Misc. Nigora Info

To Have Horns or Not to Have Horns- That is the Question!

A Nigora may be horned or disbudded, strictly upon breeder preference, as the Nigora does well with or without horns, either way. 

Why is it left up to the breeder?  One way to look at the situation is this:  People starting with Nigerians are used to a disbudding policy. This is because the Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature dairy goat, and it is standard practice to disbud all dairy breeds in this country.  On the other side of the coin, people starting with Angoras are used to the opposite. Angora goats have been left horned for centuries, for various reasons, the most common being that it is felt an Angora’s horns help to regulate the body temperature, cooling them under all that heavy fleece.  I don’t know if that has been proven conclusively by science or not, when I find out I’ll post that here.

I have had both horned and disbudded Nigoras and Pygoras, and my preference is definitely to disbud my goats.  With the long wet winters we get here in Oregon the goats frequently have to be kept indoors, and when they have to stay inside with each other for extensive periods of time they tend to get snippy with one another-- and when that happens there are personality clashes! Goats that don’t have horns are by far less liable to damage each other than if they are equipped with a set of potential weapons on their heads!  We used to have a Pygora named Mimosa, nice doe, but she had one tall scur on her head. It was tough as a regular horn, and made a great “handle” when I had to catch her quick, but that doe liked to use it against her herd mates when she wanted her own way-- and that way usually led straight to the feed trough.  She would literally march through the group of other does, swinging her head to the left and right, Bap! Whop! Thunk!  Beaning everyone as she went.  One time I saw her lift a 4-week-old buckling on that horn and toss him over her shoulder! He was ok, but she got banished from the brood group!  I have heard of other stories, much more serious then this one that dealt with some pretty severe injuries and yet there are also large herds of Angoras who have lived peaceably together for years, horns and all. One thing to remember too is that Nigora horns will not be the same as the horns of a purebred Angora, they will grow taller on the head instead of laying back, which gives more potential for goats to use them for sparring.  Aside from this certain mangers, hay racks, fencing, and low branches become hazards for trapping goats with horns.

That’s my two cents on the horns or no horns debate, so use whichever method you prefer, the decision is yours to make.  :)

~Lisa, founder of Nigora_Goat_Notes  (C)2007