Can you dehorn a goat that is grown?

Question

I have 2 goats, and they dont have horns(disbudded when i got them) And the goat Im thinking about gettin to go with them has horns, and I dont want her to injer them. I have heard of banding the horns off. I was thinking that i could take her to the vet an get them banded and then when they start to grow back go and get them off permenatly. Help.

Answer 1

Disbudding takes place when the horn buds first appear.  They are not actually attached to bone or anything (think of your fingernails).  A disbudding iron is used to kill the bud and cauterizes the wound, preventing the horn from growing.

As a goat gets older, the horn will actually connect to the skull (around the sinus cavity).  As a goat matures, it all fuses together, and removal of horns is both incredibly dangerous and painful for the animal (if the vet is willing to do it at all).  The latest I've ever disbudded a goat was around 3 months, and that was not a pleasant event.

You may be able to dull the ends to prevent serious injury, but a goat with horns is more of a danger to themselves than anything.  The are always at risk for getting stuck in fences and injuring their necks.  Personally, I'd avoid adding the horned adult to my herd.  There's always going to be some adjustment time and head butting among new animals, and a goat with horns can inadvertently injure another animal.  

Answer 2

You shouldn't.  A vet can do it under anesthesia at considerable cost to you, but anesthesia is risky for goats and the goat may not survive surgery.  If it does survive, it could bleed to death because the horns have a good supply of blood going through them.  If it survives the bleeding, it will then be left with two gaping holes in it's skull that will take months to heal, and put him at risk for deadly infection.

I if you must have a goat with no horns, buy a goat that has already been disbudded.  There is no reason to by a horned goat and put him or her throught that traumatic, bloody, and dangerous procedure.

Answer 3

no you cant