Disbudding Dairy Goats - Disbudding Pictures |
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Disbudders
can be bought at Caprine Supply. Disbudding should be done at 4
to 10 days of age. Disbudding is not difficult and the results
are worth all of the pain and effort. If I can disbud, then
anyone can do it (and I did it). Vaccinate for tetanus
before disbudding. Buck horns grow faster than doelings. Before disbudding, place kid in disbudding box. Next, shave the fur from around the horns. It also is helpful to shave ears at this time for tatooing. We used a can on top of a trash can lid to heat the iron inside. Wear good leather gloves to disbud. Place thumb over ear of goat and finger over the bridge of the nose. Press head down and hold steady while burning. Place center of burner over horn & hold for 15 long seconds to produce copper ring. |
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Disbudder warming inside can. |
First burn should be done directly over horn. |
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Burn should produce a copper ring around horn. |
Close-up of ring. A small "cap" will be on top of horn after
burning. Remove that "cap." |
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To insure that horns do not grow back, burn an "X" into the
actual horn. Pictured the first part of "X" above. |
Pictured above is the second part of the "X." The idea is to kill all living cells. | |
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Finally, use the side of the iron to flatten the entire area
where the horn was growing. |
No horns will grow back if you see a solid copper circle. It only takes about 5 minutes to disbud and the results last a lifetime. | |
