# Trimming a goat's horns



## Caprice Acres

My friend has a doe whose natural horns have grown STRAIGHT back towards her neck. They're touching her neck behind her head now. The doe is older, 11 years old. She still capers around... well, as much as a fainting goat can caper, anyways. 

We were thinking of using a saw of some sort and trimming off a few inches from both horns. We'd have an x50 disbudding iron heated, and would use the calf end to cauterize the open tip of the horn. Is this a reasonable idea? We figure only a few inches would need to be taken off, as the doe is already older and won't likely live long enough to need to be re-done. The doe is JUST a pet. I've already talked to the owner about possibly deworming her right before we do the trim, as well as giving vitamin B and Probiotics for a few days because of the stress involved and the age of the doe. 

Comments/Suggestions?


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## lasergrl

I love zip saws for this. You can get them at sporting goods stores, they are for cutting the pelvic bone of deer in the field. I have cut several inches off of rams and goats with no bleeding.


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## Alice In TX/MO

It's a thin, strong, abrasive wire with handles on each end. You slip the wire under the horn, then use the handles to pull the wire rapidly back and forth, cutting through the horn.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q8wIwAg#


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## BethW

It might be too small for a full horn, but I use a Dremel to cut off my goats' scurs. It's loud, but it does the job quickly with a minimum of fuss.


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## wintrrwolf

I trimmed about an inch off of Sugar's horn with a branch trimmer. I felt her horn up to where it wasn't warm...the cold part of the horn and trimmed only into that part. No bleeding.


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## hobbyfarmer

Horse hoof nippers will cut a couple inches of quickly and painlessly in my experience. You can re-do it as often as you like so long as you are tipping the horns and not hitting blood.

ETA: start with just a little nip and take just a little at a time off until it starts to look pink. Just like trimming hooves. After the first trim, you can pretty well gauge how much you can take at once without any bleeding or risk of infection.


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## KimM

Exactly how I've done it.



hobbyfarmer said:


> Horse hoof nippers will cut a couple inches of quickly and painlessly in my experience. You can re-do it as often as you like so long as you are tipping the horns and not hitting blood.
> 
> ETA: start with just a little nip and take just a little at a time off until it starts to look pink. Just like trimming hooves. After the first trim, you can pretty well gauge how much you can take at once without any bleeding or risk of infection.


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## Alice In TX/MO

Which Dremel attachment? I am not a skilled Dremel operator.:ashamed:


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## humbird

Ok I am new but does it hurt them to cut off the horns?!?


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## wintrrwolf

hmm to me horns are like animal claws. If you have ever trimmed a dogs or cats nails the design is simular. You can "tip" the horn if you are wanting to keep them shorter. That part at the very end wont hurt because vessels aren't up there. But will say knowing now what I know I would go with goats without horns. They NEVER stop sticking their heads were they aren't suppose to...


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## BethW

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Which Dremel attachment? I am not a skilled Dremel operator.:ashamed:


Alice, I use a round cut-off wheel that's meant for wood and plastics. I put a thin shim between the goat's scur and his head to protect from any slips and whir away with my Dremel. It makes a nice clean cut


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## SilverFlame819

Trimming a horn is like trimming a fingernail. As long as you don't hit the quick, it doesn't hurt... But SUCH a pain to deal with animals with horns. The few seconds of pain from disbudding a baby probably saves it (and its owners) months of worrying and detangling from fences and trimming horns and repairing gates and barns that have been used as battering rams... I agree on the previous post and will never go back to horned goats. I was interested recently in angora goats, but the angora goat association and breeders recommend against dehorning/disbudding... I'm not quite sure why, and wasn't interested in them enough to research more fully... I don't even like sheep with horns. If the animals are kept in a predator-safe area, and you aren't living in the Sahara, I see no need for horns either. Of course, there are always those who like them "as is", and to each his own.

Then again, I'm a sucker for rescued animals, and it seems like the ones you rescue ALWAYS have horns...


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## HappyFarmer

We have a mixed herd, with few goats with horns that go up and not back. These are on (of course!) the not-so-tame bucks. We trim off about an inch at at time, feeling to make sure the horn is cold, so we don't hit blood.

We use bolt cutters.

HF


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## RedSonja

SilverFlame819 said:


> I was interested recently in angora goats, but the angora goat association and breeders recommend against dehorning/disbudding... I'm not quite sure why, and wasn't interested in them enough to research more fully...


Probably because goats use horns to radiate body heat to stay cool, and Angora goats need all the help they can get to stay cool in hot weather.

-Sonja


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## fishhead

How far up the horn does the "quick" go?

I was under the impression that blood vessels stopped within an inch or so of the base.


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## SilverFlame819

RedSonja said:


> Probably because goats use horns to radiate body heat to stay cool, and Angora goats need all the help they can get to stay cool in hot weather.
> 
> -Sonja


Good thought. So if I move to Antarctica, I can dehorn them, huh?  Yeah, I don't think the angoras will be for me.


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## RedSonja

SilverFlame819 said:


> Good thought. So if I move to Antarctica, I can dehorn them, huh?  Yeah, I don't think the angoras will be for me.


Someone here had Cashmere goats for sale, so I researched them and Angora. Less than a pound of fiber per goat per year, sounds like. So I passed on them. I get more from my Angora rabbits!

-Sonja


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## lasergrl

I think the horns on angora goats so they can keep cool, is not needed. What about polled sheep? They dont have problems.


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## Creamers

> Ok I am new but does it hurt them to cut off the horns?!?


Were you to actually cut off the whole horn - Oh my, yes... to nip the ends. .. no.


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## Sweet Goats

Band it


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## SilverFlame819

lasergrl said:


> I think the horns on angora goats so they can keep cool, is not needed. What about polled sheep? They dont have problems.


I was thinking the same thing the other night. Maybe Angora breeders are just purists? :shrug:


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