Best dehorning gouge?

[SBMF 2015]

I know the old joke; the best way to dehorn is to screw 'so off. But I just like horned Hereford bulls better.
I end up with one or two calves horns. I prefer using gouged and then cauterizing with electric irons. I have the irons, but have borrowed gouges in the past. What does everyone prefer? Wood handles or pipe? What brand?

 

[simme]

For small calves, the tube dehorner. Never used one because I always waited too long.:


For larger calves, the Barnes scoop dehorner which comes in two sizes. Use the smallest size you can to get all the horn and a little margin. No more. Helps to clip the area around the horn first to ensure correct placement. Do it as young as you can. Push down against the head as you move the handles. Much easier if you have a head table attachment on the head catch. :

 

[Ky hills]

I know the old joke; the best way to dehorn is to screw 'so off. But I just like horned Hereford bulls better.
I end up with one or two calves horns. I prefer using gouged and then cauterizing with electric irons. I have the irons, but have borrowed gouges in the past. What does everyone prefer? Wood handles or pipe? What brand?

I either use an electric dehorner when they are small or use a Barnes type at around weaning size. The one I have have metal handles. I like the horned Herefords too, but not well enough to purposely use one. We recently sold a "polled" Hereford that was putting out some horned calves. Dehorning is just another job that I don't need

 

[SBMF 2015]

For small calves, the tube dehorner. Never used one because I always waited too long.:
View attachment 1142

For larger calves, the Barnes scoop dehorner which comes in two sizes. Use the smallest size you can to get all the horn and a little margin. No more. Helps to clip the area around the horn first to ensure correct placement. Do it as young as you can. Push down against the head as you move the handles. Much easier if you have a head table attachment on the head catch. :
View attachment 1143

I've never used the tube style either.
We have a head table for dehorning and ringing bulls. I've used Barnes style gouges, but I'm not sure if I'm excited about the knuckle saver handles.

 

[Silver]

Paste at birth. If branding calves a hot iron on those the paste missed. On anything older this:

 

[SBMF 2015]

I either use an electric dehorner when they are small or use a Barnes type at around weaning size. The one I have have metal handles. I like the horned Herefords too, but not well enough to purposely use one. We recently sold a "polled" Hereford that was putting out some horned calves. Dehorning is just another job that I don't need

I usually only have one or two. I wait until the college kids are out working calves, and show them how to dehorn. So it's not that big of deal for me.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Paste at birth. If branding calves a hot iron on those the paste missed. On anything older this:
View attachment 1145

I have sawed horns with O.B. Wire on cows, sawz -all works better. We put a rubber band around the base of their horns for 24hrs until the bleeding stops

 

[Ky hills]

I usually only have one or two. I wait until the college kids are out working calves, and show them how to dehorn. So it's not that big of deal for me.

I've done a lot of dehorning, used to have Charolais, and then raised dairy calves. Back when I was doing it it was just another step. After years of running Angus bulls it tends to make it a bigger issue after being used to the polled calves. I had used polled Herefords but this last one disappointed me with several horned calves.

 

[gcreekrch]

Dehorning iron. One can remove some pretty bighorns by burning enough to pop the cap loose and then getting a nice leather coloured circle around the base. We don't have many any more.

There is one ranch in our area that seems to put their calves through the process and most all of their cow herd has some sort of deformed horn scurs. If a job needs doing, do it right the first time.