[Jacob-list] De-horning

[Linda]

A somewhat related aside - a few years ago, I decided to get a dairy goat.  She was given to me as a kid and I chose not to disbud her.  After all we have horned sheep, why not a horned goat.  Her horns grew straight back in the perfect configuration to fit through the fence and get stuck.  She was a rather stupid animal - she would back up, rear up, challenge the ram on the other side of the fence, charge and get her head stuck.  Of course, by this time, the ram was charging back and she couldn't get her head out.  In order to keep her head out of the fence and her neck in one piece, I taped a pvc pipe to her two horns.  She quickly learned to use the pipe to scratch her back - just like a four horned sheep.  When her horn spread was wide enough that she couldn't get through the fence any more, I took off the pipe.  A day later I saw her in what looked like convulsions.  She was laying down and throwing her head back so hard that her legs were kicking out in a spastic manner.  I rushed out, she stood up and was fine.  I finally realized that she was trying to scratch her back with the missing pvc pipe.  
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Registered Jacob Sheep, Angora Rabbits, Handspun Yarn

On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 23:30:16 -0000, gordon johnston wrote:
> Don't forget also that the horns allow Jacobs and other horned
> breeds to express the behaviour typical of that breed.  Horned
> sheep are fully aware of the exact position of the tips of their
> horns and can use them with precision.