Hi Everyone! We have a new goat, she's a 4-5 month old Pygmy. She came with 1-2 inch horns. Is it to late to debud? If not what can we use the Elastisizer(sp)?

-- Sherrie Holcomb (ester@communitygate.net), April 18, 2000

Answers

We used bands on a wether we got last year. One side we didn't the band low enough and it did make a diffrence,Get it as low as you can. I've heard if you make a notch with a file it helps. It does work... Doris in Idaho

-- Doris Richards (dorisquilts@webtv.net), April 18, 2000.

Might want to take it to an experienced Dairy Goat person. We disbud lots of goats per year, and they will be able to tell you if you can still disbud. If you are going to dehorn read the articles at: http.//www.skubusiness.com/goatscanada/index.91.html

and the photos are at:

http.//www.skybusiness.com/goatscanada/index.92.html

Have to admit, I was impressed with the amount of animals they did, and not one bleed to death. I was always one of those hardliners on dehorning with bands, crule, they will bleed to death, sloppy management, but have to admit after seeing these results, I still don't recommend using this as your management, disbud!!!!! But if you buy something with horns this is a viable option. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 18, 2000.

I just put bands on my doe goats ."She came with them " She has been getting too fresh trying to horn everyone else cows , lambs ,dogs and pigs .I'll let you know how it works .I can't wait til they fall off and she knows it !

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 18, 2000.

I have done quite a few goats with the elastator bands. If the horns are more than an inch in diameter, I don't do it, because there is a bone inside the horn as it gets bigger, and I could be wrong, but don't think the band will cut through the bone. The bone goes up inside the horn,the horn as it gets bigger is a shell that covers that bone which is fused to the skull. If the horns are an inch in diameter or smaller,use a triangular file to cut a groove very close to the head,as close as you can get,all the way around the base of the horn.The groove should be almost as deep as the band is thick when it's stretched out.I roll the band down the horn and check to see if it will seat into the groove nicely, if it rolls out of the groove,roll it back up a bit and file a little more. When each horn has a band seated in the groove,I usually take a second band and roll it over and below the first one,because I can never file as closely as I'd like to, and two bands work better than one. In a month or two, the horn will begin to get close to falling off. Watch her that other goats don't butt her and break the horn off too early. If it breaks off too soon it will bleed, put cayenne pepper on it to stop the bleeding,be careful not to get cayenne in her eyes though! If the other goats are bossy and this one is new, you may want to put her in a pen of her own until the whole horn business is over with, or she may not get anything to eat.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), April 18, 2000.

Are you all serious? Can you really disbud using elasticator bands? That sounds almost too easy! I have a little ram sheep about a month old, and the sire ram has horns, so I am sure this guy might also. Can I use them on a sheep? Thanks for any info, Jan

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), April 18, 2000.

Hey thanks for the info, I'm going to get the stuff & a file & give it a try. Vicki - I tried your site & it gave me the OOPS! message. Sherrie

-- Sherrie Holcomb (ester@communitygate.net), April 18, 2000.

Some one already told me, here is the original site, you really have to hunt to find the article and pics though, I had to hunt through history to find it! http://www.skybusiness.com/goatscanada/index.html I just tried it and it worked so no whinning!:) I really don't understand how it can work one week and not the other, I even copied the url onto favorites which I got to directly! Also why is my mouse not scrolling tonight!!! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 19, 2000.

The elastrator bands are not the ideal way to prevent horns from growing, if your ram hasn't got horns yet ,but you can feel the hornbuds,get him disbudded with a dehorning iron.It is a lot less stressful and effective. The bands are the next best thing,certainly better than putting up with a horned goat.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), April 19, 2000.

Hey goat people,

I retired from cows and goats. Made more money with goats than I ever did with cows. I had One rule, NO HORNS, I disbud when kids are young. As soon as I can feel the bud. I have used both Paste, Electric Iron disbudders and Bands. Bands are for too big but not too large.

I bought and sold goats on a commercial scale. When you buy you get some really bad creatures with really bad habits. The biggest problem is shoving the head through the woven wire and even the stock panels.

Before you release that horned goat from this head gate. Wrap the base of horn with duct tape, saw it off, leaving about one an one- half inch of horn, Shove a wad of cotton, toilet tissue or a piece of clean rag into the hole and atop of the horn. Finish the wrap with duct tape, The wad of what-ever will asorb and swell, the bleeding will stop. In a week or so you can remove any duct tape left. In awhile the horn will grow back and the process can start all over again.

Keep in mind there are 11 different faiths who want this goat with all its adornments during their holidays feast. Just something to share. Best of all is disbud those Kids when they are babies. JR

-- JR (jrr3star@earthlink.net), April 21, 2000.

I dont dehorn any of my goats,They make good handles when you need to doctor them.Its alot eaiser to hold the horns then not have any to hold on to.

-- Dennis Carpenter (dgcn2country@aol.com), September 30, 2000.