Goat wattles are hair-covered flesh extensions that hang from a goat’s throat. Wattles can grow on any species of dairy goat, but they are most commonly found in dairy-cross Boer goats, dairy goats, and pygmy goats. They are sometimes called “bells” or “skin tags,” but some owners lovingly refer to them as their goat’s “jewelry.” They are inherited genetically and can appear in groups of one, two, or multiple. There have also been reports of them growing on bucks, though this is more unusual. In this article, we’ll look at how to get rid of goat wattles.
How to Remove Goat Wattles
There are several methods for removing goat wattles. You can either tie them and let them fall off, or just cut them off.
Tying off the Wattles:
- Tie a kid’s wattles at birth with dental floss or rubber bands. Some goat owners prefer using rubber bands compared to dental floss, as dental floss can be undone.
- Allow the wattles to be tied for a few days.
- The wattles will naturally fall off within a few days of being tied off.
Cutting off the Wattles:
- At birth, shave the neck area around the wattle of a kid.
- Make an incision at the top of the wattle and cut to the bottom.
- Cut and cauterize the wattle.
- Sew the skin together with two stitches.
- After that, apply Fura-zone wound healing spray.
Cutting the knot of the Wattles:
- Pull down slightly on a child’s wattle to feel for the “knot” at the end of the wattle.
- Just below the knot, make a cut. With this method, no cauterizing or suturing is required.
- Apply a small amount of wound-healing balms, such as Cut Heal or Fura-Zone.
It should be noted that there is minimal bleeding as long as the wattles are removed before the kid is two days old. Wattles are much more difficult to remove from an older kid because the wattle develops three small veins that gush blood when the incision is made. By crimping the veins, you can reduce the bleeding. However, if you’re going to remove the wattles, it’s best to do so as soon as possible.
Removing wattles will allow your goat to perform well in competitions if you intend to show them, and it will also make caring for your goats easier because wattles can get in the way of collars or form cysts.
Should you remove goat wattles?
The removal of goat wattles varies according to the owner. Wattles are neither harmful nor maladaptive, so it makes little difference whether they are removed or not. They are assumed to be a “leftover” hereditary condition from evolution and serve no purpose. This implies that wattles may have served a purpose at some point in their evolutionary history. However, this is no longer the case.
Wattles can make it harder for baby goats to take a bath. Also, some people have also reported that their goat’s wattles become caught and torn as they age, which they see as a reason to have the wattles removed. People also like to remove wattles because they are not aesthetically pleasing. Removing a wattle will also make it easier for a baby goat to take a bottle.
Are goat wattles harmful?
Whether a dairy goat breeder removes wattles at birth or leaves them on their goat kids, they appear to offer little benefit or disadvantage to the full-grown goat. Wattle cysts are lumps that can form at the base of a wattle attachment now and then.
Although these cysts can fill with fluid, they are not contagious. Though they resemble a CL abscess, they are harmless and do not spread to other goats.
You might also be interested in why do they cut goat’s ears off?
Conclusion
Many people find goat wattles adorable and choose to leave them on for aesthetic reasons. Others choose to leave goat wattles on because they do not want to cause pain to the newborn children. Why, after all, would you get rid of something that has no adverse health consequences? Reported incidents in which their goat’s wattles were accidentally ripped off, which can be extremely painful for the goat, are uncommon; however, they can occur on rare occasions.
Even so, the removal of goal wattles is at the discretion of the goat’s owner, so whether or not you remove it is entirely up to you. While there are no significant advantages to removing it, there are also no significant disadvantages to not removing it. In the end, everything relies on what you want to do for your goat. If you decide to remove your goat’s wattles, hopefully this article has helped you find the best method for doing so. Good luck!
