Disbudding Goats
Disbudding of dairy goats is very important for the health and safety of the goats and the humans who love them, especially children. Horns do NOT protect goats from predators (that's what Livestock Guardian Dogs are for!) and horns can get caught in fences, injuring or killing the goats and allowing predators to attack them. Goats with horns often accidentally hurt each other, their humans, especially children, and other animals around them. Dairy goats are NOT allowed to be shown with horns and dairy goats with horns are less likely to have a long, happy life in a good home and more likely to be abused and mistreated by someone who thinks it's "funny" to tease the horned goat.
For all these reasons and more we disbud each and every kid we sell, no exceptions! Disbudding isn't a pleasant experience for the goats or the human, but it literally only takes a few seconds of pain to give the goat a lifetime of health and happiness. Done properly, once the initial burn is done (within about 10 seconds), the wound is cauterized and the baby goat feels NO MORE PAIN. They go right back to bouncing and playing and all is well. You don't even need to put anything on it, although a little Tea Tree Oil won't hurt. (Some people us Alushield spray. I learned the hard way NOT to use that! It doesn't allow the site to breathe and can cause infection. You want to keep the area open and dry!)
Occasionally you will see goats on our farm and website that have "scurs" which are disfigured horns from an improper disbudding job. (Most are goats we bought that someone else disbudded improperly but a few are our own failed attempts. It happens to us all.) Nigerian Dwarfs and, to a lesser degree, Mini Nubians, are THE hardest goats to disbud properly. This is because their horn base is very wide and the cells inside it are very tenacious, especially on bucklings. You can't disbud these breeds with the same methods (Copper Ring Method) that's used on standard sized goats! The horn cells aren't completely destroyed and some amount of horn can continue to grow, often in a crooked and odd way. On does it's doesn't usually amount to much but on bucks they can get quite large and may need to be trimmed occasionally to prevent problems such as curving into the goat's head or neck. It seems that very few people disbud these miniature goats properly but yet they keep doing the same thing over and over! Or they aren't aware that they are causing scurs because some scurs take time to develop.
Our first attempts at disbudding were't pretty. The first year I paid a "professional disbudder" and still ended up with scurs. (I've seen a lot of so-called “professionals" cause scurs. 😒) The next year we disbudded the kids ourselves. We were so nervous and we had improper advice about how to do it and not much help. That year most of our kids ended up with scurs. We just kept researching what worked for others, watching lots of videos and trying different methods to see what worked for us. I'm happy to say that we had only a few scurs the following year and though we weren't happy about that at least they were minimal and they taught us what works and what doesn't. (The scurs were on ones we tried the more "traditional" Copper Ring method on, but at a younger age, just for comparison. It didn't work.) We seem to have figured out the method that works best for us, and that we are most comfortable with. It is a more "aggressive" method but strangely enough, we feel it's actually less traumatic to the goats than more conservative methods because it gets the whole process over faster and cauterizes it quickly and efficiently. (A properly cauterized burn site doesn’t continue to hurt.) And most importantly, this method seems to really reduce the likelihood of scurs. Nothing is worse than putting a baby goat through the process only to botch it. 😢
We can't and don't guarantee that all of our kids will be scur free but we will continue to perfect our technique and hopefully the scurs will be fewer and far between. One day we may make a video or tutorial of how we disbud but for now these links below show exactly how we do it and are the method I highly recommend.
I also recommend the proper tools and a helper. My helper is my teen son. It was 12 when he started and it was a tough job for him to learn to do, being a sensitive kid who didn't want to hurt the babies. It was tough on ME having him help, too! I felt bad for him and the goats. I kept apologizing to them both! But now it doesn't really bother him because he knows it will be quick and then the goats will be happy little campers again. Eventually he'll probably be able to do it himself.
We use a Rhinehart x-30 with a 1/2 inch standard tip. Do NOT use the Pygmy tip, it's too small! (We also have an X-50 but don't like it. Too clumsy.) The iron is heated until red hot and allowed to reheat properly between kids. We do barn chores between kids, as well as shaving each kid’s head one at a time, to allow the iron to reheat and we only do a few kids a day. We do it when they need to be done, we don't do big "batches" of kids. These two steps are vitally important. Each kid needs to be done when they are ready - not too early or to late. You want the kids healthy and strong and big enough to handle the process, but you don’t want to allow the buds to get too big. This is usually about a week old for bucks and a week or two for does but we’ve found that higher multiples or particularly small kids may need to wait until a few weeks to a month. People who wait to do all the kids in big batches risk scurs and they risk giving the kids brain damage. It’s vitally important that the iron is allowed to properly reheat between kids, because an iron that isn’t hot enough has to be held on for too long and that is dangerous for the kids. We try to just do 3-5 or 6 a day and we let the iron heat for 30 minutes or more to start and heat back up between kids. Plug the iron directly into a socket, if possible, not into an extension cord. We test it on a piece of wood and also check to see that the tip is cherry red before we use it. (Turn off the lights to see it!)
We have two disbudding boxes, one for Nigerians and one for Mini Nubians. I shave the head first with my Oster A5 dog clippers with a 40 or 50 blade, both so I can see better and to reduce the smoking and burning smell. The kid is secured in the box. We both wear welding gloves and my helper holds the ears out of the way and helps keep the box steady. I hold the head and quickly burn for about 5-6 seconds, rotating slightly. (There will be some white and some copper areas. My goal is to go beyond copper, all the way to the white (skull) area.) I then go to the other side and do the same. Then I inspect to see where I need to burn to get a nice clean burn all the way around. I'll wipe with a baby wipe so I can see better if necessary. You’ll see spots where the cap is still attached. That’s where you need to concentrate the most next time. I go back and burn again, exerting pressure at the spots I noticed that were still attached, until the whole cap pops off. (Trust me, it took quite a while to figure out how to do this but it gets easier each time! Inspecting after the initial burn really helps.) I then do the other side. (By this time the kid is usually not fussing anymore. They really do fuss more at being restrained than anything.)
Then I go back and cauterize any oozy spots and touch things up by placing the iron directly right down into the opening left by the caps being removed. I take my time on this, to make sure it’s done right. You don’t have to get it completely copper because you already went past the copper stage, but you don’t want it weepy or bleeding or too pink. You want it dry and nicely sealed and cauterized. When I was learning to disbud I had people who only do the copper ring method telling me that I hadn’t done it right because the area wasn’t all golden, but they were wrong. (I was really stressed out until I realized they didn’t know what they were talking about.😉) The methods are different so the results look slightly different. Everyone has to do what they feel is best for their goats but I feel this method really reduces the chance of scurs and is more efficient and less painful to the kids.
If the kid is a doe she’s done. If it’s a buck I do a figure 8, because they have a wider, more triangular horn base and will get scurs if you don’t take this extra step. This takes practice, too. Basically you're overlapping towards the front and slightly inward, towards the nose. (Sometimes I even draw around the area with a sharpie after I shave the head so I can see it better, especially on spotted kids.) You’ll flick the cap off of this, too, but it will be easier but not likely look quite as neat as the first burn. That’s ok, the point is to kill those tenacious little horn cells! In time they’ll look neater, as you get comfortable with the method.
When we are satisfied with how it all looks we take the kids out and hold them a few minutes, calming them down, while inspecting the site better. If any touch ups need to be made we can do it while holding them, as they are no longer feeling pain or fussing. Once we are satisfied with the job we put a little Tea Tree Oil on the site. (Don't reburn them after putting it on or it will smoke!) Then we return them to their moms and off they go! (I always present the kid butt first because people say that keeps the dogs from rejecting them, but honestly I don’t think it matters. But I do think shaving the head helps a lot with the smell.)
For all these reasons and more we disbud each and every kid we sell, no exceptions! Disbudding isn't a pleasant experience for the goats or the human, but it literally only takes a few seconds of pain to give the goat a lifetime of health and happiness. Done properly, once the initial burn is done (within about 10 seconds), the wound is cauterized and the baby goat feels NO MORE PAIN. They go right back to bouncing and playing and all is well. You don't even need to put anything on it, although a little Tea Tree Oil won't hurt. (Some people us Alushield spray. I learned the hard way NOT to use that! It doesn't allow the site to breathe and can cause infection. You want to keep the area open and dry!)
Occasionally you will see goats on our farm and website that have "scurs" which are disfigured horns from an improper disbudding job. (Most are goats we bought that someone else disbudded improperly but a few are our own failed attempts. It happens to us all.) Nigerian Dwarfs and, to a lesser degree, Mini Nubians, are THE hardest goats to disbud properly. This is because their horn base is very wide and the cells inside it are very tenacious, especially on bucklings. You can't disbud these breeds with the same methods (Copper Ring Method) that's used on standard sized goats! The horn cells aren't completely destroyed and some amount of horn can continue to grow, often in a crooked and odd way. On does it's doesn't usually amount to much but on bucks they can get quite large and may need to be trimmed occasionally to prevent problems such as curving into the goat's head or neck. It seems that very few people disbud these miniature goats properly but yet they keep doing the same thing over and over! Or they aren't aware that they are causing scurs because some scurs take time to develop.
Our first attempts at disbudding were't pretty. The first year I paid a "professional disbudder" and still ended up with scurs. (I've seen a lot of so-called “professionals" cause scurs. 😒) The next year we disbudded the kids ourselves. We were so nervous and we had improper advice about how to do it and not much help. That year most of our kids ended up with scurs. We just kept researching what worked for others, watching lots of videos and trying different methods to see what worked for us. I'm happy to say that we had only a few scurs the following year and though we weren't happy about that at least they were minimal and they taught us what works and what doesn't. (The scurs were on ones we tried the more "traditional" Copper Ring method on, but at a younger age, just for comparison. It didn't work.) We seem to have figured out the method that works best for us, and that we are most comfortable with. It is a more "aggressive" method but strangely enough, we feel it's actually less traumatic to the goats than more conservative methods because it gets the whole process over faster and cauterizes it quickly and efficiently. (A properly cauterized burn site doesn’t continue to hurt.) And most importantly, this method seems to really reduce the likelihood of scurs. Nothing is worse than putting a baby goat through the process only to botch it. 😢
We can't and don't guarantee that all of our kids will be scur free but we will continue to perfect our technique and hopefully the scurs will be fewer and far between. One day we may make a video or tutorial of how we disbud but for now these links below show exactly how we do it and are the method I highly recommend.
I also recommend the proper tools and a helper. My helper is my teen son. It was 12 when he started and it was a tough job for him to learn to do, being a sensitive kid who didn't want to hurt the babies. It was tough on ME having him help, too! I felt bad for him and the goats. I kept apologizing to them both! But now it doesn't really bother him because he knows it will be quick and then the goats will be happy little campers again. Eventually he'll probably be able to do it himself.
We use a Rhinehart x-30 with a 1/2 inch standard tip. Do NOT use the Pygmy tip, it's too small! (We also have an X-50 but don't like it. Too clumsy.) The iron is heated until red hot and allowed to reheat properly between kids. We do barn chores between kids, as well as shaving each kid’s head one at a time, to allow the iron to reheat and we only do a few kids a day. We do it when they need to be done, we don't do big "batches" of kids. These two steps are vitally important. Each kid needs to be done when they are ready - not too early or to late. You want the kids healthy and strong and big enough to handle the process, but you don’t want to allow the buds to get too big. This is usually about a week old for bucks and a week or two for does but we’ve found that higher multiples or particularly small kids may need to wait until a few weeks to a month. People who wait to do all the kids in big batches risk scurs and they risk giving the kids brain damage. It’s vitally important that the iron is allowed to properly reheat between kids, because an iron that isn’t hot enough has to be held on for too long and that is dangerous for the kids. We try to just do 3-5 or 6 a day and we let the iron heat for 30 minutes or more to start and heat back up between kids. Plug the iron directly into a socket, if possible, not into an extension cord. We test it on a piece of wood and also check to see that the tip is cherry red before we use it. (Turn off the lights to see it!)
We have two disbudding boxes, one for Nigerians and one for Mini Nubians. I shave the head first with my Oster A5 dog clippers with a 40 or 50 blade, both so I can see better and to reduce the smoking and burning smell. The kid is secured in the box. We both wear welding gloves and my helper holds the ears out of the way and helps keep the box steady. I hold the head and quickly burn for about 5-6 seconds, rotating slightly. (There will be some white and some copper areas. My goal is to go beyond copper, all the way to the white (skull) area.) I then go to the other side and do the same. Then I inspect to see where I need to burn to get a nice clean burn all the way around. I'll wipe with a baby wipe so I can see better if necessary. You’ll see spots where the cap is still attached. That’s where you need to concentrate the most next time. I go back and burn again, exerting pressure at the spots I noticed that were still attached, until the whole cap pops off. (Trust me, it took quite a while to figure out how to do this but it gets easier each time! Inspecting after the initial burn really helps.) I then do the other side. (By this time the kid is usually not fussing anymore. They really do fuss more at being restrained than anything.)
Then I go back and cauterize any oozy spots and touch things up by placing the iron directly right down into the opening left by the caps being removed. I take my time on this, to make sure it’s done right. You don’t have to get it completely copper because you already went past the copper stage, but you don’t want it weepy or bleeding or too pink. You want it dry and nicely sealed and cauterized. When I was learning to disbud I had people who only do the copper ring method telling me that I hadn’t done it right because the area wasn’t all golden, but they were wrong. (I was really stressed out until I realized they didn’t know what they were talking about.😉) The methods are different so the results look slightly different. Everyone has to do what they feel is best for their goats but I feel this method really reduces the chance of scurs and is more efficient and less painful to the kids.
If the kid is a doe she’s done. If it’s a buck I do a figure 8, because they have a wider, more triangular horn base and will get scurs if you don’t take this extra step. This takes practice, too. Basically you're overlapping towards the front and slightly inward, towards the nose. (Sometimes I even draw around the area with a sharpie after I shave the head so I can see it better, especially on spotted kids.) You’ll flick the cap off of this, too, but it will be easier but not likely look quite as neat as the first burn. That’s ok, the point is to kill those tenacious little horn cells! In time they’ll look neater, as you get comfortable with the method.
When we are satisfied with how it all looks we take the kids out and hold them a few minutes, calming them down, while inspecting the site better. If any touch ups need to be made we can do it while holding them, as they are no longer feeling pain or fussing. Once we are satisfied with the job we put a little Tea Tree Oil on the site. (Don't reburn them after putting it on or it will smoke!) Then we return them to their moms and off they go! (I always present the kid butt first because people say that keeps the dogs from rejecting them, but honestly I don’t think it matters. But I do think shaving the head helps a lot with the smell.)
