Question About Horns

dezeeuwgoats · #1 09/05/07, 09:35 PM

I have a five month old hostein/jersey cross heifer. She was ten weeks old when I bought her, born the day before Easter. I've seen both her parents, and her full sister.

She is just starting to grow the teeniest, tiniest starts of horn buds - you can't see anything, just feel a point. Her sister was a year older, and had really, really tiny horns. Just a few (two) inches at most, and curved inward towards each other. She was not disbudded.

Is this normal? Do dairy cow horns just grow slow? Keep in mind I'm used to goats. I don't really want a horned animal around, but if they are going to be so tiny, I don't really know that it's going to be an issue. Which brings me to wondering if you even CAN disbudd a calf at this age! I was wondering if she was polled, since nothing showed up for so long. She's not a little girl - I'm guessing well over 400lbs.

I get bigger horn buds on newborn goat kids than what this girl has at five months!

Niki

Ronney · #2 09/06/07, 05:09 AM

They will grow, albeit very slowly, but are unlikely to ever get to the length of a Jersey horn. I have a couple of Jersey/Friesians here and their horns were very slow growing and now that they are mature cows, are nothing close to the length of a Jersey.

I would think it is too late to disbud - as I leave the horns on all my cows I'm not conversant as to when the cut-off age is for that - but if you really don't want the horns on your cow, have a talk to your vet as to the best way of going about it.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Up North · #3 09/06/07, 05:18 AM

It's not too late to dehorn this girl. If not experienced you should get a vet to do it though. A vet would have a special tool that would pop that bud right out.

Heather

jerzeygurl · #4 09/06/07, 11:19 AM

my jersey holstien horns are identical to our jerseys

they do usually turn in, which is to help them shake a small predator in them, usually not so harmful to humans, as in they are less likely to gore you with them... you will notice that a jersey will shake her head at a dog or cat ect, its really quite an amazing defense mechanism. I do however have a pure jersey whose horns go straight forward....but at age five they are about 6 inches long. I just have to remember not to let her snuggle at me with out paying close attention.

a cow that would use her horns on you should be culled with or with out horns...she would also knock you down and trample you...

otherwise dehorning is good for preventing accidental damage to you or they do like to use them on each other

tinknal · #5 09/06/07, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerzeygurl

a cow that would use her horns on you should be culled with or with out horns...she would also knock you down and trample you...

I discovered this while working with purebred Herefords. The mere presence of forward pointing horns can make a cow aggressive. There would always be the occasional critter that would not get hornweights for some reason or another. Their horns would grow in the natural forward position. Without exception, these cattle would realize that their horns afforded them an advantage and would act accordingly. These cows had a natural advantage over the other cows on the feedline and soon learned how to capitalize.

dosthouhavemilk · #6 09/06/07, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerzeygurl

a cow that would use her horns on you should be culled with or with out horns...she would also knock you down and trample you...

Sandy had the horns that curved in. She hated me. She'd snap my sports bra, slam me in the lower back when I forgot she was there. She even tried to smack a cousin who was wearing a vest similar to mine. After her horns were removed (she actually wasn't the reason they were removed, it was another cow) she is now the sweetest cow towards me. A huge attitude adjustment.

dezeeuwgoats · #7 09/06/07, 06:40 PM

I'll have to call around to a couple of dairies around here and see if I can find a vet of the bovine pursuasion....

I really hate to do anything this late in the game - I'm sure it'll be more traumatic. BUT - I only have two acres and the cow is kept in with the goat herd, all of whom are disbudded. If those horns grow forward, instead of curving in, there could be some damage done, if she went after a goat. She hasn't in the months she's been here, and they get along well, but I'm going to at least look into what is involved. At this point, Trinity is a very gentle, people-loving girl. She lets us touch her all over, and has never offered to kick or anything.

Just not an expert on the cow personality/psychology.

Thanks;
Niki

Sunraven · #8 09/06/07, 06:57 PM

Sure she can be dehorned, it's more to do with the size of the horns than the age of the cow. And larger horns don't mean they can't be dehorned but just dictate different tools. Grandpa generally only dehorns once a year, so there's a wide variety of horn sizes, he has a couple different dehorning tools- the one you could fit a person's arm inside. At the dairy I work for we use a hot iron and burn them off shortly after they're weaned.

If you're going to call around to dairies you might ask if someone there would be willing to help you- they might do it for free or for cheaper than what the vet will do. Most dairy farmers are very knowledgeable about dehorning. If you were close I'd come help but I don't think I'm going to be in Arizona any time soon.

dezeeuwgoats · #9 09/06/07, 09:42 PM

LOL! Thanks Sunraven - I've got a dairy about a mile down the road - I'll ask there!

Niki