Understanding Common Goat Management Practices

At Treechangers Park, we choose to disbud our Nigerian Dwarf kids because we believe it promotes the long-term safety and welfare of both the goats and the people who handle them.

Although horns are a natural feature of goats, they can present a number of management challenges. Horned goats are more likely to injure herd mates during normal social interactions, particularly around feed, shelter, and hierarchy disputes. Horns can also become caught in fencing, feeders, and other infrastructure, which may result in injury or even death. We have been on the receiving end of horns to the face (accidentally) and had to nurse a doe back to health after it had an altercation horned goat. Yes, we a have a few horned goats that are in their own herd.

For owners, horns can increase the risk of accidental injury, especially when working in confined areas or handling friendly goats that may unknowingly swing their heads. This is particularly important for families with children, first-time goat owners, and small hobby farms.

Disbudding is performed when kids are very young under 1 week old, before the horn attaches to the skull. When carried out correctly and at the appropriate age, it is generally considered a safer and less stressful option than attempting to remove horns from an older goat.

While some breeders and owners prefer to keep goats horned, we have chosen to raise disbudded or polled goats because we believe they are easier and safer to manage in most domestic and small-farm environments.

As with all livestock management decisions, prospective goat owners should research both horned and disbudded management systems to determine what is most appropriate for their circumstances.

Before we begin disbudding, we ensure that all equipment is prepared and within easy reach. Being organised beforehand helps the procedure run smoothly and minimises the amount of time each kid needs to be restrained.

The equipment we use includes:

• A 240-volt disbudding iron
• Leather gloves
• Safety glasses
• Towels
• Clippers
• Wound spray
• Pain relief for the kids

The first step is administering pain relief to the kids and plugging in the disbudding iron so it has sufficient time to reach operating temperature. We prefer to disbud with two people, as we find it safer, more efficient, and less stressful for both the kids and handlers.

Because we are working with extremely hot equipment, we wear leather gloves and safety glasses throughout the procedure.

To safely restrain the kid, we roll one towel to support the head and use another towel to tightly swaddle the body. This helps minimise movement and allows us to position the disbudding iron accurately.

The hair around the horn buds is clipped so we can clearly see the area being treated. Before starting, we test the iron on a piece of timber to confirm it has reached the correct temperature. A properly heated iron will typically leave a clear mark immediately and is often glowing red.

Once the kid is correctly positioned and everyone is ready, the iron is applied to each horn bud for the appropriate amount of time. Experience allows us to judge when a complete burn has been achieved. After removing the iron, we check for a complete copper, caramel, or white-coloured ring around the entire horn bud. This indicates that the horn-producing tissue has been adequately cauterised.

For does, a single circular burn is generally sufficient. For bucks, we perform an additional figure-eight burn to address the wider horn-producing area often present in male kids and reduce the likelihood of scur development. We then burn a cross to ensure the horn bud sufficiently cauterised.

Once the disbudding is complete, we apply the wound spray to the treated area. The kids are then returned to their mothers or offered a bottle and monitored closely to ensure they recover normally.

One thing that continually surprises new goat owners is how quickly kids recover. Most are nursing, playing, and interacting normally within a short period of time. In many cases, they are back to bouncing around the paddock and head-butting their siblings and mothers within minutes, behaving as though nothing has happened.

Before discussing our approach to disbudding further, it is important to make one thing very clear: we only recommend disbudding if you are confident, properly trained, and comfortable performing the procedure.

If you are new to goats, we strongly encourage you to seek guidance from an experienced veterinarian or breeder who has successfully disbudded a large number of kids. Watching videos and reading articles can be helpful, but there is no substitute for hands-on instruction from someone with practical experience.

Our recommendation is to:

1. Observe an experienced breeder or veterinarian performing multiple disbuddings.
2. Ask questions and learn how to identify correct horn bud placement and successful burns.
3. When you are ready, have an experienced mentor come to your property and supervise your first attempts.
4. Continue working under supervision until you are confident in your technique and results.

Before performing our own disbuddings, we had observed well over 100 kids being disbudded and had the benefit of learning from experienced breeders.

No discussion about disbudding would be complete without talking about scurs.

Scurs are not true horns. They occur when some of the horn-producing tissue survives the disbudding process and continues to grow. This is usually the result of:

• Missing a small portion of the horn bud during cauterisation.
• Not burning deeply or long enough.
• Variations in horn bud size and shape between individual kids.

In our experience, and from what we have observed within the goat industry, achieving a 100% scur-free result every time is extremely difficult. Even experienced breeders and veterinarians producing goats that develop scurs.

While proper technique significantly reduces the risk, no one is perfect and scurs can still occur despite the best efforts of skilled operators.

If scurs develop, they should be monitored regularly. Small scurs may never cause an issue, while larger scurs may require periodic trimming to prevent them from becoming loose, damaged, or growing into awkward positions.

Goats naturally headbutt and establish social hierarchies, and it is not uncommon for goats to knock scurs off during normal herd interactions. When this happens, the area can bleed and may be tender for a short period. We typically clean the area if required and apply a suitable wound-care or fly-protection spray while monitoring the goat during healing.

Despite occasional scurs being knocked off, we have never lost a goat due to a scur or as a result of disbudding.

Every breeder must weigh the risks and benefits for their own management system. For us, the risks associated with horns have been far greater than the occasional scur.

Over the years, we have seen horned goats become caught in fencing, feeders, and infrastructure. We have also witnessed injuries caused by horned goats during normal herd interactions. In our experience, horns pose a significantly greater risk to both goats and handlers than the occasional scur that may require monitoring or trimming.

For that reason, disbudding remains an important part of our herd management program at Treechangers Park.

Although we own a purpose-built kid restraining box and find it extremely useful for procedures such as tattooing, we generally do not use it for disbudding.

Because we always disbud with two people, we find that manually restraining the kid gives us greater control over the animal's movement and positioning throughout the procedure. One person can focus entirely on holding and supporting the kid, while the other concentrates on operating the disbudding iron. This allows us to make small adjustments as needed and maintain accurate placement of the iron on the horn buds.

That said, if we were disbudding on our own, we would absolutely use the kid restraining box. Having both hands free while the kid is safely restrained can make the process significantly easier and safer for a single operator.

As with many aspects of goat husbandry, there is more than one way to achieve a good outcome. Whether using a restraining box or a second handler, the goal is always the same: keeping the kid secure, minimising stress, and ensuring the disbudding is performed accurately and efficiently.

At Treechangers Park, every kid born on our property is tattooed for permanent identification. Tattooing provides each goat with a lifelong form of identification that cannot be lost, damaged, or accidentally removed.

While all goats must also be identified with approved livestock tags, tattoos offer an additional level of security and traceability. Unlike ear tags, which can occasionally be lost, a tattoo remains with the goat for life and allows us to accurately identify each animal from an early age.

We choose to tattoo our kids while they are young, allowing permanent identification before official tags are fitted. This also enables us to wait until Nigerian Dwarf kids' ears have developed sufficiently before tagging. Applying tags too early can be more difficult and may affect the natural carriage and appearance of the ears as they grow.

Tattooing is also a requirement for registration with the Dairy Goat Society of Australia (DGSA). As registered breeders, all of our breeding animals and registered offspring are identified in accordance with DGSA requirements, ensuring the integrity of pedigree records and lifelong traceability.

By using both tattoos and official livestock identification tags, we maintain accurate herd records, meet breed registration requirements, and provide our buyers with confidence in the identity and history of every goat that leaves Treechangers Park.

At Treechangers Park, all of our kids are tattooed for permanent identification. We use a purpose-built restraint box designed specifically for young goats. The box safely holds the kid in position, making the process quicker, less stressful, and much easier when working alone, as it allows both hands to remain free.

We use two separate sets of tattoo pliers. One set contains our stud prefix, TCP, and is applied to the goat's right ear (left ear when viewed face-to-face). The second set contains the individual goat number and is applied to the goat's left ear (right ear when viewed face-to-face).

Before any tattoo is applied, we perform a test impression to ensure all letters and numbers are correctly positioned and readable. Taking a few moments to double-check the tattoo setup helps prevent mistakes and avoids the need for re-tattooing later.

When viewed face-to-face, a correctly tattooed Treechangers Park goat will read from left to right across both ears. For example:

TCP 123

Some breeders also incorporate a letter into their numbering system to indicate the year of birth. For example, B10 may represent the tenth kid born during a particular year.

Once we have confirmed the correct tattoo characters are loaded and have successfully tested the impression, we position the pliers in the centre of the ear. Care is taken to avoid major veins and heavy cartilage while ensuring the tattoo is placed in a clear, readable location.

The pliers are then closed firmly enough for the tattoo pins to penetrate the ear completely. Our tattoo pliers include an ear-release mechanism, which helps prevent the ear from catching on the pins when the pliers are removed.

After removing the pliers, the pin holes are clearly visible. Tattoo ink is then worked thoroughly into the holes, ensuring it penetrates deeply and evenly. We spend extra time massaging the ink into the tattoo because a clear, permanent tattoo is the goal—and we certainly don't want to be repeating the process later.

One practice we follow is applying the ink after the tattoo has been checked and applied, rather than coating the pins beforehand. Despite multiple checks throughout the process, mistakes can occasionally happen. By keeping the pins free of ink until after the tattoo has been made, any incorrect tattoo can be redone without leaving unwanted permanent marks in the ear.

Once the ink has been thoroughly worked into the tattoo, the job is complete and the kid has a permanent form of identification that will remain with it for life.

There are a number of videos on youtube to help further.

The tattoo pliers we use are 5/16-inch (7.94 mm) pliers with an ear-release mechanism, purchased from Caprine Supply in the United States. We have found this size works very well for Nigerian Dwarf goats, producing a clear, readable tattoo while still fitting comfortably within the ear.

The aluminium headpiece used on our kid restraining box was also sourced from Caprine Supply, while the restraint box itself was manufactured by Albany Pet Structures. The photo shown is the original prototype box that we used during our first kidding season.

Tattoo pliers are available in several character sizes, with the most common being:

• 3/8 inch = 9.53 mm
• 5/16 inch = 7.94 mm
• 0.300 inch = 7.62 mm

We chose the 5/16-inch size rather than the slightly smaller 0.300-inch size because the 5/16-inch pliers were available with the ear-release feature. In our experience, the ear-release mechanism is well worth having, particularly when tattooing young kids, as it helps prevent the ear from catching on the tattoo pins during removal.

For tattoo ink, we use Ketchum Green Tattoo Paste. We prefer green ink because it can be clearly seen in both light and dark-pigmented ears, including black ears. While black tattoo ink works well in light-coloured ears, it can be difficult to read once healed in dark or black ears. Choosing an ink colour that provides good contrast helps ensure tattoos remain legible throughout the goat's lifetime.

One lesson we learned early on is to order spare letters and numbers with your initial purchase. Postage from the United States can be expensive, and it is far more economical to add extra character sets to your original order than to place a separate order later because a number or letter has been lost or damaged.

 5/16-inch Tattoo kit with ear release 

Not affiliated with Caprine Supply