Is there a humane way to 'disbud' baby goats?

I raised goats for eleven years and I know exactly what you mean. We stopped disbudding the does, especially when we found out that there were coyotes running around the area and stray dogs.

Vets can do a procedure called dehorning, it is more humane during the procedure, but it is painful for a longer period of time. They sedate the kids and numb the area around the horn. They then take a sharp, saw, type wire and they saw the horn off. It is bloody and when they wake up and the numbing solution wares off it is very messy and painful for them.

In the long run, even though disbudding, is "inhumane", it is far more humane, because the pain does go away shortly afterwards. It does NOT fry their brains. I raised goats long enough to know that. And I have never ever heard of a goats heart stopping due to the trauma, and I have been around goats for eleven + years, and I have been around alot of goat breeders who have been in the business for twenty or thirty years, my grandpa being one of them. There is a product called Furoel (I am not sure of the spelling), that you spray on the area after the burn and it immediately takes the pain away. I hated to disbud, but for show wether they had to be disbudded. Unless you are going to butcher them for food, you don't need too.

Raising goats was a terrific experience, except for the ups and downs of procedures such as disbudding and dehorning. We raised boer goats for eleven years and never been attacked by a boer. We also had several saanen does that had their horns, and they never hurt a soul. But dairy bucks can get a nasty streak and should definitely be dehorned or disbudded at a young age.

It is a sad thing to see and hear, I hated doing it. But we stopped doing it unless we were showing or selling wethers to people for show.

OMG, I run into the same problem here! Something tells me that dis-budding a baby goat is in itself a inhumane thing to do! I had three kids last spring and opted for not dis-budding. I was convinced everything was gone be okay. Well, they are now about a year old and here is the scene: when the young buck wants to chase away the young does, he is very aggressive and he CAN hurt them. He also goes after people. Even if he knows you and kind of respects you, he will be still aggressive to you when they are new people around (who by the way get terrified, fearing to be head budded). When he is in heat (although he wears an apron (olol), if the goat runs away from him, he attacks them with his horns, hoping she'll submit. The two does never go after people, but when they chased each other away to get to the hay (can be grain or bottle or anything that they want), I see clearly that they can hurt each other too. These goats are pets and I hate to separate them. Most goat people separate the bucks from the does and I understand perfectly their reasons. My goats are turned loose around me and I am starting to rethink this ''beautiful'' philosophy. I came to the conclusion that for my next batch of kids, the young buck WILL BE dis-budded, but not the females. In the meantime, I filed off JUST THE TIP of everybody's horns, I'd say about 1/3 of an inch (to be safe from getting to sensitive matter) so that they are round. They can still play or protect themselves from possible predators... I am not sure if this will be a solution, but for now, this might seem to work for me... I still strongly feel against the dis-budding method but I dont' know what else to do. Hopefully time and experience will teach me a better alternative.

I do understand what you mean. i don't think it was done quite right.. when i have my babies horns done.. he is done quick.. i give them a bottle.. then they go and but heads. and play. did they spray furall on it afterwards?

as far as putting them under anesthesia 75 percent of goats, do not wake up. I can't tell you how many people have lost them on the table because most vets are so un goat knowledged.. they do what they think would be fine.. but can be deadly. I hate disbudding, but it only has to be done 1x in their life.

also i do think they were a litle old for buck kids.. i have my buc kids done at a few days. when the bud first starts coming up, not when the base is up. if you wait for that.. then it is very traumatic. It is painful for them.. but only briefly. i had a goat with horns and i swore i will never have another goat with horns.. he slashed open one of my does, was always getting horns in fence, etc. Horns are just too dangerous in my opinion. ESPECIALLY for dairy goats.

also consider some polled genetics. (i have several nigerian does that are polled NATURALLY HORNLESS NO DISBUDDING!!!! the only thing.. just do not breed a polled buck to a polled doe or vice versa, this can lead to hermaphrodites. (male and female organs). I hope i helped.

also did they use a box? for disbudding, or did they hold them? they get so much more upset when you put them in teh box. my friend holds and burns. and they don't even cry half the time.

if you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me at barehnh@aol.com

Yes, vets can disbud under anesthesia. However sometimes the anesthesia is worse than the disbudding as goats can be very sensitive to it. A local anesthetic would be a better choice..

The screaming is not only from pain but from fear and from the discomfort of being restrained. It only takes 10 seconds to disbud with a properly heated iron and they are immediately fine afterwards. I usually give them a bottle right after they are disbudded and they are no worse for wear. The kids should be disbudded as early as possible so the procedure is short and fast.

YOu might also look into naturally polled goats, but breeding them causes other problems such as hermaphroditism.

I have never heard of hearts stopping or brains being fried, and I have dosbudded probably 1000 kids

Lately I have had this urge to get a Mommy goat and a Baby goat. Watching the two of them frolic with each other would provide me with many hours of entertainment. I bet even my wife and I would join in as often as possible...though keeping the dogs out of the 'pen' might prove difficult.. ;)

I have a pygmy with horns and a dwarf that was dehorned or disbuded as an infant. They are both wonderful pets. The pygmy has never been a danger with her horns. Never the less I was concerned that the horns could cause an accident with young children playing with her, so I got the dwarf which had been disbuded. Turns out I think that the dwarf remembers the terrible experience even though she was very young, and it has affected her personality, or perhaps without horns she feels intimidated. In any case she runs away from children and dose not tolerate them. The pygmy with horns is great with kids.

Still because of her horns I never let children play with her unattended.