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Post by flowerpower on Mar 6, 2012 7:18:03 GMT -5
Here's the situation. I have a 10 yr old Alpine wether. He was a rescue. He has big horns that curve back towards his head. One of the horns is starting to rub his face & needs to be cut. Is there anything I can give him orally to help him relax while we cut it? I was thinking beer. Any thoughts?
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Post by rowan on Mar 6, 2012 14:04:12 GMT -5
This is a nasty job but if you use the right tools it is not so bad. Try to buy a wire saw for dehorning - they are not so expensive and you can get them at agricultural supply stores. Be careful as the wire gets very hot as you saw so don't let it touch you or the goat. Goats have a bigger blood supply to the horn than sheep so the hot saw cauterises the blood vessels which is good.
I've heard that a reciprocating saw does a quick job but I have never used one.
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Post by nuts on Mar 6, 2012 17:54:53 GMT -5
Cut just what you think is necessary,
If you cut at the base it will be a bloody mess.
At least 1/2' or a bit more from the base should be ok.
You need principaly a strong man to hold the beast ,I hope the beast is not too nasty because it's strong ;D ;D
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Post by oxbowfarm on Mar 6, 2012 21:37:13 GMT -5
If you are just cutting off the tip that's rubbing into his face it may not actually bleed. The tips are all keratin. It's only when you cut into the bone core that you get blood.
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Post by steev on Mar 6, 2012 21:57:24 GMT -5
The goat may not want beer, unless it's bock.
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Post by flowerpower on Mar 7, 2012 7:40:52 GMT -5
If you are just cutting off the tip that's rubbing into his face it may not actually bleed. The tips are all keratin. It's only when you cut into the bone core that you get blood. The horn will be cut at least 4 in from the skull. So I think the bleeding will be minimal. I have some guys coming to help hold him. He is a big animal, at least 175 lbs. I thought maybe giving him some beer might relax him a bit. It's the noise that's gonna upset him. My bf says he has a saw better than the reciprocating & it should take only a minute or two. I doubt my bf will part with his Maibock. lol Probably give him a Genesee. Thanks for all the help. We are doing this on friday. So if there are any more suggestions... |
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Post by steev on Mar 7, 2012 11:38:40 GMT -5
Having no experience whatsoever of this operation, I will hazard perhaps a really stupid question. Could this be done with heavy loppers, or would that cause fracturing or some other problem? Perhaps lopping from the tip end, or is that a very temporary fix?
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Post by flowerpower on Mar 8, 2012 7:44:28 GMT -5
Loppers just wouldn't be strong enough. It's like cutting through bone.
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Post by rowan on Mar 8, 2012 14:10:57 GMT -5
A goats horn is part of their skull, loppers wouldn't be a good choice for this job. I always believe that it is far best and most humane to disbud goats in their first week of life but if you have to cut a mature goats horn,do it as cleanly and best as possible.
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Post by flowerpower on Mar 9, 2012 7:35:59 GMT -5
Here is a pic of Skeggi. He was 7 mos old when I got him. His horns already looked weird. He fathered 4 others and all their horns are normal. When he was neutered, the vet said to leave the horn unless it caused problems. As you can see, now it's a problem.  |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Mar 9, 2012 15:32:15 GMT -5
This is second-hand info, and probably too late for Skeggi, but in the old days with oxen one of the methods they used to train horn shape was to shave them. Supposedly if you shave the horn thin on one side it will grow away from the thinned area. I've never tried this so I can't personally vouch for it, but ox people I trust swear it works.
Might not have anything like the same effect on a goat as they have more of a triangular cross section to them vs cattle horns which are round. Probably too late for Skeggi in any case since he's so old and your supposed to do most of this in the first two years or so when the horns do most of their growth.
As far as I know, a crumpled horn like that is usually due to damage to the horn bud when very young. At least with cattle, I know bupkus about goats.
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Post by steev on Mar 9, 2012 21:28:32 GMT -5
Handsome goat! Now I see why it's a big job. Having been pruned on both ends, it may henceforth have a sour outlook, possibly needing beer on a regular basis.
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Post by flowerpower on Mar 10, 2012 16:32:16 GMT -5
Well, we did it earlier today. It took like 2 minutes. The blade he used was for stainless steel pipe. Skeggi would not drink the beer - a Genny Bock. We tied his head down and he just stood there. When he was neutered, the vet gave him a little too much muscle relaxer before the procedure. He's been a little on the dopey side ever since. He's a very mellow animal. There was more blood than I expected. But he seems fine. He was out butting heads with one of the other ones a little while ago. I'll take a pic tonight, just noone flip out about the blood on him. He's perfectly fine.  Thanks again for all the help. |
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