Yearling goat with horns

[StrawberryOnion]

Hi, hello! About a year ago i bought 2 goats, a wether and a doe. The doe is not a breeding\milking\showing goat, she is simply a Nubian\Boer cross that i fell in love with and got as a companion for my wether. The problem is she has horns. She was dam raised and was never dehorned or messed with, my wether has been dehorned and they get along all good and dandy. My queation is if it would be possible to put more goats (Nigerian dwarves) in with them without them getting seriously hurt, and how? Although she is very sweet i just don't want to take any chances, thanks lots!

 

[res]

It just depends on the goat...

Many of us that raise Boers have mixed herds of horns and dehorned does/wethers. Lots of factors involved - size of herd, how aggressive is the pecking order, size of enclosure, shelter, feeding methods, etc. I have seen some pretty spectacular "shoving" matches, but I have yet to have any of my goats injure one another. They seem to be good enough at that on their own, without being beat-up by others.

I won't say it will DEFINITELY work, but it might be just fine. The only way to know is to try... and have a back-up plan if it doesn't work.

 

[StrawberryOnion]

Thank you for the information, we have taken some safety procautions as to make sure they can get away if needed. We are planning on getting 2 nigerian dwarves so we would have 4 goats total (goat buying is addicting lol) Thanks again

 

[Birdsong 82]

I have four goats with horns And yes they have the headbutting matches but even goes without horns have those. As the time is just play. Most of the time. Really just depends on the goats temperament. But I’m also the type of person that doesn’t like the idea of dehorning a goat. If you have to for safety that could be a little different

 

[cassie]

Horns are a matter of personal preference. Personally I hate horns. I have had horned goats get their heads caught in fences and if the animal is not found promptly in the summer it can die of heat exhaustion. A horned goat can throw its head back suddenly and catch you in the face. That said, a lot depends on the shape of the horns and the temperament of the goat. Nubians are far less aggressive with each other than Alpines are. I left the horns on my Boers because their horns lie close to the head and are less likely to get caught in fences and feeders than the horns of the Swiss breeds. In your case, if the horns are not causing a problem in your situation, leave them on. If they are, have them removed.

 

[StrawberryOnion]

Horns are a matter of personal preference. Personally I hate horns. I have had horned goats get their heads caught in fences and if the animal is not found promptly in the summer it can die of heat exhaustion. A horned goat can throw its head back suddenly and catch you in the face. That said, a lot depends on the shape of the horns and the temperament of the goat. Nubians are far less aggressive with each other than Alpines are. I left the horns on my Boers because their horns lie close to the head and are less likely to get caught in fences and feeders than the horns of the Swiss breeds. In your case, if the horns are not causing a problem in your situation, leave them on. If they are, have them removed.

I dont like horns on goats just the place where i bought her from didn't have them removed so she is an exception to my policy. I'm still thinking on the pros and cons of having small goats with her around since i don't want any problems between the Nigerians and her. Especially because of the size difference.

 

[Birdsong 82]

The 2 x 4 welded wire fabric fencing is what I go for because it’s harder for them to get their horns stuck in it. The shape of the Horns is a good factor but as they grow so did the horns sometimes change shape a little bit. But yes horns or a personal preference I personally don’t believe in dehorning a goat and less it’s a matter of safety but that’s just my preference not everybody’s. My Boer Goat was getting her horn stuck in the fence until I switch to the 2 x 4 instead of 4 x 4. I’ve also seen people tie a PVC pipe between the horn’s so they can’t do that.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I dont like horns on goats just the place where i bought her from didn't have them removed so she is an exception to my policy. I'm still thinking on the pros and cons of having small goats with her around since i don't want any problems between the Nigerians and her. Especially because of the size difference.

Again it all has to do with the temperament of the goats. There is a bit of a size difference but if you don’t like Horns You can always have them removed right away or you can wait till see if they are causing a problem

 

[StrawberryOnion]

The 2 x 4 welded wire fabric fencing is what I go for because it’s harder for them to get their horns stuck in it. The shape of the Horns is a good factor but as they grow so did the horns sometimes change shape a little bit. But yes horns or a personal preference I personally don’t believe in dehorning a goat and less it’s a matter of safety but that’s just my preference not everybody’s. My Boer Goat was getting her horn stuck in the fence until I switch to the 2 x 4 instead of 4 x 4. I’ve also seen people tie a PVC pipe between the horn’s so they can’t do that.

I've never had that problem but I will definitely keep that in mind if she or another goat does It might be a good investment especially if we go through with getting the dwarves

 

[Birdsong 82]

I only had the problem with her horn’s getting stuck once or twice but that was enough for me to want to do something about it because as Cassie said if they get caught and no one’s around they could die of heat exhaustion. But there are lots of ways to prevent that from happening if you do choose to keep the horns.