Dehorning

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ga. prime

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I have a few cows with horns. Usually, I leave them alone. But, this Lim cow, every time I had her penned, got really rough with the head butting against any other animals in the pen. So, off came the horns. Does anyone still use those big loppers(I don't know the proper name) like are leaning against the head gate in the pic below? What method do you use?

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As long as they are sharp they are great. I do every calf now with a gouge. With older cows we always used the type you have if they would fit over the horn. For larger horns we used a saw.
 
nova, do you mean a hacksaw? You're exactly right about keeping the loppers sharp. Those loppers haven't been used in 20 yrs. I thought the handles were gonna break doing that job. They'll get a good sharpening before their next use.
 
ga. prime":33wejdws said:
nova, do you mean a hacksaw? You're exactly right about keeping the loppers sharp. Those loppers haven't been used in 20 yrs. I thought the handles were gonna break doing that job. They'll get a good sharpening before their next use.

When you get them sharp and working good, cover them with grease and slide a plastic bag over (and tie with a string) the working end to keep them in shape for future use.

I very seldom use them but when I need them they are handy.

I only use other means when the horns have grown close to the skull.
 
i have friends that use piano wire to dehorn cattle.theyve done it that way for years.they say its quick an easy.an they can make quick work of dehorning.
 
That's a good idea, Mike, on putting the bag over the end after greasing it.

bigbull, I've used the wire on some that were growing too close to the skull and starting to put pressure on the skull. Couldn't have used the loppers there. Wire works good, but very hard on the hands. Given the choice between the two, I'd go with the loppers.
 
ga. prime":2xz1bexg said:
That's a good idea, Mike, on putting the bag over the end after greasing it.

bigbull, I've used the wire on some that were growing too close to the skull and starting to put pressure on the skull. Couldn't have used the loppers there. Wire works good, but very hard on the hands. Given the choice between the two, I'd go with the loppers.
the reason they used the wire is b/c they would dehorn most everyday.an could do it real quick.but your right it is hard on the hands.i know they still use the wire today if they have to dehorn cows.
 
we use that kind for huge horns and then have a small,medium, and large lopper that fits over the horn. got some wire to use too but it seems more stressful on the cow. good for weird shaped horns tho.
 
Beefy":l4rne5fi said:
got some wire to use too but it seems more stressful on the cow. good for weird shaped horns tho.

Hadn't tried the wire yet and was wondering about that.

There's a name for the really big ones isn't there, John Browns or something like that?
 
We use the wire (OB wire) for anything big. Only takes a few seconds to cut through a big horn with it, and it cauterizes as it cuts (to an extent). There are handles for it, or you can just tie it around a piece of wood.

On smaller horns we use loppers. And I dehorn all the calves at birth with dehorning paste. It is not often that we have to dehorn anything larger than a weaned calf anymore, and those are usually just ones that get missed at birth/branding.
 
Burn em before they ever get that big. I would never own a head of cattle with horns. I just dont like them at all and I am sure other cows dont like them either when one goes right through em.
 

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