# disbudding paste



## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Do I do it before or after the horn buds break the skin? I know with the iron its after.


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## NavaBoerFarm (Dec 15, 2012)

Actually with the iron it's in the first few days of life before the horns really get a chance to grow at all any longer and you could get defects. As for the paste I would never use it. It's unpredictable and could be dangerous to the babies and mother.


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## NavaBoerFarm (Dec 15, 2012)

I know the iron may seem cruel and agonizing to the kid and the person performing the disbudding but I believe it is the best method. If you know what you are doing of course.

I've only done it a few times and am proud to say I have been successful after watching only a few YouTube videos


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I've done disbudding by an iron many times on goats other then mine. I've personally done probably around twenty kids so I know how but I want to try the paste. I'm washing it off after 30 minuets and keeping the babies from mom for that time so its not going to get on anywhere but their heads and maybe on me lol.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

from what I was gathering on the other topics was that its better before they break the skin. Good luck -


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## NavaBoerFarm (Dec 15, 2012)

Yeah maybe on you lol not a big problem there

I've never used it so dont have any experience with it. but have heard regrowth horror stories from breeders I've talked to. I hope it works well for you you should keep us updated on this.

Can I ask why you want to change the way you disbud? Or are you experimenting?


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I don't like to disbudd at all and have never done it on my personal goats but I did do it on a farm I worked at. However I feel forced to do it due to show rules and what most people want in order to get the kids a good home. From what I have read both good and bad of both sides I feel the paste is probably more humane if done correctly. We'll see.


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## NavaBoerFarm (Dec 15, 2012)

It's cheaper too

Don't have to buy a $110 piece of equipment lol


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I've read before the horn breaks skin.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

The deed is done. I feel like a terrible person. :tears: My mom hates me now...

Does this look like it worked? I left it on for 30 minuets and he's three days old.


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## NavaBoerFarm (Dec 15, 2012)

Ouch that looks nothing like I expected. 
Kinda creepy looking

I hope it worked though!!


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I'm not sure how it is supposed to look, but I think the person on here who has done it a lot has a screen name of Firelight (I think there are some numbers at the end), maybe try to get them on here to look at the pic.

If he was only 3 days old, he shouldn't have been too big. The one time I used it I didn't have any problems with scurs, but can't remember how it looked.


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## audrey (Jul 17, 2012)

xymenah said:


> The deed is done. I feel like a terrible person. :tears: My mom hates me now...
> 
> Don't worry, my mom is always thinking I am a horrible person for this or that with the animals.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

xymenah said:


> The deed is done. I feel like a terrible person. :tears: My mom hates me now...
> 
> Does this look like it worked? I left it on for 30 minuets and he's three days old.


You're not a terrible person :hug: You're doing what you feel is best for the wellfair of the kid :hug:


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## nursehelg (Jul 5, 2012)

I have no idea what its supposed to look like. I want to know though because I think I am going to use the paste also. Both my kids ended up with scurs from disbudding with an iron from the vet. Do you think the black areas will fall off now?


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

nursehelg said:


> I have no idea what its supposed to look like. I want to know though because I think I am going to use the paste also. Both my kids ended up with scurs from disbudding with an iron from the vet. Do you think the black areas will fall off now?


I don't know guess I'll see.

You guys want to know something funny. I don't have low enough blades for my clippers so I borrowed my brothers beard trimmer to shave his head. He will NEVER know. lol


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

I'm sure firelight or someone experienced with paste showed a picture on the other post and the sites looked completely flat and smooth, not bumps like this guy. But maybe they do theirs earlier.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

keren said:


> I'm sure firelight or someone experienced with paste showed a picture on the other post and the sites looked completely flat and smooth, not bumps like this guy. But maybe they do theirs earlier.


That's what I was thinking. I read they did theirs at 5 days maybe I did it too early and it had to fight too much skin to get though? His horns were just about to break the skin though. The box says 3-4 days old for bucklings. I did see bumps on the bucklings in the pictures...


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I saw a picture firelight posted -- her buckling looked quite a bit like this picture. Sometimes time is the only way to tell.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Good for you xymenah.....it had to be hard to do


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I don't know if I'm seeing things or if his horns are still growing like I never pasted them. Gonna post another picture tomorrow to see if you guys see the same.


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## NavaBoerFarm (Dec 15, 2012)

I hope you're seeing things lol 

Is it okay to do a second pasting?


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

I've never posted a photo of any of my kids who I've done by paste. Someone else did in a thread about the paste though. I'd be worried this one would develop scurs or outright grow horns. I do mine before any horn is coming through regardless of box instructions. Mine don't usually have an actual horn cap, which is what this looks like. Mine are just bumps under the skin...I will take several photos of mine this season and make a thread as people seem to be curious and it works really well for me. No horror stories here, but I am uber, extra special careful with precautions to avoid the paste going anywhere it shouldn't be...except on me, lol. I always get it on me and have had some burns, but nothing serious or even very uncomfortable. And I've had a glob or two sit in my skin for probably as long as they've had it on their heads. If I can handle it on my bare arm, it should be similar for their little heads (pain-wise)...so having used myself as a test dummy, I no longer feel bad about doing it to my kiddos.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

His horns hadn't broken the skin yet it just ate away enough of the skin that it exposed the bud but yeah I don't think it worked. Has it gone too far that he can't be re pasted since it has been two days or will it not work?


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

I did mine at 7 days and the horn buds could just be felt. But it didn't look anything like this. See my thread here http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f217/need-response-naylors-140204/

I'm going to do it again when I get more kids. I sold all mine the first week so I don't have any more to test on until July.

ADDED: in my post I was told I think by Shibby or Firelight that the bud area should look all white like in the top bud of my pic. I was also told I probably didn't get that one all the way because there was still some dark on the top bud back of it. The whole area should be nice white.

Did you shave the area? If so and you did it at 3 days, I'd try again - but I don't think anyone on here has had experience repeating the process. But your pic definitely doesn't look like it went through the skin on the bud area from what I am seeing.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

I'm going to do mine on Thursday and will take pictures. One of them you can almost feel his horn buds so this will be a good test.


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

Crocee,

Are you going to hold your goat or use the tape helmet? I didn't like the helmet - it seemed to smear the paste instead of keeping it where it should be. Next time I will hold my goat for 30-40 mins.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Yep I shaved his little head as close as I could get it. I think I need to do the little girl today too. I can't help but wonder if the duct tape helps something because it seems the people that are holding the kids are not getting as good of results.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

mjgh06 said:


> Crocee,
> 
> Are you going to hold your goat or use the tape helmet? I didn't like the helmet - it seemed to smear the paste instead of keeping it where it should be. Next time I will hold my goat for 30-40 mins.


I will probably be holding it. I can't figure out exactly how the helmet is supposed to be made.


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## KymberLeAnn (Sep 16, 2012)

We tried the tape helmet on ours, but couldn't keep them from itching at it and pulling it off.
We ended up taping their feet together, boy did they have a fit then!


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

I think the duct tape makes more heat? Like a greenhouse type effect? Also, I put a huge glob on there...how thin are you spreading it?


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Not too thin but it could have been thicker. He rubbed a bit off on the left one before I took the picture. I was just about to take it off. This was from before.


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

Wonderful! Thank you for posting. Please post a pic after you removed the paste so we can see what it looks like complete. Please.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

That looks like about how much I put on there... Nice circles, mine are more sloppy. Lol. I wonder if the duct tape does help it work better though. Probably some science-y explanation there...


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## shibby7 (Feb 20, 2012)

Just reading your post here. Mine don't look like that when I do them (your first photo from the start). I posted a picture on another thread that shows what it should look like - its nice and smooth and dry. The picture of the paste on, looks exactly like I do, but I might put mine on a tad thicker.

I have mostly just held them, I tried the helmet, but I didn't do a good job that time - had some things to learn about using the duct tape lol.
So, I did 6 more on the weekend using my improved helmet skills and the results were good - looked the exact same as it did when I held them. So no difference in results for me, both are good.


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