One goat (#2200) regularly gets her head stuck through the fence. We can't leave for very long without coming back to checkto see if she is stuck again. The thought of dehorning her sickens me.. are there any suggestions that would help her get unstuck by herself if needed?

-- Carole Hall (carle@earthlink.net), March 16, 2001

Answers

yep we had one just like that...that a stick and tie it to the horns so that the spread is to large to fit through the fence. They get use to it.

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), March 16, 2001.

My very first goat that I had when I was a little girl did this. We kept her in a pen that was built out of cattle panels. I'd cut her out with bolt cutters. Papa found out what I was doing to his corral and put her in a different pen with smaller wire. If you don't want to alter your fencing you might try cutting 2 pieces of water hose 4- 5 inches long and put on the ends of her horns nice and snug. I had to do this to a goat once because she was a wicked aim with her horns.....ought to work to make your goats horns long enough that she can't get them through the fence.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), March 16, 2001.

My goats are all dehorned but I am on a meat goat list where people often deal with this problem. Seems most of them attach a piece of pvc pipe from horn to horn so the goat can't get their head through the fence at all.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), March 16, 2001.

Thanks to all for your responses! I like the idea of adding extenders to the horns to make it more difficult if not impossible to see if the grass is really greener on the other side. It certainly beats the alternative. We are going to give it a try.

-- Carole Hall (carle@earthlink.net), March 16, 2001.

http://www.skybusiness.com/goatscanada/index91.html

http://www.greatgoats.com/management.html

Two very nice articles on dehorning using castration bands. Read the sites, look at the photos and email the gal on the second site. We of course dibud, but in the future this will be what I recommend, minues all the old wives tale horror stories we have heard in the past! Look at the shear numbers of goats these sites did with no bad results! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 16, 2001.

I should have made myself more clear. I will recommend this in the future for any goats with horns instead of surgical removal. Disbudding of course is the only way to manage horns to begin with.

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 16, 2001.

Horns are fine for wild goats, but IMHO they have no benefit in managed herds and only cause problems.

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), March 16, 2001.

If you put a line of electric fence,low inside your current fence, she won't get near enough to get it stuck. ZAPP!!

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), March 16, 2001.

Well... I spend all week in the city, head to the country on Friday evenings. This Friday I was armed with all of the good suggestions from you guys...... only to arrive and find that my honey took care of the horns the old fashioned way. I didn't want to hear the details, so none were provided. I wonder if he is ever gonna make a country girl out me. Too much of a softie me thinks.

-- Carole Hall (carle@earthlink.net), March 17, 2001.

So....you kill an animal because it makes you stretch your grey matter a little bit???? I wasn't going to say anything, but that to me is not only wasteful, but ignoble as well. If you didn't even eat her there is nothing left here but sheer waste. Between people shooting dogs for NO reason and killing an animal because it doesn't jump through hoops for them straight out of the gate, I have to say I am starting to side more and more with the animals. They seem more humane.

Use your brain when you get animals. Most of them can be controlled and YOU LEARN from the more difficult ones. If everything were easy you wouldn't learn a thing.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), March 18, 2001.

Doreen. You have jumped to conclusions, thankfully. Of course she was not killed, he trimmed her horns. Had he killed her, he would have had me to deal with. Me, who simply can not teach my dog to come on command, because I refuse to use a choke chain on her. Im gonna figure out another way. I am glad you care about animals, we need more folks like you ( and me). Have a good day.

-- Carole Hall (carle@earthlink.net), March 19, 2001.

Yeah!!! I'm glad you didn't kill her. Please be less cryptic when you write about dealing with a problem animal...."the old fashioned way" leave a lot to wonder about. Thanks for telling me, Carole.;)

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), March 19, 2001.