GOATS... To Horn or Not to Horn, That is the Question!

Keep your goat's horns or not? When making this decision the first question is, what is the goat’s life going to be? Will this goat be a 4H goat, pack goat, milk goat, a pet… Next where will this goat live? Does your goat live on a small farm or homestead, or will there be a wide open field for the goat? Another thing to consider is the needs and safety of the handler and other animals.

What kind of life will your goat live? For instance, if your goat is going to be a 4H goat some counties require goats to be disbudded. For a dairy goat it is sometimes safer for the herd as a whole if they are all disbudded. Goats can harm each other with their horns. There are goats who have had their utters torn by another goat's horns. Is your goat being trained to be a pack goat? Goats use their horns to help regulate their body heat, as a pack goat it can be beneficial for your goat to have its horns. A goat's life can be a huge factor in the to horn or not to horn decision.

Where will your goat live? It might be that your goat will live in an area where horns will be helpful as protection. Is the area you live in hot which can make horns beneficial for temperature regulation? Is the space a wide open field where horns can be used for safety or a small space where horns can more easily get caught in something or come in contact with another animal or their owner? Small spaces can create more issues with horns than large spaces. Where your goat will live could determine if its horns stay in tact or not.

Horns are usually disbudded for the safety of the caregiver and other animals. Goats can harm each other with their horns or get their horns stuck in fencing and feeders, or harm their handler. Goats ram each other, sometimes to show affection or to play with one another, and other times they are being aggressive and fighting for dominance. As the handler, disbudding might be the proper choice for you and your goat.

If you choose to disbud your goat, make sure it is done between 4 and 14 days old. Disbudding during this age will help ensure that the goat is disbudded and not dehorned. Although, disbudding can be dangerous as well if done incorrectly, it is a safer method than dehorning your goat. If you do have to dehorn a goat, which is not recommended, make sure you call a veterinarian to ensure that the dehorning is done as safely as possible. Dehorning can cause brain damage or the horns can grow back if done incorrectly, horns also contain a lot of blood vessels, dehorning is very unsafe for goats. This is why disbudding is the desired method.

Here at Traceback Ranch we choose to leave the horns on our goats. As the caregivers we use the goat’s horns to help hold on to the goat during health checks and to get them into the hoof shearing station. We find horns beneficial to our goats, as well as for us, the handlers. We prefer to allow them to keep their horns for the hot summer months. Keeping their horns in-tact is the best choice for us.

As with other traits, different breeds of goats have different types of horns, perfectly suited for the environment they come from. At Traceback Ranch our goat’s ancestors originated from the mountains of New Zealand. This usually means they have very impressive horns, as you will see if you choose to browse through our site. We love the beauty of the horns that our goats have.

The choice to disbud or not disbud belongs to the owner. Here at Traceback Ranch we believe in leaving this choice up to the handler, based on the life the goat will be living and the life of the caregiver. We just ask that, whichever choice you make, consider the pros and cons of each and make the decision that is best for you and your goat.

Happy goat keeping.