Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Forums
Cattle Boards
Breeds Board
Hereford horn growth pattern
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Help Support CattleToday:
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Cowboymom" data-source="post: 117143" data-attributes="member: 2278"><p>This site is really interesting...Found it when I was searching to buy some horn weights. From how much the cost of them has gone up, I think I would paint them orange before I used them if I could get away with it!! Teco used to make the best weights, but they went out of business. Stone is the only act left in town. I found the 3/4 pound ones at Valley Vet for 13.95 a set and Nasco had them for 18.95!! Guess I will have to start perusing ebay!</p><p></p><p>We have been in the horned Hereford business forever. We horn weight about fifty bulls and thirty heifers a year. Unless whoever buys our cull heifers wants them horned, otherwise we dehorn them. We keep the horns because we are HORNED Herefords, hence they should have horns!LOL</p><p></p><p>We start horn weighting about a week after we wean. Gives the bull calves a chance to settle down and their horns a chance to harden up. We wait about a month to horn weight the heifers, they seem to have softer, smaller horns. </p><p></p><p>Horn weighting is an art, alas a fast vanishing one. A lot of people slope horns on their bulls and put paste on their heifers when they are born. We don't like the look of sloped horns. We use 3/4 pounders on the bigger horns and 1/2 pounders on the smaller ones. Different families have different horn growth. When you put the weight on, make sure there is daylight between the weight and the horn or it will cut off the blood supply. Also, make sure that both sides are tight together or the weight will fall off. We leave them on until the horn is just south of center, as has been already said. Time is very variable. We just check when we feed and walk out the ones who need work into a holding pen.</p><p></p><p>The reason that heifers horns sometimes don't look as good as bulls is that they are usually staying on the ranch and some people don't care as much. The bulls they are trying to sell is where they put their efforts. </p><p></p><p>That horn cow that was pictured had her weights left on too long. If that were our cow we would use some ob wire and tip the ends. For some reason the ob wire cauterizes the blood vessels and they don't bleed as much. You can look at a horn and see where the blood stops.</p><p></p><p>That picture with the horns straight down the weights were left on way too long. Somebody probably left the weights on until they were the way they wanted them. Big mistake. Horns keep coming down. </p><p></p><p>Sometimes if a bull or cow have really long horns we tip about an inch off the ends. It really cleans them up and makes them look more stylish!</p><p></p><p>Like I said, horn weighting is a dying art. I seem to know about all these things that nobody needs. Horn branding? Still do that too! We ear tag and horn brand besides tattooing!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cowboymom, post: 117143, member: 2278"] This site is really interesting...Found it when I was searching to buy some horn weights. From how much the cost of them has gone up, I think I would paint them orange before I used them if I could get away with it!! Teco used to make the best weights, but they went out of business. Stone is the only act left in town. I found the 3/4 pound ones at Valley Vet for 13.95 a set and Nasco had them for 18.95!! Guess I will have to start perusing ebay! We have been in the horned Hereford business forever. We horn weight about fifty bulls and thirty heifers a year. Unless whoever buys our cull heifers wants them horned, otherwise we dehorn them. We keep the horns because we are HORNED Herefords, hence they should have horns!LOL We start horn weighting about a week after we wean. Gives the bull calves a chance to settle down and their horns a chance to harden up. We wait about a month to horn weight the heifers, they seem to have softer, smaller horns. Horn weighting is an art, alas a fast vanishing one. A lot of people slope horns on their bulls and put paste on their heifers when they are born. We don't like the look of sloped horns. We use 3/4 pounders on the bigger horns and 1/2 pounders on the smaller ones. Different families have different horn growth. When you put the weight on, make sure there is daylight between the weight and the horn or it will cut off the blood supply. Also, make sure that both sides are tight together or the weight will fall off. We leave them on until the horn is just south of center, as has been already said. Time is very variable. We just check when we feed and walk out the ones who need work into a holding pen. The reason that heifers horns sometimes don't look as good as bulls is that they are usually staying on the ranch and some people don't care as much. The bulls they are trying to sell is where they put their efforts. That horn cow that was pictured had her weights left on too long. If that were our cow we would use some ob wire and tip the ends. For some reason the ob wire cauterizes the blood vessels and they don't bleed as much. You can look at a horn and see where the blood stops. That picture with the horns straight down the weights were left on way too long. Somebody probably left the weights on until they were the way they wanted them. Big mistake. Horns keep coming down. Sometimes if a bull or cow have really long horns we tip about an inch off the ends. It really cleans them up and makes them look more stylish! Like I said, horn weighting is a dying art. I seem to know about all these things that nobody needs. Horn branding? Still do that too! We ear tag and horn brand besides tattooing! [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Cattle Boards
Breeds Board
Hereford horn growth pattern
Top