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A while back, I wrote an article highlighting all of the reasons that I prefer to let my goats grow and keep their horns naturally. That is still true, and you can click here to find out why.
There are, however, kids that we choose to disbud every year to meet show specifications. On our farm, show quality Nubian doelings and both Nubian and Boer market wethers are disbudded.
When to Disbud a Goat Kid
To minimize trauma and ensure the success of the procedure, disbudding should occur as early as possible. Depending on the kid, they are usually ready between the age of 2 and 8 days old.
As soon as I can feel a pea-sized horn bud protruding from the kid’s poll, I know it is time. In my experience, horn buds develop more quickly in buck kids than in doe kids.
Preparing to Disbud a Goat Kid
Before disbudding, you will want to make sure that the kid has protection from tetanus. This can be achieved by vaccinating your pregnant does 30 days before kidding with the CD+T vaccine or administering the tetanus antitoxin to a kid at the time of disbudding. For more information on giving the CD+T vaccine, click here to read my article.
You will also want to get all of your equipment around, pre-heat your electric iron, and shave the kid’s poll so that the horn buds are easier to see.
Equipment for Disbudding a Goat Kid
Below are the items that I personally use for disbudding, there are different methods and options available. Use what works for you and what you feel comfortable with!
I raise large breed goats (Nubians and Boers) so I use a 0.55 inch electric iron, which can be used on calves as well. There are ¼ inch and 3/8 inch sizes available for smaller breeds. The electric iron is quick and effective and cauterizes the site, so there is no bleeding and little risk of infection.
I use the scrap wood to test my iron before disbudding a kid. It will be red hot and easily burn a circle into the wood when it is properly preheated and ready for use.
I wear one leather glove, on my non-dominant hand, when disbudding. The glove protects my hand from being burned if the kid moves during the procedure.
I don’t use a disbudding box, but that is another way that the kid can be secured and immobilized. Instead, I lay them on a saddle pad and restrain them temporarily with my gloved hand and legs while I quickly apply the hot iron.
Clippers can be used to trim the hair on the poll so that you can see the horn buds more easily. Trimming the hair also minimizes the amount of smoke that is produced by the hair burning during the disbudding procedure.
I don’t use any pain medication before or after disbudding, I have found that the kids do quite well after the quick procedure and get right back to their business of being a baby goat! I do, however, put vitamin E oil on the disbudding site. It helps to create a barrier and promotes healing of the skin.
Steps to Disbud a Goat Kid
- Preheat the electric disbudding iron for about 10 minutes. Plug it into the wall and ensure that it is not contacting anything that will burn and will not get knocked over.
- Clip the hair on the kid’s poll
- Test the iron on a piece of scrap wood
- Put one glove on your non-dominant hand
- Restrain the goat kid. Position the kid on its side between your legs. Secure the kid’s head on the saddle pad with your non-dominant hand. Cover up the kid’s eye and make sure the ear is out of the way.
- Apply the iron over the horn bud for 3-4 seconds, rotating the pressure applied in a circular motion
- Immediately remove the iron and examine your work
- Repeat until you have a copper ring around the entire horn bud (total application time should be no more than 10 seconds per side)
- Take the side of the iron and apply it to the top of the horn bud for 1-2 seconds
- Give the kid a break and then restrain on the opposite side
- Repeat steps 6-9 on the other horn bud
- Apply vitamin E oil to the disbudding site
- Put the kid back and watch to make sure he is back to his normal activities
- Monitor the sites periodically, the scabs will fall off in a few weeks and hair will grow around the poll
Mother, farmer, author, and teacher by trade… She loves tending to things and watching them grow!