Horn banding - pics

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glacierridge

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I touched this subject in Coffee Shop, but figured that it needed a more appropriate place

Here are pics for all those are curious.
The black and white one has had the bands on about 3 weeks already, the animal's left horn was put on better because we clipped that side, his right wasn't clipped and isn't on as far as we would have liked but is still digging in and dying, it'll just take longer to fall off.
This is the horn that wasn't banded so well

This is the better side


The red one has had the bands on 5 days and you can see that they are digging in pretty good already, we were smarter and got him clipped up before applying the bands.

 
I was told this is a very good way to get rid of the horns and I tried it a few years ago, but every cow that I put bands on was able to rub their horns on trees and sprouts and break the rubber bands. After a few times, I gave up. Obviously, I was not doing something right, but never did learn how to correct it.
 
stocky":31cbwcrn said:
I was told this is a very good way to get rid of the horns and I tried it a few years ago, but every cow that I put bands on was able to rub their horns on trees and sprouts and break the rubber bands. After a few times, I gave up. Obviously, I was not doing something right, but never did learn how to correct it.
Duct tape or double bands.
 
I used the green cheerio to remove horns on a couple of weanling SimAngus heifers about 10 years ago (the last one left this fall). Clipped hair and applied two elastrator bands per horn, as far down at the base as I could get 'em. Took 4-6 weeks for them to fall off. Had a minimal amount of blunt 'scur' regrowth, but it never got to be enough to bother with doing anything more with.
 
Looks humane, do the flies bother it at any stage?

I wonder if the xl bander bands would work better?
 
talked to my vet about this today. Her advice was to apply so that they would fall off NOW. Not apply now and have them falling off in 6 weeks when the flys are at their peak.
 
3waycross":30auxx91 said:
talked to my vet about this today. Her advice was to apply so that they would fall off NOW. Not apply now and have them falling off in 6 weeks when the flys are at their peak.

Well, depends on region too.
I know CO has been warm and plenty warm for a while.
Jealous of your weather out there, it was beautiful in January even.

We won't be seeing much for bugs for a bit but the window is closing to apply for sure.
We only started during the colder months, this is the first year we've tried it.
But definitely want to get this DONE before pest season.
 
3-way.
Shouldn't be any fly problems,regardless of when you do them.
I've only done 2, so my experience is limited - but they probably were banded in May and fell off in June/July - peak fly season here. No probs.

If they've not been vaccinated against tetanus, I'd definitely want to give tetanus antitoxin at the time of band application - and probably a dose of tetanus toxoid, as well. Or, give TT a few weeks before band application, then booster when you put the band on.

Humane...I dunno. If I were doing some today - and have at least one in this spring's crop that is horned - I'd be doing cornual nerve blocks. Without a local anesthetic, they do run around shaking/pawing at their heads for a while, I guess until it goes completely numb. I think it's a lot less troublesome than having them cut off with Barnes dehorners or OB wire saw - at least for me, mainly because I've seen no issues with maggots.
Not sure if it's a proper analogy, but would you rather someone whacked your finger off with a cleaver, or put a rubber band on tightly so that it'll fall off? Of course the calves can't tell us which they'd prefer, but with either procedure, providing local anesthesia would be helpful; not mandated here, but it IS required on some places - if they even allow dehorning.
 
I banded two billy goats over the weekend.....

one was a grown goat and the other was a two month old baby....

I used a tribander on the advice of some here on another thread about banding....Like it pretty well....

hopefully I will not be banding any more goats though....they tend to take it personal and seem to suffer more like I imagine people would than cattle do.....

The little one got up when I turned him loose and stood on his tiptoes like he was paralyzed....then he daintily lifted one hind foot and then the other.....looked at me and bleated for his mother.....

The older goat...took me a while to gently get the items through the band one at a time...at first thought they would not go but then they slipped through.....That goat laid and stood in the barn for two days....I would get him up and he would eat but he was a hurting buck....aroo. had to play on words.....devil made me do it....banded on Saturday....Monday afternoon he was apparently no longer hurting and was resuming normal activity.....

I think I like the Tri Bander....all I had ever used was the small green cheerio bands on calves and had the vet do the big calves with his big bander....
 
The better job on the first set of horns fell off already.





The spot is scabbed over pretty well


These I think will fall about the same time as the one that's not on as good on the first one.
They are digging in well tho.
I give them about 2 more weeks.
 
Put that horn in a fire ant pile and it will be clean as a whistle in 48 hours.
 
I've dehorned everyway imaginable... and then some. This is by far my least preferred way of doing it. You're lying to yourself if you think that after awhile it goes 'numb.' Not only is it the least humane way, IMO it leaves the least desirable look -- especially since you have not got the horn bud completely out, they will grow back to an extent and look like scurs. That's a shame you did that to the Hereford as some horn weights would have shaped them perfectly. I've had Holstein steers literally lay flat out on theirs side clearly in agonizing pain for a good while after putting bands on them. I haven't seen it to that extent in beef calves-- don't know what the difference was-- but there are better options than something that takes WEEKS of discomfort to accomplish.
 
RoanDurham":u3pifcqi said:
I've dehorned everyway imaginable... and then some. This is by far my least preferred way of doing it. You're lying to yourself if you think that after awhile it goes 'numb.' Not only is it the least humane way, IMO it leaves the least desirable look -- especially since you have not got the horn bud completely out, they will grow back to an extent and look like scurs. That's a shame you did that to the Hereford as some horn weights would have shaped them perfectly. I've had Holstein steers literally lay flat out on theirs side clearly in agonizing pain for a good while after putting bands on them. I haven't seen it to that extent in beef calves-- don't know what the difference was-- but there are better options than something that takes WEEKS of discomfort to accomplish.

Never had any laid out in pain.
Have had them shake their heads a couple hours after and go right back to eating.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
They go right back to feeding after banding, unlike burning or cutting.

I will agree with you that it does look worse on bigger diameter horns after falling off.
The smaller ones on younger calves heal up right nicely.
 

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