I found this video of a paste you can use to disbud cows, sheep, and goats. It seem easier than using a disbudding iron. My question is- has anyone tried is? and/or would anyone recommend using this?
Here's the video:
They demonstrate with calves, but they say it works for kids.
Replies
Well, I guess I must brave the iron. Got to keep those willful horns away.
Thanks.
I personally want to try "everything" myself, and paste is something that I wish I had not tried. A disbudding iron takes seconds. Paste takes a long, long, long time, and the kid is screaming the whole time! I had heard horror stories of kids rubbing the paste into their eyes and going blind or rubbing the paste on their dam's udder and damaging it, so my husband and I each held a kid for 30 minutes while they screamed, and in the end, the paste didn't even make a dent in the horn bud, so they had to be disbudded with an iron anyway. We used paste on cows, and it works fine, but not on goats. Do not believe anyone who says something works for goats if they've only done it on cows. Goats are not little cows.
I have only heard bad things about the paste, and NDG have exceptionally willful horns, which means they are determined to grow. Even with a disbudding iron, there are often cases of scurs. I personally wouldn't use it. As unfun as using an iron is, it's done fast, and then it's done.