Clipping tails

Pan mixer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Near Colchester
I normally clip the backs of calves when they come in for winter as I think it really helps..

Tom Pemberton is forever clipping tails 'to keep the cattle cleaner' I must confess to cutting the long straggley bits off the tail ends and one or two dags.

What do other people do?
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
For calves and youngstock we do tails, backs, stripe up each side of the bum, heads and the long hairs out of the ears.
For cows we do all that except heads.
With tails we take off the end hair more or less level with the end, then leave a handful, then clip everything else off.
A lot of work, still got half a dozen cows to do and 3 calves. But I think calves do better for it and they all stay cleaner.
 

Dog Bowl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cotswolds
What clippers are people using for backs, tails etc? Not for trimming dirty fat cattle, just for weaned calves and cows. What brand to avoid? Cordless or corded?
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
What clippers are people using for backs, tails etc? Not for trimming dirty fat cattle, just for weaned calves and cows. What brand to avoid? Cordless or corded?
Heiniger Xperience 👍

Prefer corded as I feel they are more powerful, plus you don't have that annoying moment of not having a charged battery when you get the next cow in the crush 🙈
Never had any trouble trimming dirty tails or sweaty backs with just the standard cattle head. Leaves a cleaner cut imo to.
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
The razor is a bit noisy but I clipped our Limmy cross heifers last week, tails, backs & heads. Only 1 got all worked up. It’s the one with 1 fluffy ear… I didn’t dare go back and finish it…
 

Pan mixer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Near Colchester
I have 2 batteries with mine and took them both as the crush is a long walk from the workshop. Did about 30 and didn't have to change battery.

The Razor noise does spook one or two but the calves are mostly spooked from being in the crush for the first time, the stroking of the clippers up their backs seems to calm them in the end.
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
I have 2 batteries with mine and took them both as the crush is a long walk from the workshop. Did about 30 and didn't have to change battery.

The Razor noise does spook one or two but the calves are mostly spooked from being in the crush for the first time, the stroking of the clippers up their backs seems to calm them in the end.
It amazes me how quietly they stand there most of the time while we clip them. Apart from TB testing it’s the first time we’ve handled them since tagging and dehorning!
 

Bobthebuilder

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
northumberland
Never used to clip the cattle, started a few years ago, not got around to it yet this year being staffed less and other jobs popping up here n there, got plans to do some next week as long as other jobs don’t get in the way, old lister clipping machine hung above the stocks, can be a bit awkward with the drive line but makes a good job
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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