horn weights

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certherfbeef

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I missed a couple heifers horns this year. Well, not really, they belong to my daughters. And when we were dehorning, the girls decided they didn't want Colleen and Lady Scoobie to have headaches. So we left them. I only have one set of weights and they are on the bull. Any one know where I can get some? Various sizes would be great!

I'm not allowed to cut the hornes to turn them down either~ hence the headache thing. Thanks for your help!
 
certherfbeef":15i7cuwj said:
I missed a couple heifers horns this year. Well, not really, they belong to my daughters. And when we were dehorning, the girls decided they didn't want Colleen and Lady Scoobie to have headaches. So we left them. I only have one set of weights and they are on the bull. Any one know where I can get some? Various sizes would be great!

I'm not allowed to cut the hornes to turn them down either~ hence the headache thing. Thanks for your help!

Nasco has horn weights. Also, you can shave the horn on the opposite side from the way you want them to turn. Doesn't take a lot but it will turn them.

dun
 
Shave them like with a grinder? If I want them to turn down I shave the top, right? Thanks for the help Dun, always good info!
 
certherfbeef":3ceg3hai said:
Shave them like with a grinder? If I want them to turn down I shave the top, right? Thanks for the help Dun, always good info!

More like with a rasp. Yes shave the top to turn them down

dun
 
Bash me if you must, I am not trying to come off sounding any particular way at all, but I have a question. Why do people still raise Horned Herefords when there are Polled Herefords? The same goes for any other Horned/Polled breeds. Why does anybody want horns? The only answer I ever heard was that horned Herefords get bigger. Well, I sure wouldn't want a Hereford bull any bigger than the ones raised around these parts, and I don't believe that tidbit anyway. From what I have gathered, hornless cattle bring higher at the auction because they are easier to transport and do better in the feedlot with the crowding and all. I believe "genetic dehorning" is the way to go. Forgive me for getting a bit off topic.
 
TexasCountryWoman":2crh824r said:
Bash me if you must...

I feel that I must, just a little bit... :lol:



TexasCountryWoman":2crh824r said:
Why do people still raise Horned Herefords when there are Polled Herefords? The same goes for any other Horned/Polled breeds. Why does anybody want horns?

One good reason that I can think of is because at this time it is still a free country and people have that choice. Fortunately, we don't have you and the No Horned Cattle Bureau of Investigation patrolling our pastures knocking scurred calves in the head and wagging us off to jail. And that's good. Don't you agree? ;-)
 
Personally, I like the the horned herefords. They are more rugged and they carry more natural muscle. I don't have to defend my choice of cattle anymore than you do. Keep your polled cattle and your vet bills.
 
selecting for one trait like polled is like selecting for color you tend to over look the other aspects and the resulting cattle are not as good in all areas. i have a horned bull and am very pleased with him, i would like to have one that is polled. i have about 50% of my calves dehorned. i only have one horned cow she is the best one i have. that is why i have her.
 
Personally its like driving a ford or a chevy I have raised a lot of different breeds through the years. Polled versus horn is choice, and polled more sickly than horned is BS. Where do some of you people come up with this stuff? I will not have a horned animal in my pastures again. I don't have to worry about knocked out eyes, hole in a gut from the fighting. Horns get knocked at the sale barn. This is by choice. I seen kick butt horned and polled, also seen both that I wouldn't haul off.
 
TexasCountryWoman

No bash from me. It's a fair question. I raise horned cattle. Herefords to be on the mark.

Our animals - as with all Horned Herefords are from a very ancient line - we purchased ours during a herd dispersal from a retiring rancher some years ago. They are quiet, easily managed and massive - both in bone and in muscle. All are purebred - but most are not registered - can't be bothered to spend the additional cash.

My chute run is 32 inches wide and they rub when they walk down the line.

They can handle the cold and the wet. I provide little to no bedding for them in the winter - they sleep on the snow in a thick bush - just like the deer and the moose. They come to a call just like a dog.

We use Pfizer modified live vaccines and follow our veterinarian recommended protocols religiously - herd health is top notch.

We leave our girls out year round and until last year we always calved on snow. Calves do amazingly well. Temps easily drop into the minus 40's. There are other breeds and cross breeds that do this well, but I notice there are a lot of them that have white faces.

They tend to be - best guess - about 10 - 15% larger in bone mass than the average polled Hereford.

They put out a very good calf. Calves last year averaged around 105 pounds - usually no birthing problems with the girls - and the calves gained weight like stink. We do not breed our heifers to Horned Hereford bulls unless they weigh at least 1000 pounds. Usually around 14 months of age. Some do it different - but this is what WE do.

We take the horns off of those that go to market - therefore no money loss there.

They are the original - I believe all polled animals come from horned animals - lots of them (horned) in the western Canadian prairies. They make a darned good - naturally polled cross with Angus.

Genetic polling is fine, but in the end I believe something is lost if it is eliminated. Lots of folks stop by to look at our "horns".

Finally, they will eat absolutely anything. I routinely watch them "walk down" small poplar trees to clean off the leaves. Willow seems to be another favourite. Mine lived on straw, some barley and water for two years during the drought. Come to think of it, I still have the invoice proving I was paying $107.50 for oat straw bales for them to eat - I must frame that invoice! Sometimes I wonder how we made it back then.

Oops - my second finally - We simply like them! :)

My best,

Bez
 
What have I stirred up?

Texan...I thought my original post was a question put forth in a polite manner. You sound like an angry person.

DR Cattle...Thanks for clarifying my quest for info with your post.

certherfbeef...Unrugged Polled Herefords? What vet bills?

J carkie...the polled trait was fixed in Reg. Polled Herefords a long time ago. You don't have to select for it. It's there to stay. I have a few good crossbred horned cows too. I will keep them until they need replacing and then replace with polled. I will not cull them because they have horns if they are excellent cows now. But I do not dehorn mechanically...it is cruel. A beefs life is going to be tough enough. When they live with me, life is happy.

CampgroundCattle...I agree. Horns a the possible source of too many terrible mishaps. I have horses and donkeys that are sometimes in the pasture with the cattle. The horses dominate, but if they get together around a round bail in winter, things can happen, Also, I like to be able to handle my baby calves right at birth. And it feels much better to aproach a polled mamma cow and fool with her calf and check her udder, especially a new first time mom. Then there is the attitude difference in a cow with horns and without. Their personalities are different. A horned animal tends to toss his "rack" at you like bull moose. A polled animal just looks at you, maybe a meek head shake. Just not the same, cow or bull.

Bez...I understand your sentiment about your ancient bloodlines. Our herd is one my grandfather began 75 years ago. He started with 6 Jersey milk cows and started putting Reg. Polled Hereford bulls on them in the late 20's. He kept doing this, a new Reg. Polled Hereford every time it was time to change bulls. He kept upgrading the herd until the Hereford Association declared them purebred because they were over 99%. I still have descendants of this herd, just a handful, not registered. And a tiny herd of Reg. Polled Herefords from a great ranch. I want to bring my family herd back to life (my cousin sold almost all the herd without telling us, he owned them at the time but we would have bought them, sickening, thank goodness I had a few genetics in my herd). Also Bez, I do not believe that, as you said in your post, "someting is lost" with genetic polling. Just that I would have to be shown hard evidence on that one as it makes no sense to me.

Question to all....Was all this jumping on this "touchy" subject of horned vs polled because it was a "personal" question or because I'm new and yall hate my posts? My paranoia may annoy ya.
 
TCW
Don't feel Pregnant.
We enjoy your post's.
You just hit upon a touchy subject. The Horned Hereford People are very Protective of the inroads that the Polled Breeders are making.
I have friends on both sides of the sides of the aisle.
Only to my knowledge, I have only one Democrap friend.
 
Do ya know how Democraps can start a demonstration at the drop of a hat. I mean something happens and all of a sudden youv'e got democraps every where!!

Do ya know why Republicans can't ??????????????????????????????????????????


Thay have to wait until they get off work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
What is so ironic is both polled and horned bloodlines, when traced back come from the same bulls. Two closed lines were established to standarize the breed.
 
TexasCountryWoman":2ralqnd2 said:
Texan...I thought my original post was a question put forth in a polite manner. You sound like an angry person.

TCW, you made me go back and read my post. Several times, in fact. I didn't see any angry tone in it and none was intended. Sorry if you were offended. My point is simply that, not only this business, but this life, involves each of us being able to choose. We can choose what we want, what we like, what works best for us... I hope it stays that way and I'm sure you do, too.

It might surprise you to know that I agree with you on the bulls doing the dehorning around here. I give preference to homo polled bulls every chance I get. But I'm also glad that if I wanted horned bulls, if for no other reason than I want them, there are breeders who will accomodate me.
 

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