Dehorning

[dun]

Back to the original question. I agree with what Dun once said here, "I like to dehorn 283 days before they are born."

That works best for me.

In this case it isn;t apporpriate because she already horned and born. Get someone that knows what they are doing, not just someone that "thinks" they know what they're doing. Have them dehorn her.

 

[Canadian_Cowgirl]

It's the beginners board and
Im confussed, whats your new toy?? Im also guessing you knew that its the breed not the sex which determines who is horned!

Katy

What is confussed? :lol: You watch out in here cause there's lots of speeling champs.

Is it always the breed? Or does the jeans they have on have anything to do with it? :lol:

ALX

Confused, sorry!! good thing there arent any spelling champs in here i would be in trouble!! Never knew cows wore jeans! ;-)

Look were hijacked this poor guys post!!

Katy

 

[SkinMan]

Thanks for the info. I had just bought these heifers a month ago, so dehorning them at a month old wasn't an option. I'll probably go ahead and get our vet to take care of them.

Bez, sorry you had to waste your time replying to this post. Try and get some rest.

 

[hillsdown]

SkinMan we use the wire it is the easiest for us to do at that size you can not always have polled so you deal the hand you are dealt. Especially with Holsteins they always need dehorning and occasionally the odd one gets missed.I would definitely try to get someone who has done it successfully before to assist you and the main thing now is it is a very bad time for flies.Good luck it is a bloody mess sometimes also.

De-horn, Tie them off tight, spray with medicated spray, and spray liberally with bug spray specifically for cows.

 

[Bama]

Bez, sorry you had to waste your time replying to this post. Try and get some rest.

Bez has answered this question at least 5 time in great detail. His method works very well. Try doing a search.


Anguslimox - next time you are pulling one of your heifers top teeth you may want to try dehorning then as I've heard the bloodloss is less them. ;-)

 

[rockridgecattle]

we would dehorn when we bagged and tagged the new borns. We used the paste and put duct taped loosely over it so the calf would not rub it off on the cow.
Now we use polled bulls. Like that better.

 

[Mongoose]

We burn horns right after weaning. Their horns are about 1/2"-3/4" long.

 

[Canadian_Cowgirl]

Anguslimox - next time you are pulling one of your heifers top teeth you may want to try dehorning then as I've heard the bloodloss is less them. ;-)

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: Makes sence! :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: Thanks for the advice! ;-)


Katy

 

[AngusLimoX]

Anguslimox - next time you are pulling one of your heifers top teeth you may want to try dehorning then as I've heard the bloodloss is less them. ;-)

Got a heifer who picked up the farm name "Jaws" while I was throwing a magnet in her this spring! Took me almost to the bone on a couple fingers!

Those top teeth come out in the fall Bama! Gonna do a search and see if I can find the Bezmeister's method. :lol:

ALX

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Thanks for the info. I had just bought these heifers a month ago, so dehorning them at a month old wasn't an option. I'll probably go ahead and get our vet to take care of them.

Bez, sorry you had to waste your time replying to this post. Try and get some rest.

Sorry this went down hill. I think you're doing the right thing. I don't know what your vet charges over there in Bernice but the vets around me are really cheap when it comes to dehorning.

I took a load of bull calves to our local vet and he dehorned the ones that needed it, castrated and gave them shots for $15/head. At that price it ain't hardly worth takin's a chance in case something goes wrong.

 

[KNERSIE]

At what age is it best to dehorn my heifers? I have a few that are 10 to 12 months old with horns around 8 inches long.

you can dehorn as young as two weeks old. waiting too long can be even harder because you cant use a iron dehorner,b ut now must use a barnes dehorner.

We used the barnes dehorner on my calf a few years back it worked really well. But we still used the iron dehorner just to cauterize the wound. Never had a horn grow back after that but we dehorn when they're about 2 to 3 weeks old.

I fail to see the logic in this, why not just use the hot iron without the Barnes dehorner?

On a bigger heifer, it makes sense, just don't make sense on a 2-3 week old calf, or did I misunderstand.

 

[cowgirl Ibara]

Its just the way that my advisor likes to do our calves. He doesnt like to miss anything and have to come back out in another 3 weeks to redehorn the same calf.

 

[Daisy452]

At what age is it best to dehorn my heifers? I have a few that are 10 to 12 months old with horns around 8 inches long.

you can dehorn as young as two weeks old. waiting too long can be even harder because you cant use a iron dehorner,b ut now must use a barnes dehorner.

We used the barnes dehorner on my calf a few years back it worked really well. But we still used the iron dehorner just to cauterize the wound. Never had a horn grow back after that but we dehorn when they're about 2 to 3 weeks old.

I fail to see the logic in this, why not just use the hot iron without the Barnes dehorner?

On a bigger heifer, it makes sense, just don't make sense on a 2-3 week old calf, or did I misunderstand.

Sorry, what i meant is that you can use that hot iron on the 2-3 weeks, but if the horns grow back and are to big for the the hot iron , you might need to use a barnes dehorner

 

[AngusLimoX]

Sorry this went down hill. I think you're doing the right thing. I don't know what your vet charges over there in Bernice but the vets around me are really cheap when it comes to dehorning.

I took a load of bull calves to our local vet and he dehorned the ones that needed it, castrated and gave them shots for $15/head. At that price it ain't hardly worth takin's a chance in case something goes wrong.

If you are a hobbyist that is the best solution.

ALX

 

[Bama]

Best method I have saw comes from BEZ, I did quick search to find his method.




Place the animal in the squeeze.

Rope the nose and pull it off to the side - that will cause the head to naturally be placed in the correct position for the procedure I am about to explain.

Trim the long hair around the base of the horn with a pair of scissors or a clipper. This is the horn that is now sticking up in the air.

Now, using the wire saw you purchased at your local feed store / vet supplies store - saw it off. Ask them for it - they will know what it is. The directions on using are usually written on a piece of paper in the boxand easily followed. Be sure to get close to the head and start sawing. These wire saws are cheap like borscht - so do not worry about the cost - the last one I bought came to a total of almost 4 bucks - handles and all.

The closer to the head the better. If you cut the horn off too long, it is very difficult to get the bleeding to stop - even if you burn it. There are physical reasons for this that I will not go into, so just trust me on this.

When you are finished - you may have a hole through the top of the head that leads into the sinus - for the moment do not worry about that.

Using a pair of tweezers or a hemostat, hunt around the edge of the cut area - when you dig a bit - you will find the ends of small veins - grab them and pull them out - this will stop almost all of the bleeding. If you look closely you WILL find them. There will be a fair amount of bleeding initially which is why I pull out the small veins. Takes only a few seconds to do.

Now that you have completed this operation, you can take a burner - which you just happen to have handy - and rub it around the cut edges of the operation turn the skin black and cripsy - keep the burner moving so you do not fry the head. Make sure you also burn the cut edges of the horn to kill it. It can be a bit smokey when you do this - suck it up if you do not like the smell, because it really does not last long.

Now it is time to turn the head over and do the other side.

In all honesty I usually cut them both off - pull the veins and then let the head lose - and then burn both sides.

Do not be surprised if the animal goes down - just get on with it.

If you want to make it painless you can always inject about 8 cc's of lidocaine around the base of each horn - several locations - about 2 cc's per shot. Keeps them quiet and they will simply stand there while the operation is being completed.

Now for the sinus hole.

All I do is puncture the membrane and leave it. The hole closes in about a month.

I generally give the "keepers" a shot of Pen LA in event of infection.

Give them a good shot of fly repellant and allow them to find a nice dark spot to sulk for a few days. I just throw ours in the bush. But you may want to put them in a barn.

Flies can be a prob, but this procedure keeps the blood down to a minimum and therefore reduces the fly attractions. Believe me we get lots of them here - so pick a time when the weather looks like it will be cloudy and cool for a few days.

If all else fails, call the vet and have him or a neighbour do it - for the newbie who has never been here, that is probably the best way. Watch and learn - then you can do it on your own the next time.

Using the above procedure - not including the lidocaine, I would estimate I could do them both in under 6 minutes total time - you will probably take at least 30 due to inexperience and timidity. No offense please - just being realistic.

A straight gouge and scoop should be done when the horns are about one inch long - fast - easy and a bit bloody. I would probably not go this route with yours.

Do not - repeat - do not use a power saw - it makes them totally crazy!

Any more questions give me a shout.

Bez!

 

[cowgirl Ibara]

Our method is almost as simple. Just throw the calf on its side. Someone holds the back leg, someone places their knee down on the neck and holds the front forelegs, then another person takes the horns right off. Of course you really want someone with a good hold to be holding the back leg since the person doing it this year for us let the leg go and I got kicked in the arm. So it can be risky but we've never had a bleeder calf and we've never had horns grow back.

 

[Limomike]

Best method I have saw comes from BEZ, I did quick search to find his method.




Place the animal in the squeeze.

Rope the nose and pull it off to the side - that will cause the head to naturally be placed in the correct position for the procedure I am about to explain.

Trim the long hair around the base of the horn with a pair of scissors or a clipper. This is the horn that is now sticking up in the air.

Now, using the wire saw you purchased at your local feed store / vet supplies store - saw it off. Ask them for it - they will know what it is. The directions on using are usually written on a piece of paper in the boxand easily followed. Be sure to get close to the head and start sawing. These wire saws are cheap like borscht - so do not worry about the cost - the last one I bought came to a total of almost 4 bucks - handles and all.

The closer to the head the better. If you cut the horn off too long, it is very difficult to get the bleeding to stop - even if you burn it. There are physical reasons for this that I will not go into, so just trust me on this.

When you are finished - you may have a hole through the top of the head that leads into the sinus - for the moment do not worry about that.

Using a pair of tweezers or a hemostat, hunt around the edge of the cut area - when you dig a bit - you will find the ends of small veins - grab them and pull them out - this will stop almost all of the bleeding. If you look closely you WILL find them. There will be a fair amount of bleeding initially which is why I pull out the small veins. Takes only a few seconds to do.

Now that you have completed this operation, you can take a burner - which you just happen to have handy - and rub it around the cut edges of the operation turn the skin black and cripsy - keep the burner moving so you do not fry the head. Make sure you also burn the cut edges of the horn to kill it. It can be a bit smokey when you do this - suck it up if you do not like the smell, because it really does not last long.

Now it is time to turn the head over and do the other side.

In all honesty I usually cut them both off - pull the veins and then let the head lose - and then burn both sides.

Do not be surprised if the animal goes down - just get on with it.

If you want to make it painless you can always inject about 8 cc's of lidocaine around the base of each horn - several locations - about 2 cc's per shot. Keeps them quiet and they will simply stand there while the operation is being completed.

Now for the sinus hole.

All I do is puncture the membrane and leave it. The hole closes in about a month.

I generally give the "keepers" a shot of Pen LA in event of infection.

Give them a good shot of fly repellant and allow them to find a nice dark spot to sulk for a few days. I just throw ours in the bush. But you may want to put them in a barn.

Flies can be a prob, but this procedure keeps the blood down to a minimum and therefore reduces the fly attractions. Believe me we get lots of them here - so pick a time when the weather looks like it will be cloudy and cool for a few days.

If all else fails, call the vet and have him or a neighbour do it - for the newbie who has never been here, that is probably the best way. Watch and learn - then you can do it on your own the next time.

Using the above procedure - not including the lidocaine, I would estimate I could do them both in under 6 minutes total time - you will probably take at least 30 due to inexperience and timidity. No offense please - just being realistic.

A straight gouge and scoop should be done when the horns are about one inch long - fast - easy and a bit bloody. I would probably not go this route with yours.

Do not - repeat - do not use a power saw - it makes them totally crazy!

Any more questions give me a shout.

Bez!

BEZ has the same method we use... a good one that works.

 

[novatech]

I have always used the barnes type of dehorner on horns that are not to large. They allow for the removal of the growth area around the horn base. With the saw, that cannot be done and the area must be burned off afterward. If the growth area is not burned completly there will be spurs growing back. With the barnes tool it is easy to cut a 1/8 in. ring around the base.
Also I have never seen the lidocaine injected around the horn. I have always injected in one spot just below the horn. I found a web site that shows the proper location.
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/liv ... tm#METHODS
I have used the wire saw on larger hornes were the barnes dehorner will not work. The rest of the procedure is as bez described.

 

[SkinMan]

Bez summed it up. Guess I shouldn't have popped off at him earlier and did a search.

Sorry Bez.

Everyone that I talk to around here says to wait for cooler weather to do it because of heat stress and flies. My wife's cousin has an electric dehorner, and he offered to do it this fall.
Thanks for all of the replies...

 

[Ryder]

Everyone that I talk to around here says to wait for cooler weather to do it because of heat stress and flies. My wife's cousin has an electric dehorner, and he offered to do it this fall.
Thanks for all of the replies...

They can get pretty heated up this time of the year. You don't ever know how agitated they might get in the chute which can really cause them to over heat. Can get human types all worked up and over heated as well.