Best goat disbudding tool

[savingdogs]

Okay, we have decided the only frugal course is to plunge in and learn to disbud these kids our goats will be having in Feb/March ourselves. Our goats are mixed breed so we could very quickly have much more invested than they will sell for if we try to pay someone and Hubby and I are not too afraid of this.

So, what tool would y'all suggest? Blackbird gave me a nice link to one that I was looking for, but I can't find that link anymore.

Suggestions on where to go to learn to disbud online? Or anyone care to explain it to me here if it hasn't already been done on this forum, using a reasonably-priced tool for this?

 

[CrimsonRose]

I'd love more info on this as well... I would love to get a few goats in spring and will need to do most of the care myself, so this is something I will need to learn to do!

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

I am no help in the best tool department, but, I can tell you of a device we used to help us out in the process.
My dad built a small box that was the size of a kid. It had an opening on the closed end that the kids head fit through.
He would put the kid in, set the open end of the box against his stomach, and then do the disbudding.
It solved all the issues with the struggling.

Now that I am grown and have goats of my own, I am struggling with what will be best.
I like the idea of the goat having its God given self defense, but at the same time, I know most people prefer no horns.

 

[SKR8PN]

Be careful when disbudding.
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/disbudding.htm

 

[savingdogs]

I'm not looking forward to disbudding, that is for sure.

So is the rhinehard x-30 the favored tool then? I need to start looking for a used one.

 

[ksalvagno]

I have the rhinehart 50. supposedly the hotter the better and the less time you have to keep the iron on their head. You would have to buy the goat attachment for it though. If you have small goats, don't get the miniature goat attachment, get the regular goat attachment.

 

[savingdogs]

I'm raising minis.....

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

we didnt disbud our babies this year (we pawned off Nibbles babies at 5 days, kept ginger's horns, and went gilligan to live with the neighbors and they wanted his horns)..

...so i just gotta ask...

whats all the nilly nallying around with disbudding? i've seen "is it as horrible as it sounds" threads and apparently there is a lot of crying involved.

but

horrible for who?

me? the goat? whats so bad? is there screaming involved? do i need to bring my axe?

i should probably know this but i dont. yikes!

 

[Javamama]

IMO, it's worse for the human. I've heard that most times the babies scream as much from be restrained as they do from the actual burning - which only lasts seconds. My goats will be disbudded, I am not taking chances on accidents with my (human)kids.
I think I'm going to get the x30 and hopefully somebody who knows what they are doing will teach me.

 

[ksalvagno]

It really is worse for the humans. The screaming goat who is probably more screaming about being held than anything. The smell of burned flesh and hair. The thought of burning the head of your adorable little goat baby. I don't like doing it but 'Im certainly not paying a vet to do it.