Best method of dehorning calves

[Caren]

How old is to old to old to burn the horns off calves. And which method do you prefer the manual dehorners or burning them off. If you prefer to burn them then which type of burners do you prefer? The electric or propane type?

Thankyou

Caren

[john in la]

I prefer to use a elect dehorner. The one I have is shaped like a C so you need to turn it to get all the way around the horn.

If you go by the book you should do this before 2 months old but I have done it a little older with good success. Once the horn breaks the skin you can pretty much forget this method.

To use a elect dehorner.
Plug it in and let it warm up.
Restrain calf with his neck between your legs.
Clip some hair from around button so you can see it.
Place the hot dehorner over the button and twist.
(You must stay with it and get the job done the first time. If you do it half way the nerves will still work and cause great pain.)
Hold down with the dehorner and twist till you have a copper ring all the way around the button. This takes about 15 seconds depending on what kind of dehorner you have.

Be prepared for the smell. This is what gets most first timers. The put the dehorner over the button and the smell hits them. They turn allowing the dehorner to move or not do the job the first time. The calf suffers till you get you wits and finish the job.

I do not like paste and gouges are best left to vets unless you know full well what to do.

[tyusclan]

I prefer burning them. It's not pleasant as john in la's post shows but it's much better than having to cut them later.

[Caren]

Any particular brand you would recommend?

[Widow Jams]

My cows are horned. I have dehorned goats in the past, and a couple of calves. I always believed, from everything I read and experienced that the electric dehorners were best. ( I bought mine from Jeffers).

I have a fellow breeder who dehorns all the horned animals going into the beef program. She swears by dehorning paste, and has told me that she puts the paste on the horn area, and then covers it with duct tape, which prevents the calf from rubbing the paste off, or onto other animals. I've not tried it, but I've seen animals that she has used the paste on, and they look like polled she does such a good job.

[tyusclan]

Originally Posted by Caren

Any particular brand you would recommend?

The Rhinehart X-50A would be my first choice.

[Oxankle]

Jams;

The very best way to dehorn is with a bull.

Absent that, either paste or the electric dehorner used on a very young animal is the best way to go.

The electric dehorner hurts the animal; don't think it is painless. Using it on larger calves I have had them try to kick my head off. Nevertheless, used properly it does a good job and the result will be a "polled" animal. If you do not get a clean burn you will get a scur that may grow, and if it does it will grow crooked.
Ox

[DaleK]

I use a Rhinehart dehorner with an insert at 6-8 weeks. No reason it should be painful though, just get somebody that knows how to show you how to freeze the calf first and give it an aspirin for later.You just need a bottle of Lidocaine or whatever your vet sells, takes about 5 minutes longer than doing it without freezing. In parts of Europe it's illegal to dehorn calves without freezing. They don't feel it, they'll still usually kick up a bit of a fuss when they smell the burning but not as much as without the freezing