De horning calves

John_F

valtra2 wrote: »

you could get a polled bull and you will not have any horns on calves and you can get any breed bull not just angus

find me a fresian with good milk while your at it

FarmerBarleymow

mickos wrote: »

There is 1 company with a dehorning paste available again, but only as a POM remedy. They only got a limited licence from what I'm told for 500 tubs. There is another company which has been supplying SHplus paste illegally ever since the ban came in.
Personally I can't see why the product was banned in the 1st place, surely its no more of a distress on the calf than using a dehorning iron heated to 700 or 800 degrees.

I think the calfs were rubbing it on the mother and causing burns...nasty stuff really. Been using express gas dehorner for a few years now with no trouble and very little bleeding either.

bbam

FarmerBarleymow wrote: »

I think the calfs were rubbing it on the mother and causing burns...nasty stuff really. Been using express gas dehorner for a few years now with no trouble and very little bleeding either.

Very little bleeding... should there be any bleeding at all, we don't have a very big herd but I've never seen any calves bleed after proper dehorning, we've had lads in to do it and more recently do it ourselves..

kay 9

hornstop is the way to go. Battery operated and fast. 6-8 secs per bud. Pricey but a serious job. Can only be got in the US I think..

Bigbird1

Theres a paste i use,i do them at 1 or 2 days old,great job

Muckit

Use electric dehorner at 3-4wks old. Make sure it's good and hot, 2-3 twists back and forth, then flick out bud. Scoop it out with end of scissors and onto the next.

Talkin to a guy at the inventions stand in Tullamore Show who came up with this 'ingenious' idea of making up a homemade dehorner, basically the end of a dehorner attahced to a cordless 18V drill. The heat generated from the friction when it was turned on cut out the bud without use of additional heat

bud10

For any calves that look a bit strong, we just clip them off with the toe cutter and burn the butt for a few seconda. Turns out as if done from day 1 growth, unless very strong may grow a butt.

kay 9

Hornes paste can still be got from the UK. I still think the yanks are 10 years ahead with the hornstop. Carries twice the temp of electric dehorner hence less stress to calves as it's much faster. Easier for calf and man;)

ceannfort

Does anyone have a Hornstop and what do you think of it?

kay 9

I doubt anyone here has one as they are a US based item, I'm defo going to get one for next years calves and will put a review on here. Seen some vids and it seems to be the dogs Boll****:) The idea of having a cordless one really appealed to me and the speed of it. Calves could be done at feeding as they are being born and ageing.

pakalasa

Pricey enough; $ 210
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=2e87c05b-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

'Battery only' one for $ 90
http://www.atozvetsupply.com/Horn-Stop-Dehorner-Battery-p/300-ai602002.htm

If anyone can find a video, could they paste the link please. I wasn't able to find one.

kay 9

Can't find the hornstop ones now mate, but this is very similar.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgySypBonmw