# Best/easiest way to remove scurs



## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

I have a couple, bucks mostly, who have scurs. I normally don't worry about them, but one boy have one growing back towards his head. 

I've heard of the wire saws, but never used one. I already tried pruning shears and that was a fail! Any other methods, best method for an individual to do this - I've no one to assist with holding, but do have a milking stand 
I see a wire saw on Amazon 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0018...1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=leegoal+saw

Will any wire saw work, or do I need specific wire for it? 

Thanks all


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

scurs - Not attachÃ©d to the skull. you could use What I use on the salebarn calves I buy with scurs. barnes dehorner . it just scoops them out.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

These goats have been disbudded. So I'm assuming 'scur' is the proper term. I've never heard of Barnes dehorner, but 'scoops them out' sounds horrid to me. Would you explain?


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Goats do not have a large sinus under their horns like cattle. Barnes have little to no application in goats except in rare cases in vet med.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

So, would my best bet be wire saw or something like a hoof trimmer used for horses. I have one of those as well. It's got 17" handles so good leverage.


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## Moboiku (Mar 7, 2014)

For what its worth....years ago I had a ram who had only scurs but at two years old they had reached the point they were starting to grow back into his head. When my shearer (a young man who grew up on a large sheep ranch and had been shearing since he was 11 and who was also in vet school, doing shearing on the side to help pay his way) came, he suggested we use an angle grinder to remove the scur. I know this sounds gruesome but it worked really well. Note that we did not try to remove it close to the skull. Instead we removed the 2-3" at the end, so there was no blood. When we initially touched the angle grinder to the horn, he struggled a little but he quickly realized there was no pain - just the loud noise and mild vibration. The ram relaxed and the angle grinder got through it really quickly. 

The shearer advised that the scur would continue to grow and we would need to repeat this every few years. I had to sell the ram a year after that in order to bring in new blood so I never had to do it again. The people who now have him are hopefully taking care of this for him.


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

mygoat said:


> Goats do not have a large sinus under their horns like cattle. Barnes have little to no application in goats except in rare cases in vet med.



I stand corrected. Ive had Lots of goats but never dehorned any, didn't see the need for it. After a little research The term scur in goats is different than in cattle too.


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## BethW (May 3, 2007)

Moboiku said:


> ...he suggested we use an angle grinder to remove the scur. I know this sounds gruesome but it worked really well. Note that we did not try to remove it close to the skull. Instead we removed the 2-3" at the end, so there was no blood.


As a similar option, I trim the scurs on one of my goats with a cutoff wheel attachment on a Dremel. We also just trim the scur ends so there's no blood. The goat isn't fond of the noise, but there's no pain, and it's very effective.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

My vet uses the wire saw on one of my bucks scurs. It is pretty easy, if you have enough hands, and doesn't cause any bleeding on him. The other scur isn't "attatched" and my boy breaks that one off by himself head butting things.


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