Disbudding Dairy Goats

Every year, when goat kids start emerging and running around the pastures, homesteaders are faced with the eternal question: do I disbud that adorable little fuzzy bouncy ball or do I let it grow horns? There's absolutely no doubt that this question is one of the most divisive in raising dairy goats and even more contentious than the "vaccination vs. no vaccines" and "mixed loose minerals vs. mineral bars" questions, which seem to rank a close second and third. Kidding time is now upon us and will remain with us until the middle of May or so, which explains why I only peek in on my goat-related pages, websites, and lists during the first part of the year. I like goats, not goat-related arguments.

Before I examine the arguments for or against disbudding, let me first explain what it is. After all, there are more people in the world who DON'T own goats than who do own goats (although I don't understand why), so "disbudding" isn't in their vocabulary. Almost all goats are born with horn buds, which will eventually produce horns. If your goat kid has two little lumps on its forehead a little bit above the eyes, then it will have horns. Even if the forehead feels flat for the first day or two but the goat has whorls in its hair in that same location, horn buds will develop there. A few lucky goat kids have no horn buds forming. These goats are "polled" goats, who must have one polled parent for this trait to be present. Polled goats are a mixed blessing (that's a tale for another blog), but at least they render the disbudding argument moot. Once the horn buds develop into even short horns, removing those horns becomes problematic. Therefore, a good homesteader has a distinct plan in mind even before the kids are born.

How is Disbudding Done?

Many people who oppose disbudding do so on a strictly emotional level: disbudding is "bad" because it's scary. And, to be honest, it really is scary. Most people who disbud their own kids have "disbudding boxes," sometimes called by the more delicate name "kid holding boxes." These wooden boxes fit tightly around a goat kid's body and so are generally constructed to suit the type of kid being raised (dwarf, miniature, and standard). Disbudding boxes have wooden lids that latch to the front of the box. The box lids have cut-outs, often padded, that fit securely around a kid's neck. These openings ensure that the kid is gently restrained and that the helper will not get kicked when they hold the kid's head still. So, why is disbudding so scary? Because it requires burning the horn buds out of existence before they can become part of the goat's skull.

Yes, you read that right, "burning." Now, let me reassure everyone by saying that no open flames are involved. Disbudding is the goal, not cabrito. But that's as far as the reassurances go, so if you've ever gotten upset over a horse being branded, you might want to stop here. For those interested in the process, let's look at the options currently open to homesteaders, from least scary option to the most.

Clove Oil Injection

This option is relatively inexpensive and minimally invasive. It does involve some small amount of acute pain, as is usually the case with anything involving a needle. Arguably the pain is not as bad as or no worse than the pain created by other methods and is easily controlled using NSAIDs.

Clove oil injection involves using a hypodermic needle to drill a little well into each horn bud--smaller than the circumference of a matchstick--and then injecting clove oil into those little wells. While it's not a pain-free method, clove oil injection is less traumatic and poses the least amount of risk to the kid. It's also experimental at this point, which means it's very rarely used. Unfortunately, because it is experimental, few sources that mention disbudding even mention clove oil injection.

The significant problem with clove oil injection is that it almost inevitably results in the formation of scurs instead of horns. Scurs can be just as bad as horns for getting stuck in fences. They are also less durable than horns and are easily broken if a goat butts something. The good news about scurs is that, if they do break off, they do so without the risks associated with broken horns.

Caustic Paste Application

A number of homesteaders prefer to use caustic paste made of potassium hydroxide to remove horn buds. Just like clove oil, caustic paste burns the horn buds without the use of any radiant heat. Potassium hydroxide paste is an inorganic compound, also called "caustic potash" or "lye." As you can tell by these names, an active homesteader with goats is likely to have some potassium hydroxide on hand, for soap making. That makes accessibility to the method a point in its favor.

Ease of application would be yet another point in this method's favor. The paste should be prepared in advance (if it's not in a handy dandy tube) and within easy reach of the disbudding box. I know this sounds like a "duh" kind of step, but you'd be amazed at how many people find their equipment out of reach when there's a kicking, bleating kid involved!

Once the kid is in the disbudding box, the hair is shaved from around the horn buds. It doesn't have to be neat, so, yay! After the horn buds have been freed of hair, a layer of paste is applied. It doesn't have to be a thick layer, but the area immediately over the horn bud and approximately a half an inch or so surrounding it is evenly coated to ensure that no horn or scurs will develop. A protective layer of petroleum jelly is applied after the paste is in place. The petroleum jelly prevents the paste from spreading to where it's not needed.

For me, the jury is still out on whether this option is more humane. It involves significantly less risk to the kid, which is greatly in its favor. However, the kid needs to be separated from the herd for a couple of days, to minimize the risk of the paste being rubbed off or rubbed onto other animals. That's fine for bottle kids, but not if you like to dam raise the kids and do milk sharing, as I do. Finally, the length of time the paste remains in contact with the skin, suggests that the pain is more or less chronic rather than acute. I can't think of a single homesteader who wants to cause pain to his or her goat kids, but some people believe that it is better than the alternative.

That's because the alternative is a . . .

Disbudding Iron

Yikes.

No, really. Yikes. Disbudding irons are scary. They are, however, the most common equipment used for disbudding kids. Many, many homesteaders have their own disbudding irons. Disbudding irons are frequently used by veterinarians who perform disbudding services. In principle, disbudding irons are very easy to use.

The iron is usually plugged in and heated prior to putting the kid in the box, so that it's immediately ready for use. Some kind of numbing agent is applied to the kid's head in the area of the horn buds, usually by injection. The red hot iron is then placed over the horn bud, which should be as centered under the iron as possible. The iron is then pressed firmly against the kid's head, just for about 10 to 15 seconds, rotating it or rocking it to ensure that an unbroken copper-colored ring is left around the horn bud when the iron is removed. That ring ensures that all of the cells that contribute to horn growth are destroyed. Naturally, once the first one is done, the second is done in the same way. Fiasco Farms has a terrific website page devoted to this disbudding process, complete with pictures, if you're interested in viewing it.

Now, if that's not enough "yikes" for you, here's a bit more. If the iron is left in contact with the kid's head for too long, the heat can transfer to the bone underneath. Just take that information and run with it. I don't think that I need to be more explicit in the implications of what is possible in varying degrees of additional heat. Regardless of the risks associated with this method, however, it is the quickest and has the best possible outcome in terms of horn removal. Aftercare is minimal, since the buds are cauterized and the kid can immediately return to his or her dam.

The "Yes" Position on Disbudding

One primary consideration if you have a homestead that produces a lot of kids, goats without horns are easier to sell than goats with horns. A lot of kids get sold as 4-H project animals in some regions, and so require disbudding. Goats without horns are easier to sell as pets, too, especially if you produce Nigerian Dwarf goats with crazy colored moonspots and blue eyes.

Many people with dairy herds are of the opinion that disbudding should be done within the first two weeks of a goat kid's life, depending on the size of the horn bud. People with purebred dairy herds who attend American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA), American Goat Society (AGS) or Miniature Dairy Goat Association (MDGA) sanctioned shows must have their goats disbudded, whether they agree with the position or not. These registries require that all goats being shown be disbudded, for the safety of humans and animals alike. Goats with horns can do a lot of damage simply by swinging their head at someone or something that has upset them, so removing horns seems best for all concerned.

However, a goat doesn't have to be at a show to cause damage. It really is safer for a homesteader to milk a goat without horns. It is also safer to move a goat that has been disbudded from one place to another if the goat lacks horns. It's possible to move even a recalcitrant goat by grabbing its ear or its beard to get them under control if the goat has broken its halter or collar, but swinging horns put the homesteader at risk should a larger goat disagree with the location to which they are being moved. Even being around them is safer. Just the other day, I was out repairing the water line to the trough. Levi--a mostly-grown LaMancha buck--followed me around like a puppy, playfully butting me at times. I wouldn't want a 90-pound buck with horns butting me, that's for certain. Even without horns, his love taps could have easily knocked me over if I'd been unsuspecting.

Goats will also damage other goats with their horns, especially if kept in a herd with mixed horned and disbudded/polled goats. Some years ago, I had a brown buck kid who had horns. He couldn't be trusted not to harm the other goats, who he perceived to be weaker (and therefore subservient to him). After one particularly serious incident, Brown Kid was subsequently moved to the training ring, where he stayed for a few days before heading to Camp Kenmore. With his bad temperament and the fact that he was neither a Nigerian Dwarf nor a LaMancha, he might have gone anyway, but it was having horns that granted him early admission.

Aside from the damage that horned goats can do to people or animals, they can also wreak much damage on fences and equipment. Young goats with short horns can often get their heads stuck in 4 x 4 field fences, especially when they are trying to steal food from goats on the other side of the fence. If a goat gets its head stuck trying to steal food from another goat's bucket, it can result in severe injury to either of them. The stuck goat is also at risk of having its neck broken. The kid I mentioned above was not only mean, but he was also foolish and reckless, constantly getting his head stuck in the fence--although not always in an effort to steal food. If I'd had him disbudded early on, then his behavior wouldn't have mattered. Maybe. Fluffernutter has tested this theory recently by getting his head stuck in the fence recently. Twice. It's a good thing he's cute.

Finally, and on a strictly practical level, horns are safer to remove before they exist. Once they form, removal is far more dangerous and invasive than disbudding. In addition to the copious amount of bleeding that might occur, complete removal of an adult goat's horns results in opening two horn-sized holes in a goat's skull. Some people use wires or elastic bands around the horns to gradually remove them, allowing the area to grow over as the horns begin to die. In my opinion, there is little that is positive about leaving the goat in such a vulnerable position, no matter how adult goat horn removal is done.

The "No" Position on Disbudding

As I've said, the negative position on disbudding seems to be largely emotional.

"It's unnatural."

"It's painful and so therefore cruel."

"It's scary."

I get it. I don't disagree with most of what's stated there. I certainly won't mock anyone who holds those positions, because I can easily argue in favor of them. Even emotional responses can be correct, outside of the emotions. Here are a few reasons that people might keep goats with horns.

They're beautiful. Okay, this argument falls on the side of being emotional, but they can turn even the plainest goat into a noble king or an elegant queen. And there's no good reason to argue against this particular position. If aesthetics are important to a person, then what's the problem?

They're handles. If the goat isn't wearing a collar and needs to be steered away from something, it's possible to grab one of the horns to direct it. There's no pain to that goat, considering that the horn is part of its skull. However, a goat is very strong and using the horns in this way isn't really efficient or easy, even if they're available in an emergency.

They're protection. A goat who has horns has better odds against a predator. Large horns on a large goat can easily toss or injure a single coyote or a single dog. They're less useful against multiple predators, who would still win that battle. Arguably, horns could protect against another goat in a mixed herd.

They're air conditioning! The blood flowing through a goat's horns acts as a coolant during the summer. To some degree, a goat's ears will do the same thing--unless the goat is a LaMancha.

So, Which Way is Better?

The fact is that there are solid reasons behind both positions. Every person who has a goat has his or her own reasons for owning it. People who raise Boer goats are going to be of different opinions than people with dairy goats. People who show their goats will have different opinions from those who have pets. Homesteaders who disbud their goats are just as amazing and responsible and caring as homesteaders who leave their goats' horns alone. It's just the way it is.

As to me, I like to leave the goats I keep with horns. It's like when I owned Doberman Pinschers: if I could get them without cropped ears, I would. I have absolutely nothing against cropping and docking--my terriers are mostly docked, with the exception of my natural bobtails. However, tails are done at two or three days of age. Ears aren't done until the puppies are older--and maybe not until they're weaned. For me, elective surgery needs to be done before the puppy or the goat reaches that certain threshold. If I plan to sell a goat's kids, I will bring the kid to the vet to have it disbudded. It's not one of those things that I care to do myself. It's not important enough to me to endure the stress of doing it "right." That's me--and there's nothing wrong with that.

Sources and Additional Reading

Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Disbudding Goats. https://cals.cornell.edu/nys-4-h-animal-science-programs/livestock/goats/goat-fact-sheets/disbudding-goats2637

Hempstead, M. N. et al., Journal of Dairy Science, Evaluation of alternatives to cautery disbudding of dairy goat kids using physiological measures of immediate and longer-term pain, 2018 June 101(6), Pages 5374-5387 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030218302637

Hempstead, M. N., Waas, J.R. et al., PLoS. The effectiveness of clove oil and two different cautery disbudding methods on preventing horn growth in dairy goat kids. 2018 Nov 14;13(11):e0198229. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198229 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6235237/

Videos and Slide Shows

Below is a really nifty little video on how to construct your own disbudding box. Like me, he has some smaller goats, so he made an interesting variation on the standard box. (I've included the video here as much for me as for you!)