[jaykay]

It's never happened with anyone's Old English goats that I've heard of and it doesn't happen with horned sheep does it. So I think it's a pretty rare occurrence.

[countrywoman]

Really interesting reading everyone's responses to this subject.  Today the kids are bouncing around totally unaffected by what has been done, so that is a blessing because if they looked miserable it would be harder to rationalise.

I agree with the sentiment about not messing with animals where unnecessary (American practice of ear-shaping on dogs for instance - ugh!) but my experience with horned cattle was not without problems.   The occasional inadvertent swipe was up to me to be vigilant about, but one cow was prepared to use her horns on us and her herd mates with serious intent.

My goats are both very friendly and I would never be able to allow them to rub their heads against me if they had horns.  Then there is the trapped-in-the-fence situation which would worry me, especially if the weather was like today, torrential rain!  On balance, now I've seen how quickly the kids have settled and will have less complicated lives as a result of disbudding, I think it is worth it.

[wytsend]

Well said !!!!

[little blue]

Two questions - is it REALLY necessary to do this? and also, once they are removed, do the goats still butt each other as if they were there?

Its really your decision!
Pygmies, Bagots, Old English goats aren't usually disbudded...
Done properly, its rare for problems to occur.. If you bear in mind that the vet is cutting a hole in the thin skull of a young animal, and scurs (regrowth) can happen if the whole horn bud isn't removed.
Any knocks while healing can bleed profusely.

And yes, they can still butt without horns. Its the action, playing or fighting, they don't mind whether there's anything on their head - its the body language!

Our Bagot billy has lovely horns - he's very gentle even if the girls are "butting" (and uses them mostly as a back scratcher!) as the girls are disbudded.

[jinglejoys]

I stopped disbudding when the vets took over the process...they are crap at it and the price trebled overnight which makes you wonder the real reason from stopping the real experts from doing it.
   Mind you I no longer handle my goats as much as I used to,still have a tooth missing from my first horned English Goat...not through agression,just lifted her head sharply as I went to un clip her from the milking stantion

[Lesley Silvester]

Mine have residual horns after being disbudded and can occasionally make the other bleed when they play fight.  I dread to think what they would do with full size horns.  I've also known someone nearly lose an eye from a horned cow just swinging her head round.  He wished he'd had her disbudded.