Reburn....oh my!

[Jan]

We are new at disbudding. Consequently we were quite tentative on the first burn.  We have had to do 5 over again. Hopefully we did it right this time. There sre two more that need redoing but today five was all we could handle!

Next time we will know more about what we need to do the first time!

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Yes, that's the one we have with the regular tip (not the small tip). It does glow red. It used to scare us when it got that hot, and we'd turn it off, but then we learned that it's okay. If it's bright (sunny) where you are using it, you might not see it glowing. Usually burning the wood is a good indicator that it's hot enough.

Marin Waddell said:

Deborah, I use a Rhinehart X30, I think it's what you use too. I check the heat by burning a piece of wood. It burns black and smokes immediately. I've never had it glow red though, no matter how long I leave it. Does yours actually get red-hot? 

I have had some scur issues, but I suspect they were related to technique, not the tool. 

[Marin Waddell]

Deborah, I use a Rhinehart X30, I think it's what you use too. I check the heat by burning a piece of wood. It burns black and smokes immediately. I've never had it glow red though, no matter how long I leave it. Does yours actually get red-hot? 

I have had some scur issues, but I suspect they were related to technique, not the tool. 

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Have you seen some of the other disbudding discussions on here? Someone posted some links to videos that were pretty good. When I was trying to help someone via phone and email a few years ago, the main thing that is hard to understand if you've never seen it done is that you have to burn until you can pop off the cap of skin, and then you need to flatten whatever is left. After trying twice, they brought the goats over here, and we did them. As long as the iron is red-hot, and you don't hold it on there for too long at a time, you won't have a problem. Having an iron that isn't hot enough is usually the problem, because you have to hold it on there for so long that the brain can overheat. You have to keep burning until you get that "copper ring" that everyone writes about.

[Jan]

Basically we didn't burn long enough. We were so concerned at harming them we only burned for 5 seconds and thought it was good.  Three weeks later little buds are still there and growing a bit on the first buck we'd done at 1 week. His sisters done a week later showed nubs as well. One needed one side  done the other needed both. The one we did last week clearly needed it as well so rather than wait we did him again. His sister never done got done slowly and deliberately. Hopefully her's will be a one time dis bud.  Two more are showing little horns growing but they will have to wait until we recover!

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Can you share what you did wrong so others won't make the same mistake? And how old are the kids now? In other  words, how soon did you realize that you didn't do a good job?