Dehorning with iron

[Double R Ranch]

Been breeding polled cattle so not sure about the horned type. Got a holstein drop calf for a cow that aborted a while back and it is gettin horns. They aren't quite threw the skin yet but I know it is coming and want no part in it.
We tried using the circular iron on some goats but the horns just kept growing. Burned in a circle until it had a nice deep copper ring around the horn bud (like it said on the internet instructions) but all 4 kids horns have kept growing. Just a bit of scarring around the horn base but the horns are defonitly continuing to grow.
So wondering who of you use this method and can lend some help on how to accomplish it successfully. Not sure what to do with the kids now. They are almost a month old and the horns are about a half inch now. If I can't dehorn a couple of kids I defonitly think it won't work on a calf. Are the methods the same? How do I dehorn with this method successfully!!! HELP!!:help:

Thanks,
Double R

 

[dun]

There are 2 sizes of tips for dehorning. A smallish one for goats and a larger one for cattle. Make sure you're using the right sized tip for whichever one you are dehorning. The method we used was after the copper ring iss made, pop the button off from inside the ring and use the side of the iron to smooth the inside part down to where it is flush with the copper ring. You may still be able to do it with the kids at this stage. To insure you are centered over th horn bud it may help to clip the hair in an area larger then the horn but so you are burning just short hair instead of long hair.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Thanks Dun,
I used the small side for the kids, I am assuming the larger size will be for the calf. I clipped the hair and went at it. On one site it said that you should burn until you see a white ring which to me says skull!?!?! I guess I will try it again or wait on the ones I failed on and do the banding tech. I have a new kid that I need to do very soon. Just a bit confused on what I am doing. Should I see the white ring? I pealed the cap off (skin on top) and burned the horn but a bit. Maybe not enough. What do you think?
Thanks
Double R

 

[dun]

Coppeer ring, white is just singing off the hair from the hide but not enough to affect the horn bud itself. Burn (it's almost like melting) the middle portion until it's flush with the ring. Been so long since I've done it I don;t recall if that part turns copper colored too but I think it does.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Coppeer ring, white is just singing off the hair from the hide but not enough to affect the horn bud itself. Burn (it's almost like melting) the middle portion until it's flush with the ring. Been so long since I've done it I don;t recall if that part turns copper colored too but I think it does.

Yeah see one of the kids I saw the white ring on! It was the skull. Went past the burnt ring mark! I was horrified. But the kid is fine. I didn't burn the middle very much! That must be what I did wrong. Flush with the ring. Will try that. Thanks.
Take care,
Double R

 

[dun]

If what is growing is kind of twisted looking or doesn;t have the shape of a horn you may nbot have burned a wide enough area around the horn bud. I've seen lots of odd shaped horns with one side flattened because of not burning a wide enough area and only killing part of the bud. After a couple of seconds all of the dqualling they do is more from being restrained then from them actually feeling pain. I've seen people not burn long enough becuase the noise the kid was making made them stop too soon. It is disconcerting to say the least. Hard to believe the little buggers can be that loud.

 

[Double R Ranch]

No these are horns. Can not mistake em. Growing normally. How long do you remember it taking for the buds to drop off once you did it? Weeks? I looked at them this morning and one horn on one kid isn't growing. The rest appear to be growing normally just with a scar around the bottom. If I can figure out how to add pics I will post some.
Thanks for the help,
Double R

 

[KNERSIE]

Burn for 10 seconds in a twisting motion, never had one regrow after that. In summer its always a good idea to give the burnwound a good spray with gention violet. Whole wound including the hornbud should be copper coloured.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Thanks yal for the help.
Lately it has been one thing after another so I haven't been on in a while.
To update you ,so far out of 6 horn buds I managed to get two. So I will giver a try again I guess. They are now about a half an inch long. I am guess in any longer than that and you can't do it???
Thanks for the help, oh and the older girls I banded, one has lost her horns and the other is within days of loosing hers. The bands got brittle so I had to apply new ones. No biggy seams to work great however would like to just iron them when young and be done with it.
Thanks again,
Look forward to hearing from you!
Double R

 

[KNERSIE]

They are now about a half an inch long. I am guess in any longer than that and you can't do it???

If they get so long that the edges of the iron can't cut into the skin around the horn base properly you can just snip the horns off with pruning scissors used on fruit trees and then apply the hot iron. I have done 100s that way.

I didn't have much success with the banding method, when the horns broke off there was alot of bleeding, something you definately don't want in fly season. There was also some very unsightly regrowth.

 

[Double R Ranch]

They are now about a half an inch long. I am guess in any longer than that and you can't do it???

If they get so long that the edges of the iron can't cut into the skin around the horn base properly you can just snip the horns off with pruning scissors used on fruit trees and then apply the hot iron. I have done 100s that way.

I didn't have much success with the banding method, when the horns broke off there was alot of bleeding, something you definately don't want in fly season. There was also some very unsightly regrowth.

Was the regrowth on the ones that broke off? You don't by any chance have any pics???
Thanks for the reply,
Double R

 

[KNERSIE]

The regrowth was on every horn that I used a band on. The problem was the regroth was in all directions. The regrowth never resulted in a sharp pointed horns, but rather a thick stubb.

As the band cuts of the blood supply the horns goes very brittle and eventually break off causing a lot of bleeding and you still have that open sinus.

I doubt I have pics of some of those cows, it was a few years ago and they got sold to get rid of horned genetics, but I'll have a look through my old pics.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Ok well thanks. I will keep a watch on them. I appreciate the info. Double R

 

[lawnviewfarm]

Not to hijack the thread, but would you de-scur a calf in the manner as you would de-horn a calf? I got my first scurred calf - yes the "horns" are loose and wiggle around easily; they're just breaking through the skin.

Now back to the the thread ...

--Marc

 

[KNERSIE]

Not to hijack the thread, but would you de-scur a calf in the manner as you would de-horn a calf? I got my first scurred calf - yes the "horns" are loose and wiggle around easily; they're just breaking through the skin.

Now back to the the thread ...

--Marc

Exactly the same technique.

One thing to consider though (over here in SA) if a calf is de-scurred it is considered dehorned. Personally I just let the scurs be in bullcalves, but will take them off on heifers.