Hoegger Goat Supply: How to Disbud a Goat Kid

HOW TO DISBUD A KID GOAT

Disbudding both doelings and bucks is done between 3 days and 2 weeks of age, before the horns have grown. Goats with horns are a menace to themselves, to the other goats and to people. Horns get tangled in bushes and fencing, often leaving the goat open to attack from predator animals and/or death by exposure, starvation and dehydration. There are always "pecking order" fights among goats with horns that result in serious, costly injuries. Milking does are fearful and intimidated by goats with horns and will never reach full milk production when stressed. horns are dangerous to human caretakers. Lastly, medicating a horned sick goat that is fearful and restless is impossible! Horns simply have no place in your dairy herd. During the first few days of life, before the horn buds have attached to the skull they can be surgically removed by a veterinarian who makes a tiny incision over each bud, removes it and closes up the spot with a stitch or two. Dehorning paste should never be used. It is a dangerous acid that burns badly and unavoidable contact with eyes, ears, head and even feet will cause permanent damage. Using an acid paste requires keeping the kid absolutely still for an hour or more while the acid painfully eats through the skin and burns away the horn bud. Disbudding with an electric disbudding iron, while not painless, is quick and efficient and does not require the services of a veterinarian. The following is the procedure we follow:

Plug in the disbudding iron so it can be heating while you get ready.

Place the kid in the kid holding stall. Inspect the top of the head closely. There is always the possibility that a kid is born naturally hornless. If the skin over the horn area is movable and the hair grows flat and straight like bangs on the forehead, DO NOT DISBUD. The hair on the head of a kid that will need disbudding swirls like a cowlick over the horn area.

Sub Q half a bottle of #18B-1 Tetanus Antitoxin prior to disbudding to avoid tetanus infection.

Shave the head at the horn site and clean the area thoroughly with rubbing alcohol.

We spray before disbudding with "Solar Caine" sunburn medication. It has a cooling and numbing effect and although I'm not sure how much it helps the kid, it sure makes me feel better! Be careful not to get the spray in their eyes.

Hold the head very still and apply the heated tip over the first horn bud. Press with gentle pressure for no more than 10 seconds. Some people rotate the tip slightly or rock it from side to side. Whatever method that seems best to you, the end result should be a ring around the outer edge of the horn bud that goes through the skin and to the skull to destroy the blood supply to the horn. the ring should look dry and dull all the way around. If not, re-apply the iron for 5 seconds on the spot that still looks shiney.

When the entire ring looks dry and dull, spray with Furall Powder. Now you are ready to do the other horn bud. Make sure the tip of the iron is hot again and follow the same procedure as you did for the first horn bud.

Congratulations! You just accomplished a great job and the next time it will be a little easier.

MAILING ADDRESS:
HOEGGER SUPPLY COMPANY
P.O. Box 331
Fayetteville, GA 30214

PHONE: 770-461-6926 FAX: 770-461-7334

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