As you welcome a new little four-legged kid into the world, you may wonder how long it will take for their horns to come in. When they do, you can decide whether or not you want to let them keep their horns or disbud them when the time is right.
Baby goats start growing horns at three to ten days of age. Bucks are likely to grow horns faster than does. The horns first appear as rounded nubs on top of their skulls and will continue to grow each day. Dehorning is essential within this timespan.
Read on for more information about why kids are dehorned at such a young age, how the process is done, and whether or not disbudding your kids is the right option for you.
Overview Of Goat Horns
Goats grow horns naturally and quickly after they are born. Depending on the breed and sex of the goat, the horns can form in different sizes and shapes. But if left unbothered, the horns will grow in a way that is meant to protect them from predators, establish dominance in a herd, and fight during the mating season.
Because of their horns, goats have long been disbudded by their owners for safety purposes. Kids only a few days old will be dehorned, as this is the safest period to ensure that a goat’s horns stop growing and won’t cause them any harm.
In some cases, goats are born polled instead of horned. Polled goats naturally do not grow horns, nor will they ever grow horns. This genetic variance can occur in any horned species, including goats.
So why don’t more breeders try to breed polled goats instead of horned goats? Doing so would save time and money, and more importantly, it would prevent kids from having a painful experience at such a young age.
One study decades ago claimed that polled goats were more likely to be born hermaphrodites or sterile, so polled goat breeding swiftly declined in favor of breeding horned goats. As a result, it is common practice to disbud kids before their horns develop. After that, however, goats can get on with their lives without any long-lasting pain.
The painful process itself, however, gives some goat breeders pause. They believe that it is too inhumane to subject kids to cauterizing their horns, so they let them grow out naturally. For other breeders, such as goat dairy farmers, dehorning may be unpleasant, but it is necessary to maintain herd and owner safety.
The Disbudding Process
When it is time for kids to be dehorned, the tools and steps for the process have been refined to make it as quick and safe as possible for both the owners and the kids.
Kids are typically placed into a disbudding box, which keeps their bodies from thrashing around as they are dehorned. This also allows the owners to concentrate on dehorning the kids and not struggle to keep them restrained.
Disbudding boxes are typically the size of the kid with a space to put their heads through while a lid firmly locks them into place.
Once the kids are in the correct position in the box with only their heads visible, the hair around their horns is shaved. Then owners take an electric disbudding iron to the base of their horns and burn away the horn until they see the root of the horn. Then they burn the root to prevent bleeding and more growth.
Ice packs and ointments are applied after the horns have been adequately disbudded to help ease the pain and prevent infection. After some monitoring, kids are returned to their mothers.
Their pain goes away after ten to thirty minutes, and they sport blackened spots on their heads for some time until the horn nubs heal over.
The Pros Of Disbudding
While it may make some goat breeders grimace, dehorning is not without good reason.
Safer Herds
Horned goats can cause injury or death to others in a herd, whether it is due to playing or fighting. Dehorned goats can headbutt all they want and not worry their owners about potential wounds.
In a mixed herd, horned goats also know they have the advantage over dehorned goats. They are the bullies at every meal, and they use their horns to butt away other goats that can’t fight back.
Safer Owners
Simply put, dehorned goat owners won’t be injured if they’re ever in a situation where they get headbutted or attacked. This makes interacting with their goats much easier and calmer.
Less Chance Of Getting Stuck
Horned goats are likely to get stuck in fences, wires, and other places where their heads shouldn’t be, which puts them at risk of injury, starvation, or exposure to predators.
Dehorned goats, on the other hand, can stick their heads wherever they please.
The Cons Of Disbudding
Goats that have been dehorned can face some problems, however, that they wouldn’t have otherwise gone through had their horns grown out naturally.
Less Temperature Regulation
Horns are meant to help goats regulate temperatures, so if they live in hotter environments, they may be vulnerable to discomfort or heat stroke.
Less Defense
Although many domesticated goats are kept in pens that protect them from predators, there is a chance that they have to defend themselves from being mauled or eaten. Horned goats can use them to their advantage, while dehorned goats cannot.
Brain Damage
This is rare for breeders that are experienced with disbudding, but improper cauterization can cause your kid brain damage due to the high heat and trauma on their horns. Rather than risk this, some owners choose to leave their goats be.
Possibility Of Scurs
If a kid’s horns weren’t fully cauterized during the initial disbudding process, scurs, or jagged parts of the horn that still live, grow. Owners can cauterize the scurs again when the kid is still young, which will put them under more stress.
When the scurs remain once the goat reaches adulthood, it requires a vet to remove them, as they may die from blood loss if not properly treated.