• Nigerian Dwarf Senior Does
  • Nigerian Dwarf Does
  • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
  • Nigerian Dwarf Kids By Year
    • 2019 Goat Kids
    • 2018 Goat Kids
    • 2017 Goat Kids
    • 2016 Goat Kids

Better Hens & Gardens

of Bramblestone Farm

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • Publication Credits
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart

Skills for Self-Reliance, Real Foods & Sustainable Living

  • Chickens
    • Basic Care
    • Breeds
    • All About Eggs
    • Feeding
    • Health Issues
    • Housing
  • Farm
    • Farm news
    • Help
    • Structures
    • Wild Things
  • Garden
    • Ornamentals
    • Seeds & Saving Them
    • How To Grow “X”
    • Starting Plants
    • Preparation & Tools
    • Pest Control
    • Varieties To Try
  • Goats
    • Basic Care
    • Conformation
    • Doe & Kidding Care
    • Feeding
    • Herd Basics & Behavior
    • Milk & Milking
    • Supplies & Equipment
  • Honey Bees
    • Feeding
    • Getting Started
    • Hive Management
    • Honey & Wax
  • Homemade
    • Beauty Products
    • Cleaning Supplies
    • Decorations
    • Miscellaneous
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Main Dish
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Vegetables
  • Pantry
    • Quality Choices
    • Canning
    • Condiments & Flavorings
    • Dairy
    • Drying
    • Freezing
    • Root Cellaring

Better Hens and Gardens may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking on links on this page. Learn More

3 Comments

Goat Disbudding Box Plans

We no longer use a disbudding box when removing horns from goat kids (See “Disbudding Goats – A Newer Method“) Here are plans for building your own goat disbudding boxand believe that the method we use today works much better. But, many folks still utilize a disbudding box and need goat disbudding box plans, so we’ve kept the plans here for reference.

Why Disbud (Remove Horns)?

Many people are surprised to learn that most goat kids (except the few that are naturally polled (hornless)) start growing horns a few days after they’re born; but that most people don’t want their goats to have horns.  So, the horns are typically removed when the kids are babies using a process called “disbudding”.

The reasons horns are considered detrimental are:

  1. Horns get stuck in things and can cause goats to injure themselves
  2. Goats with horns can hurt each other when they “play” butt each other
  3. Horns can hurt people
  4. Horns can damage fences, barns, mangers, etc.
  5. Hornless goats are generally worth more because people prefer them
  6. Horns can break, and a goat can bleed to death from a broken horn
  7. Goats generally can’t be shown in 4H or shows if they have horns

How Goats Are Disbudded

Disbudding is generally done to kids when they are 3 – 10 days old, depending on when the horn buds break through the kid’s skull (bucks generally need to be done sooner than does). It’s done by using a hot iron to cauterize the area around the horn bud so that blood can’t flow to the horns and make them grow.

My post on disbudding (Disbudding Goats) describes how we originally learned to disbud goats, and for that process, a wooden “disbudding box” is an essential tool. It keeps the kids relatively still during the process.

Disbudding Box Plans

Here’s an easy to build goat disbudding box plan – the picture down below shows the finished box with Bramblestone Ruby inside serving as a model.

Lumber (dimensions in inches)

Belly Board – 1 x 5 x 3 1/2 (#1 in Sketch)

Ends – 1 x 5 x 15 3/4

Sides – 1/4 x 16 x 24

Top – 1 x 5 1/2 x 24

Bottom – 1 x 5 x 24

Numbered Hardware Items (Locations Shown in Sketch)

#2 – 3” T-Hinge

#3 – 2 1/2” Hasp

#4 – Handle

#5 – Aluminum Neckpiece – can be obtained from Caprine Supply

 

Assembly of the box is fairly straightforward and the photo above shows how it should look when finished.

The disbudding process isn’t difficult, but’s it’s painful to the baby goat (kid) for the few seconds it takes to do it (so they certainly don’t want to hold still) and it can be difficult without a box like this to contain the kid. The box shown in the plan can be used for either standard or miniature breed goats.

It’s my least favorite chore associated with kids and is one reason we’ve started to bring polled genetics into the Bramblestone Farm herd.


Related posts:

Tattoo Digit Storage Tip
Goat Starter List
Goat Kidding Supplies
3.7K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Supplies & Equipment

About Lesa

Lesa Wilke is a homesteader and freelance writer who loves to inspire others on their journey to more sustainable lifestyles. She accomplishes this by sharing the skills she’s learned (plus support, advice & tips) while farming goats, chickens, honeybees, and produce.

« How To Extract & Bottle Honey – Bramblestone Farm
Moussaka »

Comments

  1. Carrie Duff says

    August 28, 2017 at 11:42 pm

    Love, love, LOVE
    Thank you so much! Find out so many wonderful things every time??

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Oh, hi there! I’m Lesa,

and this blog is all about learning new skills around chickens, goats, gardens, honey bees, and DIY. Read more…

Read My Dairy Goat Books

  • Nigerian Dwarf Goats 201 - Getting Started Nigerian Dwarf Goats 201: Getting Started
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $6.99
  • Nigerian Dwarf Goats 101 Nigerian Dwarf Goats 101: Background & Basics
    Rated 4.95 out of 5
    $4.99

Visit Our Social Sites

Website Categories

The contents of this site are the property of Better Hens and Gardens. All content contained herein is copyrighted. We love it when you share, but if you do, please link back to the original post. Material included here is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, the giving of medical advice. This blogs content is for informational purposes only and Better Hens and Gardens or others associated with this site shall not be held liable for any damages incurred through the use of information provided in this blog. Better Hens and Gardens accepts products for review and other forms of paid advertising; however, although compensation received may influence the content or topics covered in this blog, it will never influence our opinion of any product. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely those of Better Hens and Gardens. Any product claim or other representation about a product or service should be verified by the manufacturer. Better Hens and Gardens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright © 2023 · Design by Erica Mueller Designs

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Pinterest
3.7K shares