It has been quite cold and blustery here in PA. I have taken refuge in the nice, warm house with the kids while Willie braves the cold to tend to the animals and plowing. Other than the normal chores, it has been pretty uneventful (which is not a bad thing).
Willie did cut the piglets' teeth and gave them their iron shots. I've learned that they nip off the sharp teeth early 1) it's easier to do when they're young and 2) it prevents them from hurting each other when they're older and they begin fighting. Always learning something new. It's hard to believe there are still 15 piglets remaining. They do a great job hiding from mom in the heated box Willie made for them. We only see them creep out when they are hungry and then right back in!
Now for the thing I hate the most...DEHORNING. I understand the purpose, but I am not a fan. Luckily, we have gotten better at it and it goes quicker for us and the goats.
First, we get the tools ready. We have the horn burner, two five galloon buckets (one for sitting on and one for putting the goat in...you'll see), a wire brush, and Wound-Kote.
It's not the most sophisticated set up, but it does the job. So here's how it works. First, you have to make sure the dehorner is plugged in well before you begin so it is nice and hot. Willie uses one bucket to sit on and the other one to put the goat in (See picture). We have tried me holding the goats while he burns the horns off, but they're a little too squirmy for all that...but can you blame them?
Willie puts the goats in the other bucket to keep them secure. They go in butt first with their legs out in front of them. Willie then uses his legs to secure the head so he can do the job. He then uses the dehorner to cauterize the growing horn. You have to hold it on there for a little while and make sure you get the whole horn area cauterized. When he is finished, he scrapes off an excess with the wire brush and then he sprays the Wound-Kote on the area. This helps prevent infection. It is basically like an aerosol band-aide.
We dehorn them around 2 weeks of age. We only dehorn the wethers (castrated males). We only do them because most of our wethers are sold to local kids for 4-H projects and the males need to be dehorned or at least the horns need to be dull. The purpose behind this is safety. We don't dehorn the doe kids or any males we may keep for a replacement billy because we like to leave them on. They're easier to handle and catch...that's just a personal preference. I know a lot of other people who dehorn both the wethers and doe kids. It's up to you!
So, there you have it! It's not fun, but it needs to be done. Disclaimer....ALWAYS consult your vet before performing any new treatments or procedures on your animals. This is what we do and what works for us. Your goats are unique in their own way and need to treated so.
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