# Can horned live with no horns



## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

We took in 2 pygmy mix girls from a situation that was becoming bad. These girls have horns, one is 3 yrs old and her daughter will be 1. None of our goats have horns, we even had our boer wether put to sleep to surgically dehorn him because we had waiting too long to use the iron. There have been a couple scuffles with us there...we won't allow them to mingle unsupervised...but will we ever be able to? I can pad and wrap the horns til the hierarchy is worked out if that would help. Or could take them to the same vet we used with Hatchet to have them surgically removed. I have heard this is a bad process for adult goats and takes longer to heal because of the holes into the sinuses it leaves. I want to do whats right for them but first and foremost I intend to protect my herd. I would just like for them to become a part of that herd. 
Opinions, suggestions, ideas are welcome...I realize most people are against dehorning adults and I am not happy with the idea myself. If they'll get along in the end with noone goring any of my girls I'd leave them horned


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I have both horned and no horned goats together. The ones with the horns can be more aggressive but the others just don't push on them so they usually get along well. Well no I can't say they get along but they know the few dominate ones with horns get to eat first and if they want in on the hay just back up and let them go for it.
But not a lot of people go this same way so some suggestions if you don't feel comfortable doing it this way. Yes you can wrap the tips of the horns if you would like. You can get tennis balls and cut a X in them and place on the horns then duct tape it onto the horns. Another more permanent thing to do is tipping the horns so they are not so sharp. Just like a hoof if you get some trimmers, with those small horns you could probably use hoof trimmers, and just go slow and take a little at a time off and stop when you see pink then they will be more blunt then sharp. 
Honestly I would be too chicken to remove the horns totally. I've thought about handing the horns before (i do like no horns best) but I figure if there is a small chance of something going wrong it will with me. 
I also want to add that my 3 bottom goats do in fact have horns. Also for years the queen had no horns so those no horned goats or yours just might surprise you


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

I didn't know I could trim them back. I think we will go with that and the tennis ball trick til they get some order among them. Thanks. That really gave me some hope knowing you have both kinds also...I thought, are we crazy for taking these two in? Everyone I know has either horns or no horns...never both


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## billiejw89 (May 7, 2014)

We have a mixed herd and have had no problems


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## Redbarngoatfarm (Jul 8, 2015)

Mine are all mixed, they end up sorting it out...you may be overthinking it...


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

Overthinking it is a very good possibility with us. We're like the bad news bears. Any freak accident that can happen can and will happen to us...especially if we take great care with something. I figure our bottle baby, who is weaned and doing great, will get it first. I hate being over protective sometimes.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

No it's fine to over think things sometimes. Especially if you just google horned and no horns together you will get the whole never ever ever spill. I have actually just stopped googling things because pretty much everything I flipped about ended up not being as big of a deal as some sites make them out to be. But if tennis balls will give you piece of mind by all means go for it! Really if you watch them they don't really use the tip of their horns all that much when fighting. They will use them as a 'get out of my way' kinda way but down right wars no


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

You could always band the horns.

http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f186/tutorial-surgically-banding-horns-177793/


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

I have horned and no horned together they're all great together


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

So i did the tennis balls on the horns...duct taped them...they look like aliens. Put everyone in the pasture together to see how it would go. Margo, the 3 year old with horns, went on a rampage. At first she only chased the herd queen, Inka...then it was game on. She ran through the middle of them, scattering everyone. Jumping up kicking her heels together, butting and throwing her head around even when there was noone close by to butt. She ran, charged and chased so much she was panting. It was hilarious but disappointing at the same time. Her daughter, Luna, doesn't seem to be as big of a turd as her. I think I may separate them for awhile and see if i can get Luna accepting into the herd. Then try for Margo.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Just leave them together they have to work it out themselves.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

JK_Farms said:


> Just leave them together they have to work it out themselves.


I agree. It sounds like for the most part she was just feeling good but if you take them out now they will just go threw all this again. The rest will learn she is either the new queen or she isn't and she will learn that they are going to respect her as the new queen or she has to respect them. The worst of it is over so just let them stay together


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

watching her run my girls down was alittle hard. i'll just have to walk away and let them do it. i just dont want to lose any of my girls because of two i just acquired and have no feelings for


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

I keep horns and no horns in my herd and it's working fine. I agree with the others that you should not separate them, but the tennis balls were a good idea. You can even cut down some foam pipe insulators or pool noodles and tape those around the horns for more padding if you're worried. Some goats are just plain mean whether they have horns or not, and these can be dangerous so keep an eye on things for sure. It may be necessary to tether the mean goat for a while (within reach of water and shelter of course) so the other goats can interact with her on their own terms but she can't chase them. Sometimes being tied up for a while can give a mean goat an attitude adjustment. Never let her hit the other goats or fight with them while you're present. Are any of your goats pregnant? This would be my biggest concern about introducing a dominant goat to the herd. I'm fortunate that I have a wether pen, so if a doe gets too rough with the pregnant girls, into the boys' pen she goes!


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I have horned and unhorned together. They do fine with one exception. A horned doe butted another horned doe, causing a hernia on her side. But this was horned to horned.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

I agree. Pygmies can be super mean even if they are pygmy crosses. Thats why I sold all my pygmies and kept the only pygmy cross. Once they figure out wjos boss everything will settle.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh they can be down right jerks! Sometimes I do have to walk away because they tick me off so badly. But I promise they will calm down once they figure it out. This usually takes a full day......and that's not a full day of a down right war that's usually them really getting into it then settling down and kinda banging heads together. Pretty much the war stops when they start to get tired. 
If you do tether the goat, I personally would not but if you do do NOT leave her unattended especially with the other goats. When I was younger we tethered a buck that I don't even recall what his issue was. We thought it was safe because he was in a pen had food and shelter but when we got up one morning he got the rope around another goats neck and choked it to death.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

I agree! A tethered goat should not be left unattended, especially with others in the pen. I should have mentioned that.


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## wndngrvr (Dec 10, 2011)

If you decide to dehorn - I highly recommend a good vet do it. I had one girl with horns and bullying all the others and one horn was deformed and growing down toward her face. It was quite a surgery and I kept her and her daughter penned alone for 2 1/2 months. I had to bandage and medicate her head daily for quite a few weeks until the hole to her sinus was totally healed. She also had to have antibiotics for a bit. She is finally all healed and looks great - I also have a great vet.


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## anawhitfield (Jun 9, 2013)

I noticed your goats wear collars. I once had a (grown) doe accidentally get her horn under her momma's collar. I know they weren't fighting becuase momma was the matriarch and nobody dared to challenge her. But somehow this doe got her horn under the collar and when they both freaked out, they started turning and twisting strangling the momma. Luckily I happened to be at the farm and was able to cut the collar loose before she strangled her to death. That is something to keep in mind.

If she is chasing your goats around, have you thought about hobbling her? I would tie her front leg to her back leg (instead of front leg to front leg or back leg to back leg). And only give her enough slack to walk slowly, definitely not make long strides or run/jump. That should slow her down both physically and mentally.


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## Clehmanktm57319 (Aug 6, 2016)

We have horned an no horned together 2 bucks and a wether they worked it out but we do feed scattered feed pans so they can't protect all the food


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

Now Margo has taken to targeting the smaller girls and ramming them to the ground. She doesn't stop when she gets them to the ground...its kinda like she's grinding them in. She also decided to show her authority to my wife. Tennis balls or not, she packs a punch. Luna, the younger of the two, is determined to get me off my feet now too. So I've contacted the previous owner and told her she can come get them and re-home herself or let us but they can't stay here. I'm tired of the bruises and having to get her off the little girls.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

That's why I sold my Pygmies they're really mean not nice like their stereotype


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Yeah she needs to go!


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Horns or not, that's just a mean goat! We had a naturally polled doe who would trample the other goats to the ground and keep beating them, and she would intentionally try to run them through the electric fence. It didn't matter that our girl had no horns--she was still dangerous. With all the horns I have in my herd, the only serious injuries we've had in five years were caused by that one doe. I loved her (she was very sweet to people and she adored me), but we ended up culling her after she caused one doe to abort and chased another into the electric fence where she would have strangled to death if I hadn't been right there when it happened. It's not worth it to keep a mean/dangerous animal. There are so many good ones in the world who need a home.


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

Margo and Luna are at their new farm which consists of a pygmy doe slightly bigger than Margo and a younger doe...all horned. Margo has been put in her place by the bigger girl and everyone is getting along fine. The owner is retired and spends all day with them with his older grandkids. Happy ending


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

That is good.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Amazing how those mean goats can mellow out when a bigger goat forces them into line! Glad things worked out!


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