have only had 1 issues with a horned goat before. I had an adult goat put her head through the fence and when she couldn't get out she panicked and choked herself to death. I, of course, hated to lose her, she was a very good mama. I have 26 goats currently and all but 2 have horns. Those 2 are the bottom of the pecking order and they will be sold tomorrow. Going forward I do not plan to own another goat without horns.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

If you have boers and plan to shoe bucks and does should have horns. Dairy is no horns at all. 

I prefer horned, even in my show wethers but with the way its going.now most shows.and judges prefer dehorned wethers. But like horned breeding stock... go figure.


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## lazykranch (Dec 18, 2012)

KW Farms said:


> I've found that horned goats with non-horned goats...the horned goats are always the dominant ones, highest on the pecking order, and will boss the others around since they have those horns as an advantage...they aren't on even grounds with the non-horned goats. Preferably, horned with horned...non-horned with non-horned is a good idea.


Only exception to this is when you have a mean dehorned nanny that bites ears till they bleed on EVERY goat except her kids. Then it doesn't matter. Yep that's my Cookie. She even bites me! She is the queen & even the buck is afraid of her.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

lazykranch said:


> Only exception to this is when you have a mean dehorned nanny that bites ears till they bleed on EVERY goat except her kids. Then it doesn't matter. Yep that's my Cookie. She even bites me! She is the queen & even the buck is afraid of her.


LOL my polled queen is also an ear biter.  I've been putting some ointment on ears to help heal them. I've noticed since she's had her babies and has been seperated their ears are healing. lol


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanks for all of the responses! It gets VERY hot here in the summer. I'm talking excess of 110 degrees. If the horns act as a natural temperature regulator then it might be a good idea to leave them. My boys are 5 and 7 and will never be around the girls without me. Especially when they get larger. I do want them to show in 4-H but that's not for 2 more years. By then I'm sure we will have added more goats to our herd lol  The buck did not have large horns at all...the doe was disbudded so I don't know how large her horns would have been. Do genetics play a role in how large the horns will be? Also I don't think our fencing has big enough opening for their heads to fit through...only 2 inches.


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## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

I personally would not disbud them unless you plan to show. My does have horns and do just fine. It is especially helpful with the heat. What you _can_ to to counteract the problem of pointy horns is tip them when they grow out! Yes they will bleed, and it will somewhat hurt them(they usually scream but not so much out of extreme pain but stress), but it won't be anywhere near what disbudding can be. Both of my does were strange, they got through it with no screaming, one of them bled an awful lot though, just get QuikStop for that and its all good  All you have to do is get a normal hack saw(its what my ag teacher used, mind you my does were about...5 or 6 months old at the time) and, being careful of the goat, saw off the tips! Certainly helped me out


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## rustygoats (Feb 11, 2013)

I borrowed a beautiful boer buck this winter that had a great set of horns. He was trying to get into the feed bucket one day and horned me below the belt. It was a total accident but taught me a valuable lesson.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

You can duct tape tennis balls to the ends of the horns to keep from getting hit by the pointy tips. I know of one member on here that changes the duct tape with the holidays. I think I saw some halloween duct tape on her goat in October. lol


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

we have 2 girls, and they're horned. i like the look, and since we live in the tropics, i like the fact that it helps them disburse heat. it's just a personal you have to make. I haven't had any issues with anyone having their horns stuck in things. oh, and we learned from the lady who we got our girls from...if you have a wiley goat you need to move around, you can grab a horn and the tail to control them.

good luck with your decision!


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