Dehorning

[RDFF]

Noticed that they didn't really compare "debuttoning" with an electric dehorner when still a young calf on impact to the animal. One of the things that I really like about this method is that it leaves the animal with a really nice looking head... they look "polled", even though they're a horned breed. If you gouge or use bands on older animals, they have already begun to develop that "horned head" shape instead, and that "poll" of the head can still be a lot more dangerous when handling them... and they know it, just like they know how to use their horns. It never feels good to get caught by their head, but not having that wide, hard "poll" on them is very helpful.

 

[Nesikep]

I usually use caustic paste on the calves.. I've missed a couple though with the shorthorn influence making the horn buds appear later. I have one with really pointy horns that's 2 years old I might have to do if she gets mean with them.

at this time of year, anything that's going to have blood is a serious problem for flies and maggots.. ask me how i know, I spend all summer treating one cow for that!

Other cow was dehorned by the vet, after that she would FREAK OUT about getting into the crowding pen... she didn't like what happend to her the last time she went down that chute!

 

[Buck Randall]

Noticed that they didn't really compare "debuttoning" with an electric dehorner when still a young calf on impact to the animal. One of the things that I really like about this method is that it leaves the animal with a really nice looking head... they look "polled", even though they're a horned breed. If you gouge or use bands on older animals, they have already begun to develop that "horned head" shape instead, and that "poll" of the head can still be a lot more dangerous when handling them... and they know it, just like they know how to use their horns. It never feels good to get caught by their head, but not having that wide, hard "poll" on them is very helpful.

Research has shown that disbudding is much better for them than dehorning.

I expect dehorning will be banned within my lifetime.

 

[simme]

Other cow was dehorned by the vet, after that she would FREAK OUT about getting into the crowding pen... she didn't like what happend to her the last time she went down that chute!

A little lidocaine a few minutes before the dehorning might help with that. I believe the younger vets are more likely to use pain control than the older ones. I think some European countries require pain relief prior to some procedures.

 

[Buck Randall]

A little lidocaine a few minutes before the dehorning might help with that. I believe the younger vets are more likely to use pain control than the older ones. I think some European countries require pain relief prior to some procedures.

Yes. A few pennies worth of lidocaine properly placed can have the animal standing calmly unaware while you hold the hot iron to their head. It doesn't always go that smoothly, but I try.

It doesn't slow me down much, either. I do the lidocaine first, then any vaccines or other procedures, and the dehorning last. By that time it's had time to work, and any time I lost giving the lidocaine is made up by having an animal that stands still for the dehorning/cauterizing.

 

[Nesikep]

A little lidocaine a few minutes before the dehorning might help with that. I believe the younger vets are more likely to use pain control than the older ones. I think some European countries require pain relief prior to some procedures.

She was sedated and lidocaine was used.. She was just livid she didn't have that fighting edge anymore and knew who was responsible for it too!

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Sounds as if Buck plans on living a long time...................................I wish him well in that regard.
He expects dehorning to be banned in his lifetime.

 

[Nesikep]

Sounds as if Buck plans on living a long time...................................I wish him well in that regard.
He expects dehorning to be banned in his lifetime.

you haven't been keeping up with the news much have you?

 

[cowgirl8]

We've decided to take them to the vet today and have them removed and sown up.. .

 

[Lucky_P]

All Polled bulls here - including AI sires - since 1989... but not all were homo-polled, and some of the cows had horned animals in their background just a couple generations back, so it wasn't uncommon to have a horned calf born every now and then.
I took a few off weanling (6-7 mo.) heifers with green cheerio elastrator bands. Did cornual nerve blocks with Lidocaine, clipped hair at base of horn, put on at least 3 bands, seated well down into the skin. Even with the nerve block, they still came out of the chute shaking their heads, bawling, pawing/rubbing their heads. Takes 4-6 weeks for them to fall off. Definitely have that ol' 'square-head' look about them, and some grew short, blunt scurs.
Much better to breed them off, or disbud them as babies.
Took some off a friend's weanling steer a while back with OB wire saw... had planned to use the elastrator bands, but couldn't get 'em to seat properly.

 

[cowgirl8]

All Polled bulls here - including AI sires - since 1989... but not all were homo-polled, and some of the cows had horned animals in their background just a couple generations back, so it wasn't uncommon to have a horned calf born every now and then.
I took a few off weanling (6-7 mo.) heifers with green cheerio elastrator bands. Did cornual nerve blocks with Lidocaine, clipped hair at base of horn, put on at least 3 bands, seated well down into the skin. Even with the nerve block, they still came out of the chute shaking their heads, bawling, pawing/rubbing their heads. Takes 4-6 weeks for them to fall off. Definitely have that ol' 'square-head' look about them, and some grew short, blunt scurs.
Much better to breed them off, or disbud them as babies.
Took some off a friend's weanling steer a while back with OB wire saw... had planned to use the elastrator bands, but couldn't get 'em to seat properly.

We're all polled too including bulls for years, but these waygu's have some weird pointy horns and they know how to use them.. It will be interesting to see how many of their babies have horns out of our polled cows. We do get a straggler horned calf from our sim and simbra days last century, but 99.90 are polled. I dont like horns.. dont like them at all. Now that we know you can band them, we'll get any horned straggler at weaning or before.

 

[cowgirl8]

So, the bulls went to the vet to get their horns off.. They come back and only have half the head the had this morning...lol..

 

[Lucky_P]

Dont be surprised if the stress of dehorning those bulls causes a temporary drop in fertility.

 

[Dave]

Every branding here there is a circle iron in the fire to burn any horns to burn any horns on the calves. They aren't used much at all as everyone has polled cows and bulls.

 

[cowgirl8]

Bulls dont go out for another month... We'll dehorn all the calves who have buttons early on.. I hate the dehorning process.. its barbaric

 

[Ky hills]

I've always preferred polled cattle, especially bulls. Have used a few horned bulls over the years back when I had Charolais. I used an iron to disbud the calves when young, and did the same with our dairy calves when raising them. Later on I used a Barnes type dehorner when I needed to dehorn a larger stocker calf. One of the great things about Angus is practically no horns except if you have cows like the one in my avatar. We bought a "polled" Hereford bull a few years ago and found out after some horned calves from polled cows and a closer look at his wooly head while in the chute that evidence of horns were there just a pretty good dehorn job. Had to dehorn avatar cow's calf of course a couple weeks ago, at around 8 months of age with the Barnes. I hadn't had to use that for several years and was my wife's first time seeing a calf dehorned outside of the disbudding iron. I told her there would be blood but she wasn't prepared. She was pretty worried about it for several days but I told her I wasn't too concerned after he was eating within an hour of it.

 

[SBMF 2015]

I use horned Hereford bulls as part of my bull battery. Sometimes black sale barn cows aren't as Angus as they appear. I use Barnes gouges and electric irons to dehorn after we wean and the flies are gone.
Keystoning mature cows can be rough.
On a mature bull I would just slope his horns.

 

[cowgirl8]

I've always preferred polled cattle, especially bulls. Have used a few horned bulls over the years back when I had Charolais. I used an iron to disbud the calves when young, and did the same with our dairy calves when raising them. Later on I used a Barnes type dehorner when I needed to dehorn a larger stocker calf. One of the great things about Angus is practically no horns except if you have cows like the one in my avatar. We bought a "polled" Hereford bull a few years ago and found out after some horned calves from polled cows and a closer look at his wooly head while in the chute that evidence of horns were there just a pretty good dehorn job. Had to dehorn avatar cow's calf of course a couple weeks ago, at around 8 months of age with the Barnes. I hadn't had to use that for several years and was my wife's first time seeing a calf dehorned outside of the disbudding iron. I told her there would be blood but she wasn't prepared. She was pretty worried about it for several days but I told her I wasn't too concerned after he was eating within an hour of it.

i can watch just about any vet job, but i cant watch or hear dehorning.... big nope

 

[slick4591]

Many years ago I was a Dallas kid that went to the grandparents farm quite a bit. On the way there one time I saw the neighbors working calves and I wanted to help, so I had dad let me out of the car at their pens. They were dehorning and branding, which I have never been around and gladly jumped in. They were scooping the horns and that didn't bother me one bit. We went back to Dallas that evening and the smell of burning hair finally got to me. Puked the rest of the night.

 

[504RP]

This is just me but, for what it is worth. I will never dehorn calves that i am taking to sale again.

I have always had the vet saw them off then categorize around the base of the nub. Never fails one or two get infected then I am having to doctor them.

From now on I will either sale the calves with their horns on or try to get rid of the cow that throws horned calves.

When you saw the horns off sometimes the vet saws them off so close to the holes exposing the sinus cavity of the animal is bigger than the other.

Vet will tell you to keep them off round bales to keep them from getting infection. That's bull ****. I put these recent dehorned calves on winter wheat.

Myself unless thoes horns are 8 to 10 inches or more. I don't see the animal being able to harm or bruise another at feed bunks which buyers say are the reason they doc them at the barn.

But I am done dehorn cattle of any kind. And won't buy any more horned cattle not that i see anything wrong with them except it is just another reason for them to low ball them at the sale barn.

It won't be long before they (buyers) will want this done and that done to pay what the animal is worth.

That's when i am done messing with cattle. Perrty much at that point now. Anyone that sale cattle can see something is not right by comparing what they are getting price per pound at the barn. Compared to what it sales for at the supermarket.