Summer has a scur on her right side. I cannot tell for certain, but I think it has grown since I got her. I am very concerned about this and wonder if it may really have grown more. I seem to recall I could put my finger under it before but I might be imagining that. If there is danger of this growing into her skull, I need to know what to do before there is a problem.
Here is a three-part photo as good as I could get tonight. (Summer will be two in a few months.)
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Well, it was very small and basically covered up by her hair. I don't think it grew there after four years. My point was that it stopped growing quite early. It had just been hidden by hair all that time. I discovered it when she rubbed her head against me, and it hurt.
4yrs! great ... so much for the answer to the discussion I just started! I will never feel sure I did one right now! Thanks Deborah!
There is a huge difference between scurs in bucks and does. I have a five-year-old doe, and I just noticed a scur on her when she was four! It was like a little button on top of her head. Doe's horns don't get very big at all, whereas buck's horns just keep growing and can get really enormous and start to curl around. The testosterone is why buck horns grow so much and why there is such a problem with scurs in them. If Glenna had a buck, my response would be very different. And it can only grow into the eye if it's going in that direction to begin with. Very few scurs wind up going in that direction. Most of them go backwards or to the sides.
I read a story about a goat who had one grow into her eye.
I can see them slowing down after age three when the goats are mature as far as diameter etc. goes and maybe I am wrong with my lack of experience but I am having a hard time believing that they will ever STOP growing, and as long as they grow at all there a is risk.
I have that same problem and am watching it because I am concerned about where it will grow. Quill has one that looks just about like that one on Summer. As Deborah said, they can be knocked off at times during butting etc. Quill had two and knocked one off and so far I see no sign of it returning. He is only 21 months right now.
As Patty said, just use hoof trimmers to nip off a little of it. If it is wiggly, it would probably pop off before it could grow into her skull. And if she's two, I doubt it will grow much more anyway. Scurs just don't grow on does like they do on bucks.
Good to know about the nippers... I need to trim. My bucklings were hit more than once, and STILL ended up with scurs.
According to a breeder friend of mine, growth slows down significantly after age 3, when the goat stops growing. I don't know if this is true yet, but I'll have a chance to find out as my first time disbudding this spring wasn't as successful as I'd have liked. I ended up with scurs on 4 out of 6 goats. On one buckling they curve toward his head, and I have to keep them clipped. I use my hoof trimmers and nip off a bit at a time until I've got it short enough. If hers are too hard to get with the hoof trimmers, there's a scur nipper tool that might work. Best wishes! :)