I got this from Connie Reynolds, boer farmer, http://www.autumnfarmboers.com/

She recommeneded taping a piece of hose pipe to the horns of goats as a safety measure.

I tried this with my two horned does who were head-butting this morning. Marvellous. The plastic hose made a neat halo above their heads, cushioning their blows. The horns are now harmless - provided I can keep the pipe on. The tape came off once or twice. There must be an art to it.

They look kind of inelegant. But the solution is elegant. I would not even considering dehorning if I can keep these caprine fashion accessories in place.

-- gregory barton (gbmillion@hotmail.com), May 06, 2003

Answers

But the kids will still bruise their mother's udders with their horns when they nurse, and the grown does will still get their heads caught in fences, and it will still be a hassle to construct feeders and stanchions to accomodate horns. And if you have registered stock, they will still be disqualified at goat shows due to the horns. I tried tennis balls once, but they came off in time. And it didn't change the horned attitude at all either. It reminds me though, I was going to disbud kids today. Definitely not a fun job, but worth the trouble.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), May 26, 2003.

I wasn't proposing the method as an alternative to disbudding, rather, as an alternative to dehorning horns that had already grown on newly acquired goats that had passed the age of disbudding.

I fully agree that disbudding is worth the minute of agony for kids. But for the mature does, taping hose-pipe is a simple, convenient and painless way of dispensing with majorhorn problems, compared with cutting them off - which I haven't and wouldn't want to try. True, there are inconveniences with feeding mangers and milking stands, etc. But the major problem - fighting goats injuring udders - is solved.

Any other solutions for horned goats newly acquired, please tell!

-- gregory barton (gbmillion@hotmail.com), May 28, 2003.