We talk about goats and goat kidding.
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“You can’t make dogs into glue”
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Using goats to supplement your income.
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Part 1 of 2 where Laura and I go through some long overdue updates, take some great feedback, answer some listener questions and talk at length about buying and owning horses.
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Music: Lou Watson
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A rambling discussion on “duh! #winning! with honey bees” and my honey bee blood, goats, Japan, milking, disbudding, bees, springtime bee stuff, and some info on building swarm traps.
Tiger Blood
Video on Swarming and Swarm Traps
Udderly EZ Milker
Radation Map
Info on doing spring hive splits
Whitepaper on Varroa management in honey bee colonies from NCSU(.PDF)
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Most goat owners will tell you that a goat with horns (not to be confused with a horny goat) is dangerous. Goats are cute and generally sweet animals, but make no mistake, they have evolved over millions of years to use those horns with deadly effectiveness. In the wild, goats use their horns to gore or butt whatever happens to be the target of their animosity, be it a predator or a herd mate. I’ve even heard stories of bucks knocking over or killing full grown cows.
However, in captivity, the need for self defence is greatly reduced. Horns get caught in fences and feeders, pose a risk to other goats and owners, and are generally a pain to deal with. As such, some goat owners choose to disbud their goat kids to keep the horns from ever growing in at all. This process has recently been the subject of controversy in a number of circles, often being lumped in with general animal cruelty. I don’t think you’ll find much argument about the fact that it is unpleasant and painful for the kids, but after much examination, I believe (at least in our situation) the benefits outweigh the draw backs.
Compare the 20 seconds of pain to a lifetime of horn trimming (and associated risks), potential injuries to other animals and people, quality of life if the goat is ever sold, etc. In my mind disbudding comes out on top. That’s not at all to say that it is enjoyable. It’s not. Far from it. Anyone who tells you otherwise has no business keeping these majestic animals.
The process of disbudding involves burning off the cells that produce the horns on the goats head. It’s as simple as it sounds. Disbudding irons that glow red hot in a darkened room are manufactured and sold for this express purpose. The tip of the iron is applied to the goat’s head over the horn nubs where it cauterises the skin and nerves, killing the cells that are responsible for horn growth. In my experience, the kid will usually cry out and often urinate on itself. The only up side to the whole thing is that it is quick – only a few seconds per horn, and that the nerves are burned off immediately making the pain short lived – or so I’m told. I believe that there is some truth to this because after the process, the kids often go right back to playing and romping around as though nothing has happened.
It’s a simple process but disbudding should only be attempted by someone who knows how to do it properly. A botched disbudding can lead to brain damage, disfigurement, or even death. All that and never mind the burns to the person doing the disbudding. In our case, we went to our vet for guidance. She did the disbudding, but I asked her to show me how to do it properly so that next time we can take care of it on the goats schedule instead of ours or the vets. I figure we owe them that at least, right?
Each goat owner must decide for themselves whether disbudding is appropriate for their herd. But properly done, I believe that in most instances this practice is a necessary part of raising goats. The goats and the owner are safer and usually better off in the long run.
It doesn’t make it any easier though.
One of our does a few hours after being disbudded.
Join me on my oh-so-slow afternoon commute where we take some outstanding feedback, and embark down the strange, socially-tumultuous road that is sustainable agriculture.
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Music: EAT!
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Laura and I talk about new babies, gardening, and preparing for springtime.
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Music: Gaia Consort
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Dead Bees, swollen goats, and sex-linked chicken breeding.
Sex Linked Chicken Info
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Music: T-Model Ford
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Back from the grave. We take some feedback, do some general updates, read some news, and partially segway into soap making.
Links:
Pottery by Mehg
James Larson
Cremello Color Chart
Coles Lake Dairy
In Defense of Food
Morning Land Dairy
The UnCheese Party
Update Article on Morningland Dairy
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Music: Alasdair MacLean
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