# Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months - AIR SHIPPING 2 for 1 NOT!



## DebMc (Dec 11, 2009)

I am interested in an awesome lil buckling. He's super nice in all respects except he has horns. He's 3 months old, too old to burn, right? How long do the horns have to be to band them? For those of you w/experience doing that, could you please tell me what the pros and cons are of using that method? 

Thanks in advance,

Deb Mc


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

Yeah, 3 months would almost for sure be to late to disbud. However, banding would be a great option. I've found that 3 inch long horns are usually good sized to band or longer. It's very easy and usually painless for the goat as long as they don't knock them off early or bump them into the fence or something. I've had no negative experiences banding, only positive. After banding, I also haven't had any scurs or horns come back in.


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## DebMc (Dec 11, 2009)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

Thanks so much for sharing that! What size bands do you use? I don't have an expander yet. Is there a particular one you'd recommend?


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

I just use the regular green castrator bands. I take the castrator tool with a band and put it down to the base of the horn just as if I would do actually castrating. I usually use 2 bands, sometimes three per horn. You'll want to check the bands every now and then to make sure they didn't break off or become loose. The tighter the bands are... the quicker the circulation is cut off to the horns and the quicker the horns fall of.


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

Every buck/buckling I've seen banded scurred regardless, the horn base is just too wide. Works great on does and wethers but those buck horns are something else! LOL


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## DebMc (Dec 11, 2009)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

Epona, do you happen to know how old those bucks were when disbudded w/bands? If done early, the horn base wouldn't be that big. Or w/bucks is it more their hormones?


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

If you are really interested in the buck, but not sure about banding, you could also have the vet remove them - i had my vet remove horns on a one year old - it only cost me $75, she had to be kept separated from the others for a few days so they wouldn't chew her 'hat' off. It was worth every penny to me (she was the only one with horns)


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

A couple were fairly young, less than a year old. Any further than that and the horn base on bucks gets much too big to really band well at all. It must be hormones, after all, it's hormones that tell them to grow big ol horns right?


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

You should be able to get several bands on a young buck a year or under. If the horn base is wide, just make a little notch on each side of the horn base to keep the bands in place. Some bucks won't grow any scurs back in while some will and that will be because the bands didn't cut off circulation right at the base. It has to be as close to the skull as you can. If they are young bucks, their horns tend to grow faster so the band will grow into the horn and move up before the horn from base to tip dies. You'll have to keep an eye on it to make sure the bands stay at the base and keep adding more bands if needed. :thumb:


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## DebMc (Dec 11, 2009)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply and give me food for thought. I've decided to get him. :stars:

My vet gave me contact info for several vets who specialize in goats. I am looking for a mobile vet who can come out here to us, more convenient and less stressful on the goaties. The buckling will be arriving Thursday. In the meantime, I will call and see if any of the goat vets have experience surgically removing horns from kids too old to burn and whether or not they'd recommend the procedure. If it's like major surgery or too risky for my liking, then I may try banding or I may just leave the horns be and see how it goes. I will probably sell him next year anyway in favor of a buck I can breed all my does to. I'm getting his sister, too, but she won't be ready to breed until Fall 2012.

Sounds like a plan.  Thanks, again!

Deb Mc


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

That's awesome Deb! Congrats!


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## DebMc (Dec 11, 2009)

*Re: Disbudding Kids @ 3 Months*

We're having to ship him in a separate crate so double the cost. :GAAH: The darn airlines doesn't allow more than 1 animal per crate for livestock. What airline does? Anyone know? I've had several breeders tell me they can ship two kids for the price of 1 as long as they both fit in the same crate. I can tell you right now Continental is not one of them.

Deb Mc


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I think only delta does or was it American airlines?


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## DebMc (Dec 11, 2009)

Thanks, Stacey. 

In case anyone's interested, Continental offers climate control for shipping animals so you can pretty much ship year round. Supposedly cargo is the same temp as in first class passenger. 

Deb Mc


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