# Curled Up Ears Again!



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Well Abelene's new babies all have curled up ears. Last year a lot of kids had these issues(same buck). I am thinking it was from the buck's genetics. I can't remember what to do with these. Last year we let them be and some straightened to a mild flip out.. but two had ears that are way curled up in a permanent fold. So .. how do you strip out that curl? I think now is the time.


----------



## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Too CUTE ! Like having curlers in....


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

It was kinda cute at first but now the red, who is now going through a real brat stage, is having some trouble with her curl. It gets moisture and dirt inside of it. She has a little hair loss on it. This year.. we want to see what we are to do to straighten some of these.


----------



## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

HOW CUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE are those babies?! That red one is so kissable!  

I don't have Boers, but I think I remember a thread last year discussing this. The solution was something like cardboard splints held on with tape. You might want to do a search.


----------



## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

Try taping Popsicle sticks on the ears.....NO idea if this works, read about it an a book about goats. Make sure the ear is unfolded when you tape it! :wink:

milkmaid-your right!!! :hi5:


----------



## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I KNOW I have seen a template for an ear splint, but I just looked through my newest goat book and can't find it. Maybe it was in an old issue of Dairy Goat Journal... Anyhow, if I recall correctly, you cut cardboard splints for each ear and then tape the ears to the splint. However - I don't remember what kind of tape to use or how long to leave the splints on...


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Hold the ear with two hands and rip it apart.... the baby will scream but... if you want those types of flipped ears straight ....you have to rip them apart.... 
Some of the mild fold ups... will correct with bracing but... the type you are showing does not...
Newborns... after they are dry.. rip the easiest..... be sure to rip it apart to where it will lay flat.. dry the ear rip... tape the ear down into position ...with duct tape ..to make it stay down ...but leave the ripped part exposed to the air... so it can heal.... put iodine on it.... leave the duct tape on for about 5 days and then take it off...some have to be ripped a bit more apart... if you want it to be straight down ...some do not.... they will have a scar on the ear... but it to me... looks better... down... :wink: 

A buck or Doe that has had it in their pedigree... can throw ears like that.... if you don't want them to appear... you have to figure out who is at fault.... if all of a sudden.. with a new buck ...that you are getting them then ....you should find another buck.... It isn't a bad thing ...just a pain in the bum to have to rip them....

This type of fold is OK and not frowned upon .... in the association... some breeders will leave them that way... but I do not like the look myself.... they can be shown in shows and are not docked for it.... :thumb:


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Wow. Thanks so much for all the tips everyone. 

Pam, thanks for the very informative info. I will see if what I can do for this. Everything you said is very helpful. I hope I can do it. Sure hate having them scream. I am going to give it a try. As for the buck- we sold him as he was used up here and he may have been the issue. The ones born with straight ears were out of a different buck.


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

gonna go 'rip curl' ha ha ..


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

You guys are way more brave then me, but then agein my goats are on a roll and if they keep going I could prob. be able to do that lol.


----------



## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Pam is right - you have to rip them if you want them straight. 

It doesnt bother me so I left them one year ... found that as they got older, some would get some sort of infection in the fold and the whole ear would swell up ... so I always ripped them from then on. 

I like the ones that you rip but they dont go perfectly straight, so when they grow up they have ski jump ears


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We have had kids like that. We cut little pieces of cardboard froma shoe box to fit over the ear, we straightened the ear the best we could, and put a piece of the cardboard on each side, then taped it with duct tape really good so they can't get it off. Leave it on until it falls off or for a couple of weeks, see where you are, may have to repeat, may not.
We started to fix our red boys ears, then I got busy at the horse track, and sales, and just never did retape his ears. It was helping until I stopped..
My daughters 4-H doe last year had ears like that, I fixed one of them, but she always figured out a way to pull the tape/cardboard off of the other ear. I've fixed folded ears this way as well. Looks funny, might pull some hair, but otherwise it doesn't seem to bother them once they get used to it.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Weve always had flipped up ears no matter which buck. As Pam said they can be rpped apart. I do it before the ears are completly dry.
Then get your cardboard splint on (after kid has eaten & everyone is settled in)


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

You are very welcome... Good luck :hug: 

I hate hurting the babies too...but.. if you do it shortly after birth ...the cartilage of the ear is soft and easy to rip apart.... It does break my heart to hear them scream and hurt them...... but... I believe it is best to do it then.... If the baby is still wet... I find it harder to rip the ear..so make sure... you dry the ear before you attempt or ..you cannot get a good hold..... As mentioned....later in life... it can cause issues.. if left folded up.....

The rip will bleed a little..but it isn't to bad....

AS I mentioned before ...there are times when I think I have gotten the fold ripped apart properly...but will find.. I didn't get a corner of the flip....and found it was flipping slightly..so make sure.. you see the flip up ....as flat as you can get it.. after you do the rip ... I have later found.. occasionally a spot I missed and I will re-rip it ....then tape again....that is for the ones that were really flipped up bad with A lot of skin holding it up.... :wink:


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Realized what I should have said was to spread them with your fingers while they are still wet, then go back to splint if needed.


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Ok.. went out to see this situation. The bucklings are not good 'buck' keepers but will be meat weathers so decided to leave them be. The little girl is not as bad. I think I am just going to work on the little girl's curls.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:thumbup: :hi5:


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I didnt even think that them being curled would cause a problem, good to know, I have a doe with folded ears so will keep an eye on her.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> I didnt even think that them being curled would cause a problem, good to know, I have a doe with folded ears so will keep an eye on her.


 :thumbup: :wink:


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Oh Abelene, my favorite doe. She doesnt produce the best looking kids but that's ok.. she does produce some of the smartest. The new triplets out of our other doe all have straight ears and did last year too.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Sounds like this Doe is loved....  :thumb: :wink:


----------



## gingersnap (Dec 20, 2012)

We were recently given a kid who is now three weeks old and he has "crimped" ears. I don't think it's possible to do anything to correct them from what I've been reading. Should we just pay attention to our boy and make sure he doesn't get an infection in the future?


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

gingersnap said:


> We were recently given a kid who is now three weeks old and he has "crimped" ears. I don't think it's possible to do anything to correct them from what I've been reading. Should we just pay attention to our boy and make sure he doesn't get an infection in the future?


 They can still be ripped apart. It is a bit harder to do but, can be done with the same procedure as I mentioned with the very young. I seen a breeder do this to a 4 month old. Ouch, but it worked. You may have to brace the ear down after, to retrain it for a few days, but leave the wound open to the air, do not cover it. Will leave a scar but, that is OK if you want it hanging down. Be sure to rip enough of it, so it will lay down as much as it allows. Spray with blue spray. 

I have had to re-rip an area that wouldn't lay down, because I didn't rip enough in one spot. You have to also allow for any folds, that may not allow it to lay flat, some will have a natural, casual C look, depending on where the fold is. which is OK
Hope this helped.


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I never knew that when the ears are folded like this, they were actually connected! I thought it was just a fold, like a folded piece of paper.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Scottyhorse said:


> I never knew that when the ears are folded like this, they were actually connected! I thought it was just a fold, like a folded piece of paper.


Yes, some have a folded ear, that is fused together, so it needs to literally be ripped apart, if one wants it to hang down.

For me, when I get those, I do rip them shortly after birth. It is not a disqualification in the shows, they are OK and allowed that way. But I prefer them to be down.


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

That's crazy!


----------



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

That is interesting. So it's a genetic thing and not an "in the womb" type random occurance?


----------



## gingersnap (Dec 20, 2012)

I think I'm going to leave them. They're kind of cute and we're raising meat goats so it really doesn't matter about the ears. However, I'll keep an eye out for infections. Thanks everyone!!


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

KW Farms said:


> That is interesting. So it's a genetic thing and not an "in the womb" type random occurance?


It seems to be somewhat genetic. But no one really knows. Could also be the way they sit in the womb too.
I find though, that if you have a Doe with flip ups, she may or may throw them. It can be hit and miss.


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

All of our straight ear babies, now adults have always had thicker ears. The curled up ones are more thin in their skin. I think it could be genetic but also wonder and this has no real foundation to it to be true but I am wondering if perhaps the babies might have also been born a bit earlier than the rest. That thot is truly a guess that probably has no truth to it but then the next year, the same does produced straight ear babies. Our best formed ears are still much thicker in the skin and are very straight with no curl at all so it is most likely still genetic.


----------



## Justice-Kidds (May 2, 2013)

Here are Some pictures of my baby girl with the curled up ear I would massage it straight then I put cardboard and duck tape it around their ear cardboard on front and back and here's a picture of her today. Just check it or let it Air out if need be


----------



## Justice-Kidds (May 2, 2013)

Sorry it Was not duck tape. It was the off-white colored tape I can't think of it right now is it scotch tape, i can't remember :/


----------



## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

I am not sure how well it would stay on a goat but with german shepherds you can use the tear mender to help floppy ears to develop. So I would think you could use it in goats just as well. You may even want to use something like a tongue depressor or piece of thin cardboard type material to place it in the position that you need (say on the under side leaving the outside open in case you have an open wound area). Just an idea.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

She is cute. 

With some, that is all it takes, but for others, it must be ripped.

I do use duct tape, very small strips, because that is the only thing, that will stay on.
I leave any wounds open to the air and do not cover that part. 

With the ones that I do not have to rip. I will use the duct tape to lay the ear flat with stripes of duct tape.


----------



## sejoyce (Feb 25, 2017)

I used nasal strips for a folded ear and it did the trick.

Sent from my VS987 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------

