# WADDLES cut them or tie them? How to???



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

OK Waddles are not my cup of tea in fact I really don't like them. However I now have a beautiful buck with them so know that this spring I will have babies, probably with waddles. So what is the best way to get rid of them cut or tie / at birth or wait a week


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## KJFarm (Oct 26, 2007)

Sondra, my 2 Rico doelings had wattles that I didn't want, so I snipped them off with sharp (sterilized) scissors, the day they were born. Snipped them flush with the neck and sprayed with Iodine. Very little blood. You could probably tie them off successfully too, but watch for infection where the string is cutting flesh.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

It gives the cowlicks you always snag with the shavers if you cut them. I had someone hold them, cut around them with a scalpel, then cut them off and stitch the skin, I would use the staples now. This way it was a clean straight scar, no cowlick, no piece hanging, no indentation. Another friend of mine simply banded hers was sort of cute with their little green rubberbands on them. But I do agree, they are ugly. Vicki


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## eliya (Mar 11, 2008)

Wow, I've found someone else who doesn't like wattles!!! I've never really cared for them, but I hear lots of people who LOVE them.


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## Guest (Aug 28, 2008)

I too HATE wattles. I cut them off if they are born with them (we ONLY get them with our LaManchas - never Nubians). I cut them off the same way Vicki does. 

Although I have to admit, my beautiful 2008 LaMancha doeling, Million Dollar Baby, was born with the cutest wattles so I left them. Oh, and she is white too. 

Sara


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## eliya (Mar 11, 2008)

Yeah, I think they can look o.k. on some goats, but they sure don't thrill me most of the time! You know we'd love to see a picture of your white LaMancha kid...


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

OH my, well I am no good with the scalpel so guess I will have cowlicks


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

Not fond of them either, but too chicken to cut.


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## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

I thought wattles were cute when we got our buck who has them.....then his 1st daughter got wattle cysts. Big ugly things looked like she had golf balls on her neck. $300 later they're gone & she has 10 stitches on each side. I no longer think they're quite so cute. I have 4 does bred to him for Oct kids, so need to figure out what to do if they have wattles.....I heard from someone to tie them off with dental floss. If you cut them, do they bleed much? Do they need a stitch? Is it a vet thing or could I do it myself?


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

go back and read Janie and Vicki's posts they answer your questions


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

Not a biggy. My Toggs have them quite often. I cut them off at birth.
SOP (standard operating procedure) is: Vaccine, dip navels, check sex, check teats and/or testicles, wattles cut off.
I use a pair of SHARP surgical scissors, pull the wattle just a bit, cut next to the neck and spray with Iodine. No wattles.
Kaye


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

I'd do like Kaye if we were getting rid of them.

When we started we had a lot. Each yr we have less and less. I guess it isnt that much of a dminant trait.

I dont care for them. DH loves them. DH pays the bills, is building a dairy and lets me drive to MT and ID for new goats so if he wants them painted purple with streamers hanging down he can have them. Small price too pay to get to have my goats. LOL


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

HOW True LeeAnne and the BUCK is beautiful even with his waddles but I am not having more of them and my DH could care less


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I like wattles


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## stacy adams (Oct 29, 2007)

BlissBerry said:


> I too HATE wattles. (we ONLY get them with our LaManchas - never Nubians).Sara


I'm sure glad your Nubi's don't have them.. I'm not fond of them either.
Although spray painted purple with streamers.. hmmmmm


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

I love wattles, on swiss breeds, I would cringe if they were on my nubians.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep I am sorry but I would doubt your Nubians are purebred with them  Vicki


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

We only had wattles on the boy babies this year. No wattles on herd buck. One dam had no wattles, gave birth to two wattle-less girls. Wattles on another dam..both boys had wattles. Wattles on another dam, boy had wattles, girl did not. Are wattles more inherent on males? 
Anita


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## Rambar Ranch (Oct 25, 2007)

Are there any purebred nubian lines WITH waddles out there? I can't remember ever seeing a purebred nubian with waddles.

Ray


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes they are on Nubian Talk, also a group who although are all American Nubian fans, also have polled purebreds. Yup Yup Yup  Vicki


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## Odeon (Oct 26, 2007)

Ok Vicki, 

In all of my YEARS breeding (and I started breeding Nubians) I have never seen a purebred Nubian with wattles (ok, I take that back, I did see one, but due to it's horrible breed character, I truly doubted it was purebred!)

I snip them off the Nigerians and LM at birth, and dab with Cut Heal. Easy Peasy

Ken in Idaho


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## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

Ken- do you just snip them off with scissors? Is there much bleeding? The surgery for the wattle cysts has sure changed my opinion of the wattles ....no longer so cute


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## Odeon (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep, I pull them down slightly, and feel for the "knot" at the end of the wattle, and then snip just below the knot. A little cut heal or furazone, and your done! If you do it at a day or 2 of age, there will be VERY little bleeding at all. This is easier with a helper to hold the kid, but I have done it myself with no help. 

Now I had a Togg yearling YEARS ago who cut her wattle at the underside of the base. The wound NEVER wanted to heal, so I decided to take the wattle off. HUGE MISTAKE! I didn't think I would EVER get the bleedng to stop! Definately the younger the better!


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

:biggrin Oh, yeah, it's a little more complicated to take wattles off an older kid. There are 3 little veins that run to that wattle and unless you use cat gut and tie them off or crimp those veins..it's bleeds big time. That's why I don't like to see them taken off an older goat with bands. The hole in the center is not nearly as small as it needs to be to crimp those veins. This is where hemostats come in REAL handy!
Kaye


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## Rambar Ranch (Oct 25, 2007)

People were talking about does with waddles getting waddle cysts. What exactly is the cause of these? I have just a few saanen does with waddles and the oldest ones with waddles are just 2. Is the only prevention removal when young? Is it a type of infection and is surgury the only cure for it?

Ray


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

Ray, that I don't know. I've not ever had one. I also am not 100% sure that removing them at birth would stop them from getting one.?

Though...some I've seen were very involved. The cyst was actually at the base of the wattle, actually in the neck area. These cysts I'd be very cautious about removal...the jugular is "right there"...and one slip...well, you get the idea.
Kaye


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## new2goats (Aug 15, 2008)

Wow! What an informative thread...I never even thought about waddles needing to be removed honestly. Good to know it's a pretty easy process though...figure if I can remove dewclaws on a puppy waddle removal on a goat shouldn't be too awful hard.. Love this board! Learn something new every day...reading here is kind of turning into an addiction! ha ha


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2008)

I had one . When I talked to a lady up here in MO about it she said they were usually caused by another goat yanking on it and causing a pocket at the base of the wattle for stuff to set up in. Mine was really soft and when I popped it, just with a needle, it just had water looking stuff in it that came out. Thats what it felt like too, just water. It was -for CL before anyone freaks out.


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## hamilton40 (Jun 21, 2008)

Waddles dont really need to be removed. Some people just dont like the way they look and frefure to remove them.
Clay


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## Rambar Ranch (Oct 25, 2007)

Are waddles normally the same length? Nearly everyone of my goats that have waddles have 2 different length waddles. I dont know if my goats are just lopsided or normal, lol.

Ray


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

:biggrin You're just different.  Most are the same length. But, with that said...I've seen wattles on cheeks, on ears, one high one low, one doe that I would have definately removed, had one where the lower jaw makes a V to the lip. Weird looking!!

I just cut them off because I don't like them, don't like to shave around them, and have snagged them with the clippers. Funniest thing I ever saw was a doe at a COLD Oct. show that the owner didn't shave the wattles...but the rest of goat was. Those fuzzed out wattles looked like ear muffs hung from her neck! I just had to laugh.
Kaye


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

The latest Dairy Goat Journal has an article on wattles, kind of interesting. There's a picture of a kid with the "ear bobs" now that is cute! Probably not so much when she grows up though...


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

"I also am not 100% sure that removing them at birth would stop them from getting one.?"

Nope. We have wattles. Some with cysts. AND we have one doe from a line that normally has them..SHE didnt have wattles. But she DID end up with a wattle cyst. Freaked me out the first time I saw it!!! Even if you remove the wattles you cannot remove the structures below the skin that can give rise to a wattle cyst. And some wattle cysts do arise from having them yanked (we have a buck with a BIG cyst due to a nasty doe yanking on it when in the breeding pen) but mostly they just...happen.

And truthfully...I doubt that anyone can look at anyone's goats and say with certainty "that line doesnt..." because I think the vast majority of serious breeders remove them. So unless you specifically ask "this awesome doe that I am about to place a deposit on...did she have wattles at birth? Did her dam? The buck?"


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## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

Kaye White said:


> Ray, that I don't know. I've not ever had one. I also am not 100% sure that removing them at birth would stop them from getting one.?
> 
> Though...some I've seen were very involved. The cyst was actually at the base of the wattle, actually in the neck area. These cysts I'd be very cautious about removal...the jugular is "right there"...and one slip...well, you get the idea.
> Kaye


ACKKK! Not what I wanted to hear . The doeling we had the cysts removed from had HUGE ones, I watched the surgery & yep- the jugular was right there, pulsing away. I was hoping removal at birth would keep that from happening again


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

"I was hoping removal at birth would keep that from happening again"

I think the tendency is genetic so even tho you remove them the genes are still there.


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## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

Qvrfullmidwife said:


> "I was hoping removal at birth would keep that from happening again"
> 
> I think the tendency is genetic so even tho you remove them the genes are still there.


Oh I knew they were genetic & they'd carry them, but I hoped snipping them would keep us from getting wattle cysts


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## Nancy (Oct 25, 2007)

I heard that cutting off wattles makes the goats have a higher chance to have wattle cysts. I have only had one goat who had their wattles removed when she got disbudded. The lady doesn't like wattles and she went head and tied them with dental floss. One of the dental floss's came off and we tied it again with a rubber band(it worked better then the dental floss). Now as a 2 year old she has 2 little warts where her wattles were. I have one buck(yearling) who had 5 kids this year(he has wattles so did his sire peach and his sires dam peach but his dam is from a long line of no wattles and he is peach). 4 out of the 5 kids had wattles. The 4 with wattles were either white or peach. The other kid was a broken sungau and her twin had wattles. 
Silvia


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

No, Pam, I just dont think that it will.


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