[plumseverywhere]

Can't remember how much I paid to get our wether disbudded but it wasn't cheap - he now has 3 horns and looks completely daft, not to mention how easily his head bleeds each time they get knocked off 

[Trixie]

Last week I was told £70-£80 per kid by 1 vet!! Told them they would have to sharpen their pencil, then rang back and said they would do 2 for £80.  I didn't go there! I got 2 disbudded, ear tagged and male castrated for £62 I didn't think that was bad and the disbudding looks very neat at the moment but the vet I used is an experienced goat vet. I had to get mine done because of children if we keep them and also if they go to slaughter the local ones will not take goats with horns. If it was just myself and OH keeping them I probably wouldn't bother

[shygirl]

also if they go to slaughter the local ones will not take goats with horns.

really? that wasnt something id considered but there are many sheep here with horns in both species so maybe its specific to your area. what is the reasoning behind that? i understand the limitations of slaughtering long horns etc as they dont fit through the races.

[Trixie]

No idea.  My friend who wants the goats for meat takes animals in regularly and has seen sheep with horns going through but asked the question and they said no horns on goats. He is going to check out a couple of others but I had to get mine done just incase it is the same at the others.  I can't understand it as all the boer meat farmers on t.v that I have seen have horns on all their animals for slaughter.

[little blue]

that's about what we are charged - abit further south than Roxy.

Yes... most of our kids stay horned, depending on what their future is.

our goats, our sales, our money, our choice!!

[Roxy]

Well said, Little Blue....I agree completely .
 
Our old vets were cheaper, but the young vet who did the disbudding made a right mess.  She overdosed 4 female kids when knocking them out, and nearly killed them, then had the gas burner too high, and nearly caused a fire.  One kid had a hole in its head, and would have died had it not been for Wytsend suggesting my vet spoke to the BGS vet for advice. as she was at a loss what to do.
 
At least the vets we are at now, did a good job and we had no problems with the disbudding.  So I suppose forking out the money was worth it.

[little blue]

a lot of ours have had scurs - just little curvy-over bits of growth, thankfuly no "proper" horns.

Our vet sounds better than your last one Roxy!
Have to transport them to the "main" surgery though, half an hour away... rather than two minutes up the road.

[jinglejoys]

Personally I think its Disgusting we are FORCED by law to pay over the odds for a crap cruel service (The last time I had kids done it was not done by a vet,they were done at home,they were not stressed out took a minute and out of a group of over 10 NOT ONE had a problem or even a scur!!!!)
   

[Roxy]

Why is it that it seems ok for a local farmer to go round disbudding calves at other farms.  He does use something to numb the area round the horns. He also castrates large calves.  Yet, goat owners have to have their kids dehorned at the vets, and castrated within a week if done at home!!!  I have to say, if our goats were out in the wild, they would all be intact,and have horns - and no worry about costs!!!
 
Some years ago an elderly female goat came to me, with enormous horns which curved back.  I was so worried she would hang herself on a gate or fence, but she was an old hand, and knew how to extract her head from iffy situations - she lived to 17 years with those big horns.
 

[little blue]

I'm always quietly impressed with how Cesar can scratch his back with his horns - how does he judge it so carefully, with something that is always growing?!

(I'm constantly biting my own tongue / inside of my cheek - so I'm not half as clever!!)

[Lesley Silvester]

MY babies were disbudded at just over a week old when Cassi had already started sprouting a horn bump. Now, six weeks later, the areas are nearly covered in hair and absolutely no sign of horns. It's the best job I've seen.

[Anke]

Why is it that it seems ok for a local farmer to go round disbudding calves at other farms.  He does use something to numb the area round the horns. He also castrates large calves.  Yet, goat owners have to have their kids dehorned at the vets, and castrated within a week if done at home!!!

Calves/cows are not goats (or sheep for that matter).

Goats' horns grow at a completely different rate, as in MUCH quicker. So disbudding has to be done as early as possible. Also the skull is much thinner for goats, so a bit of care has to be taken, and as most of us know goats (and especially kids) don't do pain and it is much easier to have them completely still while their are out of it.

If you are planning to keep a quality stud billy it pays to have him disbudded TWICE (and yes I can hear you moaning about the double cost), but my now 14 months old buckling has absolutely NO regrowth. He came to me disbudded and when soon after he was 6 weeks old his scurs appeared he went back in for a second thorough disbudding. Complete success! Just much easier in the long term, and as he is going to stay for life with me anyway, so this initial cost was no issue.

I think we have to stop of thinking goatkeeping as cheap. It is now on par with horses... but we can drink their milk and eat them. so they are no pets.

[Roxy]

Well, seeing as my stud billy is, according to some comments, not quality (and presumably the rest of my goats) then I will not bother wasting money on having his second growth of horns removed.  He is exceptionally quiet, and has never used his horns on me, or another goat, so he can stay as he is. He had been disbudded when he came to me, but none of the other goats from the same farm as him have had horns grow back.
 
No, goat keeping is not cheap, and as I have horses, I know that isn't - but, many of us do not have a bottomless pit of money and have to do things as cheaply as we can  (I am not saying that is the correct way!) with regard to worming, feeding etc.
 
A goats looks are not always the only thing to go on.  I had many years ago, a BT female.  She was tall, long coat, and nothing to look at.  But we got 11 and three quarters  pints of milk a day off that goat at her second kidding.  Such a shame she had twin billies every year- and one set of triplet billies.  Sold her and she had twin nannies.

[jinglejoys]

You shouldn't have to pay twice Roxy,if the vet didn't do the job properly they are supposed to do it for free (Although in my opinion if they can't do it properly the first time why should the goat have to go through it again when it is older and it is much more stressful!)

[Roxy]

Jinglejoys, the male came from Devon, so its a bit far to travel him back and demand they remove his horns for free .....the fuel bill may be a bit ....well, steep