The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Lesley Silvester on June 23, 2016, 11:20:19 pm
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Today I took my nine day old kids to be disbudded and for the male, Korma, to be ringed. The vet said it would take about ten minutes each one and that the first one would be given time to recover before being returned to us. We were in the car, in the car park. Korma was first in and we could soon hear him
bleating as it was all over, Then Storm was fetched.
It was another twenty minutes or so before they were both returned and Korma looked a mess with blue spray all over his face and ears. Apparently, he managed to bang his head after the disbudding and caused it to bleed. He was also finding the castration band uncomfortable and stamping his feet. The vet said that they had both had painkillers and antibiotics and he should feel better soon. He did stop stamping.
When we got home, I put him back in with Mum who rushed to check him over but he just stood. Storm rushed straight under Mum and started suckling. Poor Korma just wanted to lie down and sleep but Mum kept nudging him and washing his bum.
I've been checking regularly and he seems back to normal though, but I did feel sorry for him when he looked so woebegone.
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Oh I hate the disbudding and castrating, our last kid has terrible scurs which grow and then break off causing bleeding.
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I hate it as well, but the few horned goats I have I regret leaving them on. I have ringed males and they don't seem to notice.
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I don't get my goats disbudded so it's just the ringing for the boys and they do seem a little thoughtful for a day or two afterwards.
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Korma is back to his normal bouncy self today so I think the pain has worn off. Neither of them will get too close to me though. :roflanim:
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Oh bless them, I have that to look forward to next year!
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The legal limit for rubber-banding is actually 7 days.... my goats are disbudded/banded at 4 days max. Usually the earlier it is done the less hassle it is and they seem to get over it quicker (from my experience with sheep.)
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I thought that was the case but when my vet said I could bring them in at nine days, I assumed that the 7 day rule was if you were doing it yourself.
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The vet will probably give pain relief or local anaesthetic when doing it over 7 days.
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He gave them both pain relief and antibiotics. Once the pain relief had kicked in Korma was a lot happier. Now you'd never know anything had been wrong.
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I think it might be different for vets. When I asked mine to have a look at some of my CMM boys at day 7 as their testicles were too small and high for me to manage he said something along the lines of "oh yes, I can never remember when the limit is for you." suggesting that they have different limits.
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That's what I assumed. I'm not telling anyone in authority though, just in case. ;)