# Which elastrator and disbudder do you use?



## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

I'm going to be purchasing a disbudder and elastrator. Fiasco Farm highly suggests the Rhinehart X-30 for disbudding. I'm wondering what you experienced people use for both of these procedures.

Thanks!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I use the elastrator from Jeffers that has the blue handle.

I have a Wal Lenk 125 watt disbudder. I like it better then the Rhinehart X-30 I bought (then sold after one use).


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## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

Stacey - Why do you like it better than the Rhinehart? I've never used any so I really want personal opinions from people.

Also - I should add that I have both Nigerians and large milk breeds so whatever I get needs to accommodate each size.


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## Sweet Gum Minis (Oct 6, 2007)

I have 2 Rhinehart X30s and like them just fine. Key is not to wait too long and to burn thoroughly. I use a regular bander for banding. I like the burdizzo better for neutering. Its a bloodless method which doesn't involve breaking the skin. Much more costly up front for the instrument, but cheaper in the long run than buying bands over and over. The bander is good for horn removal too if necessary.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

I have the x50 and love it. Key though is the disbudding box, i will never again disbud a kid without a box. 
The elastrator i have is just one i got from the feed store. Is all metal and has four prongs that seperate when you squeeze the handles together.
beth


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

The X30.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

The X30 is a decent iron, I've found however that the tip gets kind of thin as it gets used. So I'm going to be buying the X50 this year as I've heard lots of positive feedback on it.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

the X30 smoked so much that I couldnt see what i was doing. And I couldnt feel the kids head under the disbudder. I like to know I am putting the right amount of pressure on bud area. Then it gave a copper ring just like I get with my wal lenk but the kids horns started to grow back right away. I redisbudded him with the wal lenk and had no scurs. I had disbudded his brothers and sister with just the wal lenk and had no scurs either. drawback to the wal lenk? You have to wait between buds to make sure it heats back up.


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## Shelly (Oct 5, 2007)

> the X30 smoked so much that I couldnt see what i was doing.


Was the iron smoking? or was the smoke form the hair burning? If it was from the hair burning shave the area takes care of smoking and makes it easier to see where you need to burn. Shelly


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

My wal lenk has a larger burn area so shaving the whole area is a must. and I did shave the whole area just as I have done with each of my goat kids before and after him with no problems with the wal lenk. :shrug: 

The whole kids head was obscured by smoke. It was really weird. I couldnt see a thing. I had to wave the smoke away to do the otherside.


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## Sweet Gum Minis (Oct 6, 2007)

StaceyRoop said:


> the X30 smoked so much that I couldnt see what i was doing. And I couldnt feel the kids head under the disbudder. I like to know I am putting the right amount of pressure on bud area. Then it gave a copper ring just like I get with my wal lenk but the kids horns started to grow back right away. I redisbudded him with the wal lenk and had no scurs. I had disbudded his brothers and sister with just the wal lenk and had no scurs either. drawback to the wal lenk? You have to wait between buds to make sure it heats back up.


It probably wasn't getting hot enough. It needs to be cherry red to burn. I've used mine both ways. The regular, when I thought it was hot enough and cherry red. The Cherry red never regrow. I clip the head of the kid when I'm getting ready to burn and they don't smoke near as much. I also use a glove and hold the kids jaw when I burn and don't have a problem feeling the kids head.

I have a friend who uses a butaine one and she loves that one. I haven't used that one but it seems to do a great job.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I have the X30 also, my vet loved it when she came to show me how to disbudd. It did smoke a little, but I kind of blow as I'm burning and it's not too bad.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

I use the elastrator from the local feed store with spring handles and 4 prongs. Its from Ideal Instruments, and so far I have only used it for horn banding. The disbudder I have is also from the feed store. Its made by L&H manufacturing. It gets really hot and there's no smoke if you take a brass brush and clean it after it cools. The neighbor who disbudded the girls really liked it as it was super hot for both horn buds with no wait. It also heated back and was ready to go again by the time we got the 2nd kid in the box, probably 30 seconds. There was hardly any smoke while the disbudding was going on and it left that really nice copper ring. The horn buds popped off a few hours later. I won't know if we have scurs for a while yet. The buds were between 1/2" and 3/4" when they were done. The babies are Saanen X Boer and Nubian X Boer.


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## K-Ro (Oct 14, 2007)

I have the X50 and love it, I did buy the two different sized tips, small for pygmies and then a larger one for the Alpines.

I use the elastrator from the feed store with no problems.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

The only reason I don't like the X50 is because I had my first goats disbudded by a vet.... Well this vet didn't have any of the tips for goats. He used the big part of the iron on Nigerians! Their faces swelled up so bad the next day they could hardly see out of their eyes! And he didn't do it very long so I ended up buying the X30 and had to touch them up twice myself.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

i just did some kids last night, they were under a week old, and i used the x30. It was someone elses iron. It worked well. the buck kid was a little tougher but i got a clean burn on both kids. It did smoke a lot but thats becuase i dont shave the heads on the kids. I have found that if i shave the heads of the kids they learn to associate the clippers with being stuck in the box and having their heads burned. If i have people that want me to disbud their kids and they want to clip them, i ask them to clip thei head a day or two before.
beth


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