Dehorning

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

For the last few years I've been using Barnes dehorner's with a nerve block, then cauterize and aluminum spray and it's very successful.

The cattle come out looking like they're polled, no scurs, no health problems.

Recently I tried to use castration bands on a three-month-old calf before the horns attached to the skull.

I shaved the base of the horn so that the hair wouldn't cause the band to slip however I was unsuccessful and getting the band to stay in place.

I have read that people are successful doing it that way does anyone here have feedback on how they have done it?

 

[simme]

Depends on the shape/taper of the horn. The bands just roll up and off some horns. Take a pocket knife and cut a small groove around the horn near the base. Roll the band into the groove. That will help to hold it. The bands will leave nubs on the calf. That will get more ugly as the calf grows. And will cause discomfort on some cattle to the extent that they lay down, roll and bawl. I prefer the barnes dehorners with a shot of lidocaine. Clipping the area and taking a ring of skin all way around to get a clean dehorn.

 

[A.J.]

I’ve had good luck wrapping gorilla tape around the band to help hold it in place and to keep them from rubbing them off.

 

[1982vett]

Someone's going to say it so it may just as well be me.... My bull dehorns mine...;)

In the past, the few I've needed dehorned I let a vet do it. Been a while bit it wasn't to expensive for a few head.

 

[Double R Ranch]

When we did it we clipped the base and took a file and filed a notch in the base of the horn so the band stayed and then wrapped some tape over the band when we were sure it was in place. We took the tape off 12-24 hours later so we could monitor the area. It definitely kept them from rubbing them up on the horn. Didn't care for that method. It was far more painful for the animal and long term pain it seemed. We did both goats and cows that way when we couldn't get a vet out. That was back before we knew how to dehorn with an iron. All the ones we did refused to allow their heads touched from then on. Didn't have scur issues except one goat that had a scur that we did. It grew back another scur but the one we banded was curling into it's head. The new scur was just fine. Lived the rest of it's life with the scur with no more issues. Now we do a nerve block, iron and pain meds. By the time the pain meds wear off they don't seem to have any issues or weight loss.

 

[SBMF 2015]

If the calves are small enough electric irons work well.
I think I’ve tried about every method. Usually we use Barnes and then cauterize.

If you use tri bands they have a square shoulder and won’t roll up the horn as easily.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Someone's going to say it so it may just as well be me.... My bull dehorns mine...;)

In the past, the few I've needed dehorned I let a vet do it. Been a while bit it wasn't to expensive for a few head.

I had six or seven of them dehorned, two different vets and all of them has scurs except for one.
that's when I decided to teach myself to scoop them

 

[Double R Ranch]

I had six or seven of them dehorned, two different vets and all of them has scurs except for one.
that's when I decided to teach myself to scoop them

Same here. Had one of our jersey replacements that a vet did because I wasn't experienced with dehorning. This vet did the scoop and cauterize. Both horns grew back. Had to dehorn her again and she still has scurs. From that point on I started doing them myself and have had zero issues since. Pretty frustrating paying a vet to do something fairly simple only to have them still grow back and the vet wanting to charge me AGAIN to dehorn her.

 

[1982vett]

I had six or seven of them dehorned, two different vets and all of them has scurs except for one.
that's when I decided to teach myself to scoop them

I've ended up with some with scurs but it's been so long I couldn't say they were dehorned. Most likely they didn't show when at the age of Bangs vaccination. That is when I would get the vet to burn them. If I ever bought anything older with horns, which wasn't very often, they got to keep them.

 

[Silver]

I just knock any horns off as yearlings using OB wire. There usually isn’t too many because I try to be pretty careful to get them with paste as newborns.

 

[gcreekrch]

We had two calves out of bought cows to dehorn at branding this year. I’ve grown to dislike how much burning horns off slows things down.

 

[MurraysMutts]

All this sounds way over complicated to me. Cut em off, throw some blood stop on em and turn em out.
The horns won't grow back enough to hinder the final product.

Now I suppose if I were wanting to keep the animal for breeding I might do something different. Like buy or breed a polled animal.

I've seen this used and it's very slick! Use a hot iron after and they don't grow back. Nose tongs are a must.

 

[SBMF 2015]

All this sounds way over complicated to me. Cut em off, throw some blood stop on em and turn em out.
The horns won't grow back enough to hinder the final product.

Now I suppose if I were wanting to keep the animal for breeding I might do something different. Like buy or breed a polled animal.

I've seen this used and it's very slick! Use a hot iron after and they don't grow back. Nose tongs are a must.
View attachment 59589

If I had a lot to dehorn I’d invest in one. We have a head table on my main chute. Works great for dehorning, ringing bulls, and doctoring eyes.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

The green castrating rings are no good for dehorning, you need to get the flat/squared rings, I forget the brand right now.
But as somebody said before. To avoid all this........ use a polled bull and get rid of horned cows over time. Paste newborns, cut existing.
Like everybody else just mentioned.
Now if your lucky........ LOL......... your cows will fight and break off their horns. Had that happen to a very few horns we still have.

 

[BRYANT]

The green castrating rings are no good for dehorning, you need to get the flat/squared rings, I forget the brand right now.
But as somebody said before. To avoid all this........ use a polled bull and get rid of horned cows over time. Paste newborns, cut existing.
Like everybody else just mentioned.
Now if your lucky........ LOL......... your cows will fight and break off their horns. Had that happen to a very few horns we still have.

My cattle are cross bred culls lots of Corriente, yes that is what I like bred to Char or good Angus my calves sell great
I use a Calcutta bander and will use it on anything 3 inch dia. and under. Most cows don't even act it bothers them. No i am not raising show cattle and just want the horn gone but to me it is the best way to go
The green band will work on small horns 400 lb stock, I have pretty good success.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

The green castrating rings are no good for dehorning, you need to get the flat/squared rings, I forget the brand right now.
But as somebody said before. To avoid all this........ use a polled bull and get rid of horned cows over time. Paste newborns, cut existing.
Like everybody else just mentioned.
Now if your lucky........ LOL......... your cows will fight and break off their horns. Had that happen to a very few horns we still have.

For us it's a different market.
We have to sell based on fullblood, 100% Wagyu.
It's a downgrade if we used a polled bull. A discount of about $5 per lb. on retail cuts. Or about $2,000 per head.
I think we can produce just as good as steak @ 95% + but unfortunately today's Wagyu marketing is all about FB.
I don't mind scooping them....but I'm not getting any younger. 15 - 20 head a day wears me out.
Thanks for the heads up on the flat band.

 

[bvf]

used one of those dehorner alot, mine is on the 3rd cord,,the early models where all silver, carbon tipped blades work good,
always cauterized with hot branding electric iron, often used betadyne/iodine paste on and around the opening. then 1-2 cotton balls, stretched thin used as a stickon bandage over the opening, insecticide and back tag glue to hold in place. cotton protects and is sloughed as a scab in 3-5 months.. heals nicely, dont remember any regrowth, made alot of noise, and smelled like steaks on the grill,
dont do alot for the little old ladies with the cockers.

 

[MACVSOG]

My cattle are cross bred culls lots of Corriente, yes that is what I like bred to Char or good Angus my calves sell great

good choice

 

[sunnyblueskies]

For us it's a different market.
We have to sell based on fullblood, 100% Wagyu.
It's a downgrade if we used a polled bull. A discount of about $5 per lb. on retail cuts. Or about $2,000 per head.

See, learn something new everyday, about the downgrade of using a polled bull for your market.
You are right, we all have different markets and different situations.
It's nice that we all can share our own experiences and tricks of the trade. Well, for the most part anyway.