JHH
Well-known member
Question,Dad always put the weights on, I tried but I have them wrong dont I?JHH
Hereford horn growth pattern
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Question,Dad always put the weights on, I tried but I have them wrong dont I?JHH
A
Anonymous
Yup - they are on wrong - paint them pink - easy to find inthe field when they rub them off.
They are too far down the horn toward the head.
Looks like the right horn might have the weight on backwards.
They are too tight.
Below is an old post I wrote some time back
Bez'
____________________________________________________
We wait until the horns are between 4 and 6 inches long.
I use half pound "bolt on" weights that have a small spur inside the horn tunnel. Older animals with bigger horns get the full 3/4 or one pound weights. You can turn horns on animals up to two years of age for sure - maybe older - I have not done them on anything over two. But I do know weights can be had up to five pounds in weight - never seen them - just remember reading I could order some from "some place"
Do not ask me when to take them off. There really is no set time for this. I usually eyeball the look of the horns - making sure that they come down .... how do I describe this ...... I stand beside the animal and look across the forehead ... lining up the horns. When I figure they will curve in and be ABOVE the eye line - so as to NOT eventually curve into the skull ... then I remove the weights.
Do this enough and you will get good at it. If the animal loses a weight - and this WILL happen once in a while. Well, now you have to try and even up the horns using weights and different lengths of time on each horn. You may mess up once or twice, but you'll get good at it - and the animal does not seem to mind the weights at all. All of this is easy if you keep them penned up - we let ours go in the pasture - still have some weights out there somewhere.
Wife tells me just now that we average around 6 weeks before we take them off the youngsters - so now you even have a target date / time.
If you look at our herd, you can actually see the animals that I learned on - and they do not have the symmetry that the newer models have. After some years I have got pretty good at it - the animals do not seem to hold it against me tho'!!
Make sure you put them on right. The hole is bigger on one side of the weight than it is on the other. I know that this sounds pretty basic, but it is easy to make the mistake of putting them on wrong. The side with the big hole goes toward the head.
The other thing we do is make sure we do not put them on too tight. The horn grows in diameter as well as length. So there should be about an eight of an inch of slack between the horn and the horn weight. The spur inside the horn tunnel will still bite into the horn fairly well, as to keep it from slipping off. If you do not do this, you will have an animal with a funny narrow spot on the horn - usually near the end of the horn after it matures. (Voice of experience talking!)
If you put the weight on the horn - too far down the horn and too close to the head - and if the weight is brand new - well, the spur is pretty long and once in a while you might punch throught the horn and nick the "quick". If you are in fly season or the weight has a bit of dirt on it - there is a chance of infection. The animal may very well rub the horn so hard against a tree or post that they will actually wear the horn down and either rip it off, or damage it to the point that it will come off. Much like you or I might scratch an itch until it gets infected.
Keep the weights clean and rust free prior to mounting on the horn. Make sure the horn is clean - I usually rub it with alcohol - just to make sure. If I think the animal has been nicked and it is a bad time of the year for flies I give it a shot of long acting penicillin to prevent infection while the hole seals up around the spur.
This I learned by watching a darned nice cow take off her right horn over the space of three days - we still have her - nice cow - called "One Horn".
Anyway, the classic look is pretty nice - even if there are those who do not like horns.
I think I have hit most of the important points - let me know if you have any questions - I'll do my best to give you some help via the keyboard.
Certs wrote:
When I think on this - when you are looking directly at the cows face - this would be a good measure - I always look from the side because I am afraid I might turn the horn too much - think I'll start using "combination" of the two.
Just be sure to not put the weights on too tight - it really can screw up the normal growth - and you do NOT want a narrow band of horn in the middle of a nice curve.
Have fun! If I was there I would love to help.
Regards
Bez
They are too far down the horn toward the head.
Looks like the right horn might have the weight on backwards.
They are too tight.
Below is an old post I wrote some time back
Bez'
____________________________________________________
We wait until the horns are between 4 and 6 inches long.
I use half pound "bolt on" weights that have a small spur inside the horn tunnel. Older animals with bigger horns get the full 3/4 or one pound weights. You can turn horns on animals up to two years of age for sure - maybe older - I have not done them on anything over two. But I do know weights can be had up to five pounds in weight - never seen them - just remember reading I could order some from "some place"
Do not ask me when to take them off. There really is no set time for this. I usually eyeball the look of the horns - making sure that they come down .... how do I describe this ...... I stand beside the animal and look across the forehead ... lining up the horns. When I figure they will curve in and be ABOVE the eye line - so as to NOT eventually curve into the skull ... then I remove the weights.
Do this enough and you will get good at it. If the animal loses a weight - and this WILL happen once in a while. Well, now you have to try and even up the horns using weights and different lengths of time on each horn. You may mess up once or twice, but you'll get good at it - and the animal does not seem to mind the weights at all. All of this is easy if you keep them penned up - we let ours go in the pasture - still have some weights out there somewhere.
Wife tells me just now that we average around 6 weeks before we take them off the youngsters - so now you even have a target date / time.
If you look at our herd, you can actually see the animals that I learned on - and they do not have the symmetry that the newer models have. After some years I have got pretty good at it - the animals do not seem to hold it against me tho'!!
Make sure you put them on right. The hole is bigger on one side of the weight than it is on the other. I know that this sounds pretty basic, but it is easy to make the mistake of putting them on wrong. The side with the big hole goes toward the head.
The other thing we do is make sure we do not put them on too tight. The horn grows in diameter as well as length. So there should be about an eight of an inch of slack between the horn and the horn weight. The spur inside the horn tunnel will still bite into the horn fairly well, as to keep it from slipping off. If you do not do this, you will have an animal with a funny narrow spot on the horn - usually near the end of the horn after it matures. (Voice of experience talking!)
If you put the weight on the horn - too far down the horn and too close to the head - and if the weight is brand new - well, the spur is pretty long and once in a while you might punch throught the horn and nick the "quick". If you are in fly season or the weight has a bit of dirt on it - there is a chance of infection. The animal may very well rub the horn so hard against a tree or post that they will actually wear the horn down and either rip it off, or damage it to the point that it will come off. Much like you or I might scratch an itch until it gets infected.
Keep the weights clean and rust free prior to mounting on the horn. Make sure the horn is clean - I usually rub it with alcohol - just to make sure. If I think the animal has been nicked and it is a bad time of the year for flies I give it a shot of long acting penicillin to prevent infection while the hole seals up around the spur.
This I learned by watching a darned nice cow take off her right horn over the space of three days - we still have her - nice cow - called "One Horn".
Anyway, the classic look is pretty nice - even if there are those who do not like horns.
I think I have hit most of the important points - let me know if you have any questions - I'll do my best to give you some help via the keyboard.
Certs wrote:
When I think on this - when you are looking directly at the cows face - this would be a good measure - I always look from the side because I am afraid I might turn the horn too much - think I'll start using "combination" of the two.
Just be sure to not put the weights on too tight - it really can screw up the normal growth - and you do NOT want a narrow band of horn in the middle of a nice curve.
Have fun! If I was there I would love to help.
Regards
Bez
JHH
Well-known member
Thanks for the info Bez will get to work on her tomorrow evening.since mom and dad split up,mom and I are trying to rebuild herd and I have purchased some heifers like the one I say has no milk.Learning fast about some things (EPDs).Just want to try and do things right.JHH
A
Anonymous
JHH":u8g1pyu4 said:
Check your no milk thread for a comment from me.
Sorry to hear about your troubles - you might have a close look at SF's pics - it is a mini - and a nice one at that - if you talk to him nice I would bet he would send you his series of pics on how he did his horns.
I have been doing horns for years and still make the odd mistake - but you can never learn if you do not do. I think I sent a better explanation to SF - if he has it, ask him for it.
Do not be afraid to ask Certs - she is a good 'un and I might add she is a damned fine person to boot. She runs head and shoulders above me in most aspects of cow knowledge - and like you and I she has HH's.
New lady on the block - Cowboymom - says she knows some stuff - cannot vouch for her, but I have a sneaky suspicion she is in the know as well. If not it will show real soon.
All you gotta' do is ask - more than happy to lend a hand.
You stay well and keep on working those animals - in the end you will be a far better person for it.
Luck to you and your Ma,
Bez'
jersey lilly
Well-known member
Here's one of our Herefords, I've never been a big fan of em..but we bought a small herd to add to ours and there were 5 mixed in. They look decent enough to me. This one here hasn't had a calf yet since we've had her. I'm waitin to see....Brangus bull...I'll git a black baldie I"m sure.
Her horns curve down tho. Three more do too..not as big horned has she is..but they still curve down.
Her horns curve down tho. Three more do too..not as big horned has she is..but they still curve down.
SF
Well-known member
Bez'":1crv1idg said:
I have the instructions from Bez on the horns and lots of pics. PM' with your email address and I'll send them to you if you want them.
Greg
Cowboymom
Well-known member
Gee...thanks for the compliment Bez, I think it was one.
I, too, looked at your picture and good try but no cigar. Just by looking at the weights and the size of the horns, I would take those weights and almost put them on the end of the horn. You really need the two sides to come together or they will fall off directly. Also, as stated, you need to see "daylight" between the horn and the weight after you have them cinched down. We use a screwdriver with a socket on the end to start it and then tighten them off with a little rachet. Be careful of the racket or you can shear the bolt off.
Horns come down quicker the further on the ends you put them and it doesn't make them curve too much. Leaving them on too long is what makes them curve. Also, one horn may come down faster than the other.
I don't know what kind of chute you use, but you have to be careful after you get the weights on that you don't knock off the horn and weight getting them out. Heifers are especially bad because they are heifers! That bull you are weighting has plenty of horn and it will take a long time for those horns to come down.
We got late on horn weighting last year because my mother died. We didn't get it done until they were about yearlings. They just didn't turn out as nice as when they do when they are weaners.
As for the bull in question, after you finish getting his horns turned, I would "clean him up a bit". Take a saw and cut off about an inch of horn, past the blood. Then rasp it a little. Makes a big horned bull like that look a lot cleaner and younger.
We have been tipping all our heifers when we horn brand them after they calve. Yes, we still horn brand. We have too many cows to know them all personally and if they lose an ear tag, we can still identify them until we get them in again.
One last thing, if you can't get those one pound weights to seat right, try using 3/4 pound ones. Sometimes they seem to work better on horns like that.
I, too, looked at your picture and good try but no cigar. Just by looking at the weights and the size of the horns, I would take those weights and almost put them on the end of the horn. You really need the two sides to come together or they will fall off directly. Also, as stated, you need to see "daylight" between the horn and the weight after you have them cinched down. We use a screwdriver with a socket on the end to start it and then tighten them off with a little rachet. Be careful of the racket or you can shear the bolt off.
Horns come down quicker the further on the ends you put them and it doesn't make them curve too much. Leaving them on too long is what makes them curve. Also, one horn may come down faster than the other.
I don't know what kind of chute you use, but you have to be careful after you get the weights on that you don't knock off the horn and weight getting them out. Heifers are especially bad because they are heifers! That bull you are weighting has plenty of horn and it will take a long time for those horns to come down.
We got late on horn weighting last year because my mother died. We didn't get it done until they were about yearlings. They just didn't turn out as nice as when they do when they are weaners.
As for the bull in question, after you finish getting his horns turned, I would "clean him up a bit". Take a saw and cut off about an inch of horn, past the blood. Then rasp it a little. Makes a big horned bull like that look a lot cleaner and younger.
We have been tipping all our heifers when we horn brand them after they calve. Yes, we still horn brand. We have too many cows to know them all personally and if they lose an ear tag, we can still identify them until we get them in again.
One last thing, if you can't get those one pound weights to seat right, try using 3/4 pound ones. Sometimes they seem to work better on horns like that.
Wyatt Tinson
New member
Women and men grow differently too. Maybe you could explain it to the kids this way... 1848 SIR YOU ARE NO GENTLEMAN.......THIS BOARD IS NO PLACE TO ADD SMART COMMENTS......WE EXPECT FACTUAL ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTION AND ANSWER BOARDS. SOUNDS LIKE YOU NO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT HORN WEIGHTS.
