Dehorning questions

[MurraysMutts]

What breed, black and with horns?

That's a good question!
Shes a mutt of some sort. Don't know what gave her the horns. Weighs about 900lbs or so. Not a bad looking cow really. But not as big as my Mutts. If she didn't have the horns, she would pass as a small angus cow

 

[Double R Ranch]

What is the "scooping" process?

Barnes-Type Scoop Dehorner

A Barnes dehorner is a hinged, closed set of sharp scoops which is placed over the animal's horn against the base and surrounding skin to remove the horn.

www.dehorning.com

"A Barnes dehorner is a hinged, closed set of sharp scoops which is placed over the horn against the base and surrounding skin. Opening the handles forces the cutting edges together, slicing through the skin and under the horn."

 

[moses388]

head restraint?
...rope/lariat
...a head table or nose bar for a headgate

 

[puzzled in oregon]

What is the "scooping" process?

Ooops, information already on here.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Ooops, information already on here.

You might explained it better.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

We scooped the last calf and cauterized with iron. Nerve block 5 injections around base.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

You might explained it better.

All I might have added is it is a pretty harsh method to use on older calves/cows. If you use it to aggressively and scoop to deep it
can open up more of the head than necessary. A string/small rope tied in a figure eight around base of horns can help minimize bleeding.
Cauterizing sounds like a good idea, but, if burned to severely it will slow healing.
I have had the vet dehorn calves at 6-8 months, and she always says " Why didn't you bring them in when they were little."

Oh, I have heard, that on older animals there is a risk of cracking the skull. Don't think that is with the "scoop", more apt to have been the
old dehorning tool that looked more like bolt cutters.

 

[blackladies]

Lidocaine shot there is a spot near the base of the horn for pain, then use the scooper, then a wad of cotton shoved in the hole really soaked with some kopertox.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

Dehorning in older calves can/does risk exposure of the sinus cavity(?). I would be cautious of introducing Coppertox to the sinus
cavity.

On one of my heifers the vet commented about being able to look into the sinus area after horn removal. I think it was "scooped"
a bit deeper than it should have been. It healed very slowly.

 

[blackladies]

Dehorning in older calves can/does risk exposure of the sinus cavity(?). I would be cautious of introducing Coppertox to the sinus
cavity.

On one of my heifers the vet commented about being able to look into the sinus area after horn removal. I think it was "scooped"
a bit deeper than it should have been. It healed very slowly.

That's just what we did were I worked the last 4 months. Moved 4,000 head daily to fresh grass and did all the vaccinations, dehorning, pink eye/foot rot treatment etc…. Not saying it is the best way that's just what we did. Everyone will have a different opinion of what's best and there is more than one way of doing something and it working out.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Or just lop em off, throw some blood stop on em and turn em loose I guess. This cows calf was polled. Solid black heifer. But she did get a shot of LA300 for the pinkeye.
No pics of the baldy calf. Edit, there is a pic of baldy below. She got nipped too. Much less blood!

Not the greatest pics @Warren Allison but she's just a black cow....
This cow is 2 years old. Black heifer. The other cow is also 2 years old with a BIG baldy heifer. And she is bred back 1 month. Perhaps she is part Mexican fighting heifer. She was sure ready to fight after we missed her in the chute and had to run her back thru!!

 

[redcowsrule33]

Based on the e pics you will get some regrowth. But it will take awhile.

 

[Double R Ranch]

All I might have added is it is a pretty harsh method to use on older calves/cows. If you use it to aggressively and scoop to deep it
can open up more of the head than necessary. A string/small rope tied in a figure eight around base of horns can help minimize bleeding.
Cauterizing sounds like a good idea, but, if burned to severely it will slow healing.
I have had the vet dehorn calves at 6-8 months, and she always says " Why didn't you bring them in when they were little."

Oh, I have heard, that on older animals there is a risk of cracking the skull. Don't think that is with the "scoop", more apt to have been the
old dehorning tool that looked more like bolt cutters.

Dehorning in older calves can/does risk exposure of the sinus cavity(?). I would be cautious of introducing Coppertox to the sinus
cavity.

On one of my heifers the vet commented about being able to look into the sinus area after horn removal. I think it was "scooped"
a bit deeper than it should have been. It healed very slowly.

I was wondering that. I only have 1 experience with it on our 3 month old heifer who had very small nubs. I was surprised when she scooped them honestly. They were plenty small for just a hot iron dehorning which she used to cauterize after scooping. Being it's my only experience with it I can't say I approve since it wasn't effective but also in fairness I can't blame the scoop. I had read warnings on the sinus cavity/skull possibility. I was pretty concerned about that when I did the second dehorning because the one horn was fairly good size considering. Thankfully we didn't end up having that issue.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Or just lop em off, throw some blood stop on em and turn em loose I guess. This cows calf was polled. Solid black heifer. But she did get a shot of LA300 for the pinkeye.
No pics of the baldy calf. Edit, there is a pic of baldy below. She got nipped too. Much less blood!
View attachment 36429View attachment 36430
Not the greatest pics @Warren Allison but she's just a black cow....
This cow is 2 years old. Black heifer. The other cow is also 2 years old with a BIG baldy heifer. And she is bred back 1 month. Perhaps she isView attachment 36432 part Mexican fighting heifer. She was sure ready to fight after we missed her in the chute and had to run her back thru!!
View attachment 36431

Wow that's interesting. You used the dehorner you showed us yesterday? Was it hard or awkward to do? Looks like it was effective.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Wow that's interesting. You used the dehorner you showed us yesterday? Was it hard or awkward to do? Looks like it was effective.

Takes a bit of Brute strength. Once it cuts tho, it slices right on thru!
I'll work on getting them a little more even on the next animals I buy.
I plan on buying some this spring to work and turn out on grass for the summer.

 

[simme]

Always best to dehorn as early/small as possible. But that don't always work if you purchase cattle. The secret to the scoop (barnes) type is to place them far enough down on the horn to get all the horn. Enough so that they slice through a ring of skin all way around. The goal is to "scoop" out/under the complete horn, not cut through the horn. Many people do not position them far enough down and leave a ring of horn tissue that will regrow. Works best if you use clippers to clip the hair down around the base of the horn to better see the placement. Having that For-most head table that Moses pictured above helps with the process. Hard to do a good job if the animal can move their head. And that lidocaine block is suggested. Pull bleeders or cauterize while they are in the chute to stop the bleeding.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Takes a bit of Brute strength. Once it cuts tho, it slices right on thru!
I'll work on getting them a little more even on the next animals I buy.
I plan on buying some this spring to work and turn out on grass for the summer.

Good to know. I hope you update when you do a few more. Always learning

 

[Double R Ranch]

Always best to dehorn as early/small as possible. But that don't always work if you purchase cattle. The secret to the scoop (barnes) type is to place them far enough down on the horn to get all the horn. Enough so that they slice through a ring of skin all way around. The goal is to "scoop" out/under the complete horn, not cut through the horn. Many people do not position them far enough down and leave a ring of horn tissue that will regrow. Works best if you use clippers to clip the hair down around the base of the horn to better see the placement. Having that For-most head table that Moses pictured above helps with the process. Hard to do a good job if the animal can move their head. And that lidocaine block is suggested. Pull bleeders or cauterize while they are in the chute to stop the bleeding.

Very good information! Makes sense for sure

 

[Warren Allison]

Or just lop em off, throw some blood stop on em and turn em loose I guess. This cows calf was polled. Solid black heifer. But she did get a shot of LA300 for the pinkeye.
No pics of the baldy calf. Edit, there is a pic of baldy below. She got nipped too. Much less blood!
View attachment 36429View attachment 36430
Not the greatest pics @Warren Allison but she's just a black cow....
This cow is 2 years old. Black heifer. The other cow is also 2 years old with a BIG baldy heifer. And she is bred back 1 month. Perhaps she isView attachment 36432 part Mexican fighting heifer. She was sure ready to fight after we missed her in the chute and had to run her back thru!!
View attachment 36431

She looks Corriente to me. She has already had her horns trimmed before.

 

[Ebenezer]

"I will no longer do paste." A friend and his father did paste on all calves. They used paste when they were a day old and put an ample covering of Vaseline over the paste. They never had any problems for decades of that.