# Horns or no?



## Azure (Jan 1, 2021)

I would love to get goats in the spring, but me and my mom and talking and we can't decide if we should get them disbudded or not... the thing is it's a lot easier to get them disbudded around here then with their horns. We are a little worried about them getting a bit aggressive towards my little sister and also if we get them disbudded then we would have to also disbud all future kids and the process is hard for me to think about and I hate causing pain. I also think they look so regal with their horns.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

I have disbudded goats but in the future I have decided any new herd will have horns. I personally feel that horns help them regulate their body heat better, they do make holding them easier sometimes, and it's what they are meant to have.

So - horned goat management, tennis balls, pool noodles, you can work with it.

It is a personal choice. Do whatever you feel is best.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Are you getting dairy goats or meat goats? Do you plan on showing? What sells best in your area? These are questions you need answers to in order to make a decision. 
Dairy goats are often more than not disbudded. Horned dairy are harder to sell in many areas. 
Meat goats are normally horned unless you show..then need to be disbudded. 

We raise dairy..both nigies and standard.. we disbud. We hate it but kids would not sell well otherwise. My daughter does the disbudding here and for several farmers in our area. She is fast and officiant. Rarely gets scurs. Babies are back with mom like nothing happened in less than 5 minutes. Key is to bisbud on time. If you choose to have disbudded, find a person who does it often and does a good job. Ask to see their work..goats they disbudded before..references are a good idea. I have seen many botched jobs from careless people. Need to be sure you get someone who knows what they are doing. When done correctly...its fast and clean. Good luck and kudos for planning in advance!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I do not believe in dehorning/ disbudding at all, it is cruel.
Plus, their horns act like a radiator and there for a reason.

Some kids die from the procedure and can have bad outcomes.

However, it depends on the situation and with some, is just preference or fear around children. 

So I can’t tell anyone don’t do it. To each his own.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

You will get answers on both sides here...... there is always a lot of pros and cons to each. The questions happybleats asked are major considerations. In the end, do what is best for your management and your purpose for your herd.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

My boer goats are horned and they are show goats. My myotonics are horned also. I would not put a goat through dehorning. 
I would suggest you go watch disbudding. That might help you make your choice. For me..the horn is the perfect handle.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

Moers kiko boars said:


> For me..the horn is the perfect handle.


:up:


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## Gooseberry Creek (Jun 3, 2020)

You cant show a goat with horns in the dairy catagories though?
I would love to just leave them because its a pain to have to dehorn them and I am not looking forward to it but I want to show so I think they will need to be disbudded. 
If the ADGA would let them be horned for show people prob wouldnt disbud them.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

To clarify, disbudding and dehorning are two different things. 
Disbudding is done when baby had just a knuckle size bud. They use a disbudding iron to burn a ring around the bud, killing the blood flow to prevent growth. 
Dehorning is cutting an already formed horn off the head. Extreme pain and lots of blood. 

Both methods are painful and hard to do/watch. Dehorning much more so. Disbudding is quick and over..when done right..dehorning exposes the sinus cavity...offers more opportunities for infection and the pain the goat goes through is much harder and longer than a correct disbudding.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

I’m not a fan of dehorning and personally won’t put a goat through it, so I have a mixed herd. ( horned and disbudded) that said, for my dairy goats I couldn’t sell Or show them if they weren’t disbudded. When done as babies (it’s not something I like having done) but I give banamine before and the next day if needed. If the registries didn’t require it I probably would not do it at all and keep horns on all of my goats.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Unfortunately, my disbudder quit last year and I have 6 kids that keep getting heads stuck. One we lost. So, I am going to have to band those horns and hopefully, it goes well. I cannot have horns in my herd (dairy, some show and fences made for non horned goats). 

Fortunately, I have banded before and had great outcomes. (and much nicer does). But, causing pain to sweet goaties is not my forte' and I will be almost physically ill, until I am done getting those horns banded. Then the worries if it will work etc. So much easier to disbud at 3 days old. Done and forgotten. 15 seconds a side- so much easier! 

I hate disbudding, but- I really hate finding a goat stuck and dead. That was terrible. So, for me, no horns is my only option. Keeping horns or disbudding, dehorning and banding are all up to the person, there is no right or wrong answer across the board. It is what works for you and your farm.


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## NDinKY (Aug 3, 2019)

We have NDs and disbud everyone. Our primary reason is safety, as our kids are often handling them. I absolutely hate doing it, but it’s better than one of my kids getting hurt. They also sell better. We do it ourselves, and this past year have had very few scurs (bucklings are tough). The scurs we get can easily be popped off with pliers and eventually stop growing. 

When we got our first goats, two had horns. We didn’t think much of it until our horse almost lost an eye. He was eating out of the same trough as the doe and her horn tip was less than 1/4” from his eye. Vet came out and dehorned them a few days later. That was a brutal process and not something I ever want to put a goat through again. Disbudding is no where near as bad. 

There are pros and cons to either way, you just have to figure out what is best for your set up. If we had meat goats we’d probably not disbud, but their horns grow back instead of pointing up like dairy breeds tend to do.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

I currently have three goats with horns, and two that are disbudded. One of the goats I disbudded myself. It really was not as horrific as I thought it would be. The thing that really took me over the edge of deciding that I didn't want any more horned goats was the fact that my little nieces and nephews really enjoy going in the goat pen with me, and I always worry that one of those horn tips will get them right in the eye. I have also gotten slammed multiple times with horn tips. Never a serious injury, but my goats can really hurt me with those horns, even when they don't intend to. I just have to be a lot more cautious around the horned goats, especially when there are children around. If I was the only one out there working with them, I think I would be more inclined to let them grow horns. Another thing to consider is when other people buy them, I no longer have control over their future. I would rather disbud them as babies, than have somebody trying to band their horns without knowing what they're doing, and cause the goat a lot of pain and distress. I have seen some truly hair-raising conversations surrounding dehorning adult goats in some of the other groups I'm a part of. That being said, I am considering selling all of my bucklings for meat this coming year, and if I decide to do that, I'm not going to mess around with disbudding them. It really is personal preference, though, as others have stated. Plus, what you're planning to do with your goats once you get them. For me, I've just decided no more horned goats on the property. The ones that currently have horns will get to keep them, but I'm not planning to buy any more goats that have horns, and I'm planning to disbud the babies that I keep.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Azure said:


> I would love to get goats in the spring, but me and my mom and talking and we can't decide if we should get them disbudded or not... the thing is it's a lot easier to get them disbudded around here then with their horns. We are a little worried about them getting a bit aggressive towards my little sister and also if we get them disbudded then we would have to also disbud all future kids and the process is hard for me to think about and I hate causing pain. I also think they look so regal with their horns.


You may be able to find a vet who will disbud your kids for you. If you do, they will probably knock them out to do the disbudding, so the kids won't feel it. I did that with my first batch of kids this year, but decided that it wasn't cost effective to keep doing it that way. If I could find a vet who didn't charge me $40 each to disbud kids, I would definitely go that road.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Caileigh Jane Smith said:


> You may be able to find a vet who will disbud your kids for you. If you do, they will probably knock them out to do the disbudding, so the kids won't feel it. I did that with my first batch of kids this year, but decided that it wasn't cost effective to keep doing it that way. If I could find a vet who didn't charge me $40 each to disbud kids, I would definitely go that road.


Vets will often give a sedatitive.... but the kids do feel it. My vet does the sedative and i was there... those kids did cry out even while loopy.


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## AndersonRanch (Oct 18, 2020)

I think happy bleats pretty much nailed the basics of what you need to consider. 
I have Boers and they keep their horns, it is part of the standard for having registered goats and being able to show, unless they are wethers for market kids and then they get disbudded because they either have to be or the horns need to be tipped (another discussion lol) NONE of my goats are aggressive at ANY human with their horns!!! If they were to be then I am sure they would be aggressive no matter if they had horns or not and they would get a one way ticket out of here and straight to the butcher house. That should not really be a deciding factor on what way to go. A goat is either nice (more often then not) or they are rotten. The thing is you and your sister, if you had horned goats, would need to learn to respect those horns and be aware of them to not get yourself hurt. Like one time I tried to lift one of my goats and took a horn to the ear. It wasn’t the goats fault, it was mine. 
One thing I will say though is I will NEVER have another dairy doe with horns around here. Last year I had to make a very heart breaking decision with two of my lamancha X boer does. Their horns were terrible against other goats and learned how to hook legs with them. If they were not mean goats though I’m sure they never would have caused a issue but just the way the horns are shaped makes them way more cruel then the Boers horns. Dairy horns make more of a V where they attach at the head where as the Boers are more a U so no legs or other body parts get hooked if they decide to be mean. 
Disbudding is not fun, I won’t say I get the warm and fuzzies over doing it, there is pain involved but as soon as your done and put them back with mom they go on like nothing ever happened. Animals take pain a LOT bette then we do. But if you decide no horns and don’t have the heart to do it, find a 4H or FFA group to do it for you. I’m sure they would be willing to do it to teach the kids how. Or even a kid that knows how to and hand them a $20. Or a vet. I will warn though that the only time I have ever really seen disbudding gone wrong is with vets that are not very goat smart so if you go that way just make sure they know what they are doing with a goat.......it’s a goat not a calf and for some reason cattle vets just don’t seem to understand this. 
Take your time and do what you think is right for what your plans are


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## Ashlynn (Oct 1, 2017)

If dairy disbud, if meat don’t is what I think. I don’t know about the fiber industry very much though. I also have a rule where either all the goats in the pen are horned or none of them are. This gives everyone a fair fight. I do think it’s cruel, but only for a little while and looking at any industry in agriculture you will find cruel procedures that have to be done sometimes. You just try to make it as not cruel as possible and do what you think is best. Horns can be good things to grab onto to hold goat and are good for keeping goats from overheating. They can also be dangerous and simply not allowed like in dairy shows. Boer and kiko horns and dairy horns grow different too so that’s a factor also.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

To dehorn or not to dehorn&#8230;
That is the question!
Whether 'tis nobler for a goat to carry
His crowning glory in outrageous fashion,
Or to take a disbudding iron against a sea of troubles
And by removing, end them&#8230;.

^ That is the beginning of an article I wrote awhile back about this very subject. You can find it at the bottom of this page here: https://www.goatorama.com/articles/

I personally love horns and if ADGA did not require goats to be disbudded for shows, my whole herd would have them. My packgoat boys keep their horns and I love how they look, and I love the practicality they offer since I use halters on my goats. A goat with horns can't slip out of a halter (or bridle--I drive my goats). I've even trained one of my packgoats to offer me his horns as a handle when I want to get up from the ground.

Horns are awesome, but if you want to show dairy goats they're not allowed. Also, you have to take time to train yourself how to behave around horns and train your goats how to behave with horns. You can't ever let them go around poking people, butting, hooking, or otherwise behaving dangerously or even carelessly with horns. We teach our boys that it's never ok to walk closely past us and brush us with a horn. They have to give us a wide berth and/or tilt their head away from us when passing. We also have to train ourselves to always watch out for their horns and not carelessly walk into them or duck down around a goat's face. I wear eye protection any time I'm medicating or having to hold a horned goat's head for some reason. I've also learned never to lead a horned goat directly by the collar. It's too easy to accidentally slip a wrist into the V between their horns.

Horns are not dangerous or difficult if properly managed and respected, but a spoiled or wild goat with horns is a menace to everybody, and people who don't respect horns are menace to themselves. A goat without horns is one of the most harmless creatures on the planet, but a goat with horns has a danger level closer to that of a pony and shouldn't be left unattended with young children or people who don't know what they're doing.


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Disbudding a goat takes away its natural ability to behave like a goat. I live in South Africa and here we are not allowed to disbud or dehorn. A polled goat is a different story. The SPCA here makes sure that goat farmers are checked on. If they do find a disbidded or dehorned goat there must be a vets certificate explaining the reason.

Here it is the same as dehorning a rino or detusking an elephant.

Goats really look like goats with their horns. They look like they should and keep there statis. Horns establish rank and masculinity amongst the males.humans and goats must learn to work together around horns.
Its the farmers choice ultimately.

Personally I have rescued too many animals that have been injured and maimed because of human carelessness


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Again - you see pro's and cons to disbudding. Decide the purpose for your goats, your management and then make the right decision for you. You will always have differing viewpoints on the horns or no horns. I will say, if you decide that no horns are right for you, please disbud and don't dehorn. Disbudding is quick and has little pain compared to opening that sinus cavity for a dehorning. Decided early and stick with it.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Sfgwife said:


> Vets will often give a sedatitive.... but the kids do feel it. My vet does the sedative and i was there... those kids did cry out even while loopy.


I was not present when my vet disbudded my kids, because of Covid, but I'm pretty sure that the stuff they gave them knocked them out cold. I can't remember the name of the drug right now, but I know it's one that is commonly used in Europe when kids are disbudded. The kids were out for probably 40 minutes or more. To the point where I was starting to get really concerned about one of the kids who did not come around quickly at all. In fact, that was one of the reasons I decided not to take kids to the vet to be disbudded again. I did not like the fact that they were out for that long; I felt that it was very stressful both for them and their mom. It would have been a different story if I could have afforded to have the vet make a farm call, so their mom could have been with them the whole time.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

When I was in the planning stage, reading about disbudding, whether you use an iron or acid, seemed so stressful that I decided to go with horns, for all goats that would live here.
I told the breeders not to disbud my chosen kids. 
I am still glad I chose that route.
I learned how to treat bucks with big horns (a head holder is a great invention if you need to administer nose drops or something to a big horned buck). Also, the buck had to learn respect.
The goats only use their horns to interact with each other, not with me. Or to scratch themselves. 
One thing I have not seen mentioned here is, if you do go with horns, go fence shopping and choose a fence with holes too small for their heads. We went with 4 inch panels. We have not had an issue with stuck heads.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Caileigh Jane Smith said:


> I was not present when my vet disbudded my kids, because of Covid, but I'm pretty sure that the stuff they gave them knocked them out cold. I can't remember the name of the drug right now, but I know it's one that is commonly used in Europe when kids are disbudded. The kids were out for probably 40 minutes or more. To the point where I was starting to get really concerned about one of the kids who did not come around quickly at all. In fact, that was one of the reasons I decided not to take kids to the vet to be disbudded again. I did not like the fact that they were out for that long; I felt that it was very stressful both for them and their mom. It would have been a different story if I could have afforded to have the vet make a farm call, so their mom could have been with them the whole time.


my vet ises ketamine and something else. Yes they were out. And also yes they cried. And yes they were out about thirty min. It sucked!


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I disbud at 3-10 days depending on size of horn buds and bucks or does. Don't use sedative at all, but I do give banamine to reduce swelling. After the procedure they almost always just go back to mom or the bottle for a drink. I've never had a problem


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

My vet uses a sedative but my babies don't usually react during the disbudding procedure. Interestingly, they're more likely to cry out when I tattoo them, which is something I often do while they're out for disbudding. My babies don't stay out long. Whatever drug my vet uses has an antidote. She gives them a "wake up" shot after the disbudding is over and they come round pretty quickly. I'm happy that my vet only charges $15/kid, but I think that's also a "friend" price.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I don't know if this has been brought up recently, but it is a consideration when deciding to disbud or not. Will you have that animal it's entire life? If not, then you should look at what type of life it will have with or without horns. Most people buy one or 2 dairy goats, so they probably do not want horns, especially if they are only wanting a pet goat to milk and have.

Without getting too wordy and writing a book, statistically, most people only have goats for an average of 4 years. The reasons vary, but life changes, income, illness, age, or kids grow up and out of 4-H and parents don't want to care for the former 4-H or FFA projucts. So, please think about what sort of future you want your goat to have in 5 or 10 years.

(I personally hate that ADGA _mandates_ no horns to show, but it is what it is).


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I have all disbudded goats and I will be disbudding in the future. My biggest reason is hornless goats cannot get their heads stuck in fences. We have a fence that they can get their heads through and there is no way in heck they wouldn't be getting their heads stuck constantly if they had horns. I also was convinced by the breeder I bought them from to disbud because first of all, she wouldn't even sell me any with horns and secondly, she used to have a kiko buck who severely injured her with his horns, and after that she said she would never have horned goats again. We also have the potential to have young children around the goats and we didn't want to have to be constantly telling the kids to be careful. 

It's a really hard decision, I know. And goats that were disbudded improperly can have scurs and that's a real pain to deal with. Just know that either way you choose is okay. Plenty of people out there have goats with horns and plenty have them without. It's a very tough thing to decide, but you need to weigh which pros and cons are more of an issue for you and do what you think is best for you, your family, and your animals. Good luck!


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## Calistar (Jan 16, 2017)

Damfino said:


> A goat without horns is one of the most harmless creatures on the planet


I do have to disagree with you there! An ill-tempered goat is a dangerous animal, horns or no! I have a "good buck gone bad" and that little (Nigerian) snot is at the perfect height to do some serious kneecap damage.

In response to the OP, I am a fan of disbudding. Like several others have mentioned, it's not just about my own preferences and practices, but about ensuring that the goat will have a better life down the road if I sell it. Hornless goats are much easier to sell and more likely to end up in better homes. The skinny goats you see on Craigslist tied out in someone's back yard or in a tiny pen are almost always the horned ones. Not that disbudding is any guarantee of a better home, but it is a huge help. I also raise registered dairy goats, so disbudding is pretty much a necessity by default.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

I'll take an ill-tempered hornless goat any day over an ill-tempered dog, cat, horse, or cow! Goats can't effectively stomp, bite, or kick you. The only real defense God gave them were their horns so when we remove those we remove almost all of their menace. I mean, no, they aren't as harmless as a grass snake or a stink bug, but among common pets and other domesticated livestock a hornless goat is pretty low on the danger scale. I had a polled doe who we put down because she was aggressive with other goats. She caused one to abort and intentionally drove another into the electric fence. She even terrified the buck we were supposed to breed her to! So no, they're not completely harmless without horns, but they are still pretty feeble compared to dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, cows, llamas, etc.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Sfgwife said:


> my vet ises ketamine and something else. Yes they were out. And also yes they cried. And yes they were out about thirty min. It sucked!


That does not sound fun!


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## LaZyAcres (Aug 25, 2010)

I had four kids disbudded by a vet ten years ago, apparently not an experienced vet - as three have scurs and one has a full set of beautiful horns. So to echo a previous comment, get and check references, even vets aren't necessarily qualified. I would never dehorn her now, everyone just needs to exercise caution around her.


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## jon011784 (May 31, 2020)

jon011784 said:


> You won't think they're regal looking when they Nail you with their horns I carry a scar on my arm from one


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## Nommie Bringeruvda Noms (Nov 7, 2019)

Not for me. I won't do it, and, after this past 3 does we bought, I'll not ever buy another disbudded one. We have mostly horned, but hubs bought 3 nubian does, last fall. Our original thought was to separate the herds, because it's not fair to the non-horned to be put in with horned goats who will, by their nature, bully them. The problem was we couldn't, in all practicality, separate the herds, without building a second barn. Not an option. So, the tiny-but-horned Nigoras bullied the hornless Nubians, and wouldn't let them eat. They were weakened so badly, (because we couldn't figure out a way, other than one of us staying out there, 24/7, building another structure, or rotating them) that we lost 2 Nubians. The only one left, ended up coming into our garage every night, for nearly a month - definitely not a sustainable option. But, now, she's strong, getting stronger, and even with no horns, she gives as good as she gets. But, I'll never put another through the hell she's been through. She's become a pet, and we love her, dearly. But, any more goats coming to our herd will have their nature-given horns.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

By reading all responses you can see how it really depends on what each of our goals are. I don't think there is a right or wrong here. You need to decide what best meets your farm needs. 

Best wishes


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## indigodesertmoon (Mar 22, 2015)

I have had both horned and disbudded. I have a beautiful 400.00 registered blue eyed unicorn goat thanks to a botched job (I purchased her when she was a baby like this) , she looks awful, one deformed horn and a scur. I also have some really beautiful naturally polled goats, which brings me to this, if they are born with horns they keep the horns if the are polled no worries I won't buy anymore goats that are disbudded. I have had no problems at all with my horned goats but then they are tiny nigerian dwarf goats. Everyone has a different opinion.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

jon011784 said:


> You won't think they're regal looking when they Nail you with their horns I carry a scar on my arm from one


Oh, I don't know. I've got plenty of scars from horse accidents, but it doesn't make me think horses are any less regal, noble, or wonderful. Eventually you mostly learn to watch out for them, for unlike goats which can be dehorned, horses can't be de-toothed and de-hooved to make them more convenient for humans. I've yet to be maimed by a goat's horn (ironically, I've been maimed by a scur), but even if I were, I would probably not be able to blame the goat. They are what they were created to be.


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## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

I have all disbudded goats and will likely always keep it that way. 
People say horns are dangerous, but like Damfino points out other animals are just as/much more dangerous in ways we can’t change, so we learn to deal with them. Sell the bad tempered animals and only keep the mellow ones. 
However, my biggest reason for disbudding and I think most everyone’s main reason, is pen size and facilities. In this day and age when everyone feeds hay and grain, most animals don’t have the space to roam that they need. When confines become smaller, lower ranking animals can’t stay or get away from higher ranking ones quickly enough to avoid being smashed, usually into a fence. With horns, that can be incredibly dangerous to the other goats. 
Certain breeds of goats have very wide horns and most people’s doorways and milk stands, and some mangers can’t accommodate those horns.


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## Barnlady7 (Jan 3, 2021)

Azure said:


> I would love to get goats in the spring, but me and my mom and talking and we can't decide if we should get them disbudded or not... the thing is it's a lot easier to get them disbudded around here then with their horns. We are a little worried about them getting a bit aggressive towards my little sister and also if we get them disbudded then we would have to also disbud all future kids and the process is hard for me to think about and I hate causing pain. I also think they look so regal with their horns.


Did you not know that some goats naturally have no horns


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I think most are aware, some are polled, but it's not dominant. I think the discussion was about wether or not to disbud or leave the horns.


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## OverTheMoon (Jan 4, 2019)

I have a mixed herd of polled, horned and some disbudded Nigerian Dwarfs, so this is what we encounter. My herd queen does not have horns, as she was disbudded when we got her, so she isn't bullied by the horned does. However, we once had a bossy horned doe who did bully every other goat in the herd, and in order to keep the harmony, she was sold, and our herd is very peaceful now. My polled doe sits firmly in the middle of the herd, boss of several horned does below her. I have heard of horned does injuring each other, which I believe is rare, and perhaps we've been very fortunate.
My disbudded buck grows scurs that he knocks off occasionally, bleeds a lot, and then his head needs to be treated in case of infection, but it hasn't proved to be any major problem except when his longest surviving scur tried to grow into his face (but then he knocked it off just before we planned to clip it, so yay!). 
We taught our children how to handle goats with horns, which is not much different than teaching them how to handle horses to avoid being kicked, or being aware of dog body language to avoid being bitten. I agree that horns can be a good handle on occasion, though we don't handle them by their horns routinely. I will admit I have been bruised on my legs a few times (but now that I think about it, that was from the bossy doe we sold, because she was jealous and tried to butt other goats who came up to me). 
We did have a section of cattle panel (big big mistake!) that one horned doe got her head stuck in a few of times. I had foolishly hoped she'd learn not to, but it became clear that wasn't going to happen. We fixed that cattle panel with welded goat wire. With the correct fencing for goats, they can't really get their heads stuck, horned. We've never had a problem with goats getting stuck in the goat wire fencing that we have over our whole property and enclosures within. It's well worth having proper no-climb goat fencing, whether the goats are horned or not. We won't disbud ourselves, because I've seen the videos and I couldn't stomach to do it to them, but I understand doing it for showing since there's no provision for showing horned dairy goats.


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## artzkat (Oct 22, 2007)

Azure said:


> I would love to get goats in the spring, but me and my mom and talking and we can't decide if we should get them disbudded or not... the thing is it's a lot easier to get them disbudded around here then with their horns. We are a little worried about them getting a bit aggressive towards my little sister and also if we get them disbudded then we would have to also disbud all future kids and the process is hard for me to think about and I hate causing pain. I also think they look so regal with their horns.


Okay..All my goats are and have had horns..no problem. I chose fencing that they could not get stuck in, avoided grabbing them by the horns unless absolutely necessary (can make them "headshy" or "handshy" like horses) and only for short times..no dragging them around by the horns...and socialized them from the start. Yes, they used their horns like can openers to move things around, scratch up small trees and bushes and butt heads together, but I never had a problem ever with horns...and a couple of the wethers grew seriously large horns. Conversely, my neighbor who disbuds, had three that got infected and one that had to be put down because of ongoing infection. An aggressive goat will be aggressive with or without horns and can do damage...bucks in rut can be unpredictable with and without horns! The biggest determiner is your handling of the goats in general..gentle handling, socialization and lots of kind, gentle, consistent contact will always be the key to successful goat raising. Goats don't like being chased, hit, harrassed, yelled at or frightened...think of cats..same sort of personality. They have long memories and if mistreated when young, will never forget or trust you. As an older woman, I had to learn quickly how to win goats trust and confidence without overpowering them...I was never going to win by strong arming them..


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