A
Anonymous
At what age is best to dehorn?
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D.R. Cattle
Well-known member
Earlier the better. Mine are all polled, but I would do it at Spring workup when my calves a re 3 months. Don't be afraid to "get er done". Looks a little rough, but the end result is positive for you and the animals..
hairy_shemp
Active member
I would dehorn in the fall as cooler weather is coming on.spring & summer insects could raise heck.
hairy_shemp":7u7boupb said:
I would think that you will now have enough cool weather before the head heals up. There is ointments and sprays that you can use to keep insects away if it warms up to soon.
OP
OP
Anonymous
Well less see, the best time to dehorn? Well with Bulls selection , Angus Red or Black will dehorn for you, when the cows are getting breed....Just one more reason to use Angus....ALF......
ALF":13zhxssk said:
Alf
You better be careful about talking good about ANGUS.
We have some regular GUEST's on this board that are
jealous of them. The dehorning is just another of the
ANGUS Popularity Pluses; besides having the best meat
can be found.
A. delaGarza
Well-known member
la4angus":2tzoqcjm said:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol
Simmentals, Herefords, Limousin, Charolais, Nelores and some other breeds also have Fullblood Polled bloodlines, so isn't necesary the use of excesive back fat breeds, excuse me, Angus blood to have polled cattle
A. delaGarza":2ifadn4i said:
It may not be necessary to have Angus to get polled calves, but you'll probably get paid better for them if they are black Angus than the other breeds. And if you pay attention to carcass EPDs you don't need to worry about excessive backfat. Management is the cause of a lot of excessive backfat. Because it takes so long for some Continental breeds and Brahmans to marble, they're fed longer than necessary for Angus to marble. The CAB liscensed feedlots feed the Angus cattle separate from the slower marbling cattle and don't have as much problem with excessive backfat. Management, management, management....
A. delaGarza
Well-known member
la4angus":3bva8c5z said:
the main topic was dehorning, not marbling :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: and Shorthorn marble quite well and has excesive backfat too, Salers marbles quite well too and doesn't has to much backfat, so what the deal you can get marbling without usng Angus.
A. delaGarza
Well-known member
la4angus":1k5fvx63 said:So, this is not the first that the subject has veered from the main topic.A. delaGarza":1k5fvx63 said:
without using Angus you can get marbling and you could have Polled cattle too.
OP
OP
Anonymous
Did we get off the subject or what? the youger the calf, the quicker it recoperates. :cboy:
OP
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Anonymous
Hello:
Right now I do 100% AI breeding and I use only the top Polled bulls and with in every breed of cattle here in North America there are some top quality polled bulls of every breed.
For me dehorning takes up to much time and effort and there are risk's to people who are doing the dehorning, and there are risk's to the calf that is being dehorned. For me it is the same amount of money to use semen from a bull that is polled so that is why we breed every thing to 100% polled bulls. In think in my AI tank I only have semen from one or two bulls that have horns. I only have one heifer that has horns. Two bull calfs that I am going to sell that have horns. I do not keep any thing with horns.
Regards
LS
Right now I do 100% AI breeding and I use only the top Polled bulls and with in every breed of cattle here in North America there are some top quality polled bulls of every breed.
For me dehorning takes up to much time and effort and there are risk's to people who are doing the dehorning, and there are risk's to the calf that is being dehorned. For me it is the same amount of money to use semen from a bull that is polled so that is why we breed every thing to 100% polled bulls. In think in my AI tank I only have semen from one or two bulls that have horns. I only have one heifer that has horns. Two bull calfs that I am going to sell that have horns. I do not keep any thing with horns.
Regards
LS
OP
OP
Anonymous
It is still feb. plenty of time to dehorn thoes fall babies. If you mix lard and turpentine together then pack it in the cavity that is left once you gouge out the horn, you will be amazed at the healing time. The lard keeps the mixture in place and the turpentine keeps the soreness to a min. Without pain everything can heal better and faster. Sounds crude but my family have been doing that for years.
Ann Bledsoe
Well-known member
I've got the vet coming out next week to dehorn a yearling Scottish Highland heifer. Poor thing, her horns turn under and given another couple of months will make contact with skin, one of them blocks her eyesight on that side.
Sounds like it's going to be a major undertaking. Took me several days to get her halterbroken so that she can be laid down on the ground.
Vet says that Highlands (like Longhorns) have a heavier blood supply into the horns so he can't take the horns off in the same manner that he would on say a Jersey, so he wants her on the ground with plenty of room to work.
I hope it goes well for her, and that laying her down on the ground is the right way to go -- otherwise all these bruises she gave me are for nothing. We had a major fight, but I won, and as of yesterday afternoon, she was leading quite nicely and had learned to stand tied -- but I will never again attempt to halterbreak a wild yearling. I ache so bad today!
Ann B
Sounds like it's going to be a major undertaking. Took me several days to get her halterbroken so that she can be laid down on the ground.
Vet says that Highlands (like Longhorns) have a heavier blood supply into the horns so he can't take the horns off in the same manner that he would on say a Jersey, so he wants her on the ground with plenty of room to work.
I hope it goes well for her, and that laying her down on the ground is the right way to go -- otherwise all these bruises she gave me are for nothing. We had a major fight, but I won, and as of yesterday afternoon, she was leading quite nicely and had learned to stand tied -- but I will never again attempt to halterbreak a wild yearling. I ache so bad today!
Ann B
We found a wild horned brangus cross cow roaming in the woods that no one claimed. She had horns that curled down and had grown into her head almost into her eye. we got her confined in a fenced in area with a steer and fed them some feed for a few weeks to calm her down. Then we had some guys who work at the salebarn come out and shoot her with a dart gun with Rompem (sp?). it never knocked her out but slowed her down enough to rope her and tie her and get her down. then we used a dehorning wire to saw the horns off. it cauderized at it sawed. she had huge holes in her head afterwards adn they were infected but they have healed over nicely now and she is a lot calmer. it really ticks me off to see an animal suffering like that, especially when its something so easy to correct or prevent.
D.R. Cattle
Well-known member
I've been in a few situations where rompem or some other dart delivered sedative would have been a lifesaver. Where do you guys get that stuff? I'm getting too old to rope and drag unruly cattle, not to mention urban sprawl is closing in and I can't afford to get them stirred up and crashing the fence.
One thing to remember is that any tranq is not 100% foolproof. The neighbor had a huge Simmenthal cow that had gone nuts darted. She dropped like she had dies. I had a crazy limo heifer that took 6 darts and she still destroyed the trailer when we got her in it. But she was even wilder the next day when she went through the sale ring.
dun
dun
D.R. Cattle":cwrkeyyp said:
