Has anyone ever tried to disbud using the cattle disbudding paste?
What was your experience? success/failure? opinions?
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Has anyone ever tried to disbud using the cattle disbudding paste?
What was your experience? success/failure? opinions?
You need to be a member of Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats to add comments!
Replies
Good! And I am sorry if I seemed ugly but I am sure that you understand why I feel so passionate about this! You know how I am about things!
LOL, Margaret! I know just how you feel about your Momma! We took care of my father for his last few years, and he was in his 90s and had diabetes. Talk about challenging!
Back to the disbudding with paste -- fear of the kids damaging the doe's udder was another reason we held them the whole 30 minutes that the paste was on their head. There are stories about kids rubbing the paste onto other animals and causing an injury to another animal. After half an hour of screaming, we removed the paste, and there was only a little bit of skin damage on the horn buds. It obviously did nothing to affect the actual horn bud since it didn't even get through the skin, so we had to use the disbudding iron after that. I felt terrible for putting the little guys through that twice, but when I got started I really wanted to try everything myself.
I'm glad this conversation happened though, because we're working on editing my book, and there is still time for me to add info on disbudding paste and why it should not be used on goats.
I know it is the least favorite task! But the things that have been said here are very true! It is very risky to use and is dragging out the pain for a much longer period of time, not to mention the fact that they could rub it in their eyes. And I have never once heard anyone ever mention the fact that these little ones butt their moms in the udder! Has it ever occurred to folks that this could even cause burns to her udder! I have read the risk and cannot to save my life imagine anyone wanting to do this!
Least favorite task yea! But haven't you guys had to hold down your children for stitches in an emergency room, or taken them to get a cavity filled, or maybe even had to hold them for inoculations. These are the children you gave birth to. It is for their own good. Well so is disbudding and I don't mean to sound hateful but the fact is that it is important enough to be BLUNT about. So here goes: "PUT ON YOUR BIG GIRL PANTIES AND GETTER DONE" And for Gods Sake be humane about it! Use a DISBUDDING IRON! Most of us have or will do a few wrong and leave scurs or go a little to deep or whatever. But we aren't as likely to cause real damage as that paste can or from what I have seen as most vets do.
If you are going to have children, you are going to have to watch them go through things that are difficult and if you aren't prepared to handle it, then don't have them. If you are going to have animals, then they will have to go through certain things, if you aren't prepared to do it or find someone who can, then don't get them. No difference in my book! I have lots of both and I do everything I can for both, because I know how much I love them and NO ONE else will ever love them like me, or care as much as me! So I do the dirty work myself! Because I care enough to not trust anyone as much as I do me! But everything has to be done the best way possible and there is no denying the best choice"S" here!
1) Rather or not to disbud? YES! 2) How to disbud? With an iron! 3) Who should disbud? If all possible, the owner!
Sorry, going through some stressful crap again with that sweet old 85 year old lady I call MOMMA! So I am in a very, you have to do what you have to do and what's best mood, no matter what!
So now I'm Done!
I really think disbudding with the iron is more humane. If you dont feel you are able to do it (no one likes too...) try to find a vet or another goat owner in your community who can help you, and teach you your first few times. I know it really helped to go to another breeder when she was doing a few kids. Just being there and seeing it done, and done properly gave me more confidence....and also to see that the kids do just fine with a quick return to mom right after.
Also wondering -- when you say that you've heard others say they used the paste with success, did they have cattle or goats? I've never heard anyone with goats say anything positive about paste, although cattle people love it.
Also, I'm thinking that you don't understand how it works if you think it "stings a bit" but not as bad as the kid made it sound. It burns two holes in the skin. The problem with using it with goats is finding the right amount to use. A little doesn't burn enough to do anything, and a lot can burn through the skull. Works great with cattle because you can't use too much with them -- just like you can't burn through their skull with a disbudding iron -- because their skull is so thick.
We tried this on two wethers years ago. They screamed for the whole 30 minutes, and it didn't work. We held them the whole 30 minutes also because I'd heard that goats have blinded themselves by rubbing the paste into their eyes. If you don't see BIG open wounds on their horn buds, then it didn't work. It causes a chemical burn rather than a heat burn. The iron only takes a few seconds, and you're done. The paste is horrible. We did use it on a heifer years ago and we wrapped duct tape around her head for a couple days so she couldn't rub the paste into a bad place, which is how I know that when it works, you wind up with big open wounds.
LOL! Yeah, I'm kind of far away. :)
Kelsie Aman said:
I have been told to never use it and that it is more painful and drawn out than the iron. Also more dangerous with the risk that they will scratch/rub at it and get in the eyes, or elsewhere.
I dont think dehorning paste is very popular. We used this decades ago on young beef cattle. It's hard to keep it in place afterwards, the calves would rub or scratch their heads. I remember some that got pretty good chemical burns on their heads from this because it is so powerful.
Hmmm Seems you are a little farther away than I remembered.
Kelsie Aman said:
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