06/02/2026
A little information on goats for the ones wanting or just getting into raising goats...
,● Male & female goats have horns
● They never stop growing, they are not shed like antlers.
● Goat horns are highly functional and play a major role in regulating body temperature and communication.
●A goat's horns and its sinus cavities are directly connected.
The horns are an extension of the skull (specifically the frontal bone) and contains a deep pocket of the frontal sinus called the cornual diverticulum.
● Inside the shell of the outter layer of Kerstin is a core of live bone extending directly from the skull, covered by a layer of sensitive tissue packed with blood vessels and nerves. Because of this, goats feel pain, bleed, and can get infections if the horn is damaged or broken.
● Goat horns come in a couple of different shapes, a few include straight, curved, sickled and corkscrewed.
● Goats naturally born without horns are called "polled". This is a dominant genetic mutation, also linked to Intersex Syndrome: This is a biological issue often created by man. Because the natural polled gene is linked to fertility issues, breeding two naturally polled goats together significantly increases the risk of producing sterile or intersex (hermaphroditic) kids.
● Most hornless goats are a result of human intervention and often struggle during hotter weather, with natural fevering, and can die from the inability to cool off.● Disbudding: Humans frequently inflict this state on kids. At a few days old, the horn buds are burned or cut off using a hot iron to prevent horns from growing. If done improperly this can easily lead to brain damage.
