electric dehorners and antibiotic question

lasergrl · #1 01/27/09, 02:27 PM

Hi,

I am going to be getting a disbudding iron for my goat babies, but would like one that will do calves also. Is the Rhinhart 50 a good one for duel purpose?

Also I am going to be restocking my antibiotics for bottle calves. The drug i would like will be for pneumonia. I can get Baytril or Draxxin. I havent used Draxxin, but it sounds like a better choice to have on hand. Its almost twice the price of Baytril but I would only need 1 ml per calf instead of 4-5. Any good experiences with it? Baytril is hit or miss so far.

topside1 · #2 01/27/09, 03:40 PM

Laser, I use the X-30 for goats and calves....never had a scur. Burn calves at 1 month old and goats under 7 days old...Every calf I buy at auction is given Baytril 5ml each the best I can recall. It's a costly drug, but so are the heifers I buy......Topside

ozark_jewels · #3 01/27/09, 06:00 PM

If you plan on doing several/many calves/kids in a row, I highly reccomend the X50. It doesn't cool down at all and you can just keep on burning till you are finished. If you are just doing a couple/few at a time, the X30 would be fine.
You will of course, have to take the goat tip off when burning calves....

lasergrl · #4 01/27/09, 06:09 PM

I see that the 30 comes with a tip, do you take the tip off and use the base it screws into for the calves?

I will probably only be disbudding a couple goats at a time, and one calf here and there.

dosthouhavemilk · #5 01/28/09, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

You will of course, have to take the goat tip off when burning calves....

We don't remove the tip when burning calves. The guy who burned our calves for over a decade before I took over also just left the tip on for calves and used the same iron for goats.
The calves I've done with the tip left on have been just fine. You need to do them fairly early. Less than a month is best because it does make for a smaller burn area.
I have seen calves burned without the tip on left with huge burn spots on their head that just didn't seem necesarry to me.

Emily, of course, has been burning longer than I have. I have had success with leaving the tip on and doing calves at less than two months. Though I burned a couple of the beef cross heifers at 3 and 4 months with the tip on and have not seen scurs.
I use an X50, but I'm also burning a decent number of kids.

ozark_jewels · #6 01/28/09, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dosthouhavemilk

Emily, of course, has been burning longer than I have.

Doesn't mean I can't learn a new trick.<grin>
I was told years ago that you must change tips for kids/calves and never questioned the info. Thats totally cool that if you do them young enough, you do not have to! I of course always get behind and do them when they are a couple months old.

Madsaw · #7 01/29/09, 12:09 AM

Draxxin and Sustain III are real good to have on hand. I have never used Baytril. As you state its hit and miss from what I hear. This I have even heard from the vets here in my part of the country. So, I stick with the tryed and true stuff. Someday I might take a chance on a bull claf and try it.
Bob