Monday, December 30, 2024
Disbudding
I'm not sure how many days it'll be before I can put together a video on this topic (I've got a teenager eager to put together videos, but we will see what the new year may bring). This one is exactly what we do as far as the disbudding part goes.
We don't give the injection here (but giving the anti toxin is recommended at the time of disbudding over giving the CDT/tetanus toxoid) and both the person holding the goat and the person disbudding wear heavy leather gloves that go partway up the forearm. No humans have ever been accidentally burned, so I'm thinking this is a better option than not using the gloves. (The Swedish half of this partnership is definitely the one that gets the credit/takes the blame for safety measures around here.)
https://youtu.be/3t1ty88b9VY?si=C4mdKaQ3oGrD4O3A
We have always had a team or at minimum a pair of people disbudding, so if you're doing this alone, you would want a disbudding box or similar to secure the kid and keep them still.
Disbudding is likely the worst or for some the second worst task in raising dairy goats. The other top contender is wethering bucks. Every time we have to do this task, I'm grateful for our polled stock!