Disbudding (or dehorning): Why We Don't Do it

One of the most common questions we get regarding our goat kids is whether or not they are disbudded. So, in this blog I will explain why we don't do it and what you should consider before doing it yourself or purchasing hornless goats.

What Does it Mean to Disbud or Dehorn?

Disbudding is the process of using either a disbudding iron or chemical paste to burn the horn buds of goat kids when the horns are still under their skin. If done correctly, it prevents the horns from growing. Dehorning is the process of removing the horns from a goat after they become visible. The methods for dehorning include using saws, gougers or guillotine tools.

Why We Don't Disbud

We originally did not want goats with horns, I don't remember the exact reasons why, but one reason was that we were afraid they would get stuck in fences. We ended up getting horned goats, as that was all we could really find, and after 3 1/2 years of raising horned goats, I would never own dehorned goats.

We believe in raising animals as close to the way they were created as we reasonably can. Permanently removing a body part from an animal is very unnatural. Dehorning is also very painful for the animal, and we don't want to cause our animals unnecessary pain.

Benefits to Having Horned Goats

Horns are a goat's only form of defense against predators, and if you have ever been horned by a goat you will understand why a predator might not want to make a second attempt on your goats! Now, not all goats will try to defend themselves, and a very hungry, large, or persistent predator might not be deterred, so you shouldn't rely on your goats' horns as protection from predators.

A goat's horns also help it to keep cool in warm weather. The blood vessels in a goat's horns carry blood close to the surface of the horn where it loses heat, the cooled blood then returns to the rest of the goat's body helping to keep it cool. Shorthaired goats without horns struggle to stay cool, and longhaired goats without horns can easily die from overheating.

Goats also use their horns to scratch themselves, we have even seen kids who don't have big enough horns yet scratch themselves on their mother's horns.

Horns also provide great natural handles which are incredibly useful for moving a goat short distances. When we started out with goats we purchased halters and leads for all of them, well, after experiencing what raising goats is actually like, I would say you will rarely need a halter or lead for your goats.

First of all, how often are you going to have one handy when a goat dashes out of a gate or you want to put her in a stall real quick? And even if you did have one, it would probably take twice as long to get the lead and put it on than it would to just grab her horn and walk her over. However, it is still a good idea have one or two for those rare times when you will need it.

Horns also help goats determine the pecking order in the herd.

But aren't Horns Dangerous?

They can be, we have had our goats get their horns stuck in things, we have received minor injuries form them and have had things damaged by our goats' horns, but we believe that that the benefits of having goats to clear brush and provide milk outweighs the small risk of them having horns, and with proper management, your goats' horns may never cause a problem.

On the other hand, disbudding and dehorning can be extremely dangerous, both for you and for the goats. Disbudding irons can kill or severely injure the kid and can burn you. Disbudding paste can cause chemical burns if it gets on either human or animal skin within about eight hours of being applied.

Can you imagen keeping a baby goat from bumping its head into anyone or anything for at least eight hours? Someone said they keep it separate from other goats during that time, but this is a baby goat likely under ten days old, so are you supposed to try to bottle feed it for that time?

Some people say that a doe can injure her kids with her horns, and while it is possible, the chance of that happening is very small since most does rarely use their horns on their kids.

Dehorning is far worse than disbudding, especially if done on a goat with fully grown horns, it is traumatic and agonizing for the goat, and they can bleed to death.

We consider any method of disbudding or dehorning to be inhumane and absolutely not an option.

Polled Goats and Already Dehorned Goats

Some goats are naturally hornless, they are known as polled goats, and are the result of a recessive gene in the kids' parents. I would highly recommend that you don't purchase either polled goats or goats that have already had their horns removed. Apart from them not having the benefits already mentioned that horned goats have, you should never raise horned goats with hornless goats.

A horned goat can severely injure a hornless goat if they butt heads. So, if you start with polled or dehorned goats and then want to add to your herd later you will either have to always find hornless goats or start all over again with horned goats.

Horned Goat Safety

Hopefully this blog has convinced you to never remove a goat's horns, now I will share some things to help minimize any dangers involved with horned goats.

Fencing and getting hurt is the primary danger that people are concerned about with horned goats. Interestingly, we have never (as far as we are aware) had a goat get stuck in a fence and get hurt because it had horns. That's not to say that it wouldn't ever happen, I just think it's not quite as big of a deal as people think. So, here are some tips to help prevent problems:

• make sure there are no gaps in fences or gates larger than 3X4"

• make sure electric fences are ALWAYS energized to at least 3000 volts when you aren't there

• avoid bending over close to a horned goat that is facing you

• NEVER play with a goat by pushing on its horns, especially if it's a male

• never leave things lying around in the pen that a goat could get its head into

• always put water bucket handles down, a goat could drown if it got its horns stuck under the handle and couldn't pull its head away from the water

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