09/15/2026
🚨 PLEASE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING BEFORE YOU DISBUD A GOAT 🚨
This is something I wish we had never had to learn the hard way.
Please, please do not disbud a goat kid unless you have been properly trained and truly understand what you are doing.
The sweet boy pictured here was disbudded before he came to us. Unfortunately, the procedure was not done correctly, and we are now dealing with the consequences.
What you are seeing in these pictures is the result of an improperly performed disbudding procedure. His head is extremely sensitive, and the area around his horn buds has been damaged and continues to cause problems.
We took him to a veterinarian to have him evaluated. Because goats have an incredibly thin skull, there are limits to what can safely be done after this type of injury. Our vet determined that there wasn’t a safe surgical correction available for him because of how close the damaged area is to the skull and underlying structures.
And this is exactly why disbudding is NOT something to casually learn from a YouTube video and attempt without proper hands-on instruction.
🐐 Why is disbudding so serious?
Disbudding is intended to destroy the developing horn bud before it attaches to the skull. It is normally performed when kids are very young, before the horn tissue becomes attached to the skull.
So what are we asking?
We’re not posting this to shame anyone.
We’re posting it because we wish someone had emphasized just how serious this procedure is before we ever had a goat affected by an improper disbudding.
If you are new to goats:
PLEASE get hands-on instruction from someone who is experienced and knowledgeable before attempting to disbud a kid. Better yet, talk to your veterinarian about having it done or having them teach you the proper technique, timing, restraint and pain-management protocol.
And if you’re buying a goat kid that has already been disbudded, look closely at the disbudding sites and ask questions about who performed the procedure and how it was done.
A bad disbudding isn’t simply a cosmetic problem or a matter of having a little scur.
It can cause lifelong injury.
This sweet boy didn’t get a choice in what happened to him. All we can do now is give him the best care possible and share his story in hopes that someone else’s goat doesn’t have to go through this. ❤️🐐
— Shields Fainting Farm
Learning, loving & caring for our little herd one goat at a time
