How to Dehorn Young Calves

[sjewart]

Get rid of this vet or your bill will be £1000's

U could be right. [emoji21]

 

[roscoe erf]

So if they don't have buds you can feel do you approximate the area or wait till they are older? How do you keep the cow away for an hour when they are at grass? I see some people put duck tape over the paste like an Alice band on the calf, some fall off, some need catching and pull off a day or two later, don't know if that works or not.

Have considered paste my self but the above questions hold me back a little.

I calve inside and can always feel where the bud is I can only speak as I find each system is different

 

[roscoe erf]

Ours must be soft then. I also don't do them until I can just feel the buds. I don't know how people can do them at birth. Although I know they do and good on them, it must be better. I just can't seem to find the buds id they aren't there, if you get what I mean.

I only speak as I find as I calve inside and tag ring paste in the first 24-36 hours and can say the calves hardly notice it's on mum can see them and is happy all round less stress for all concerned including me have done it with electric iron and. Gas and will not be. Going back to those methods again as I said works well for me may not. For others

 

[bovine]

I'm not a fan of the paste. The farm animal welfare codes recommend hot iron over the paste. It's easy done, but best demonstrated.

We won't give out Estrumate to animals we've not examined.

 

[Ldvman]

Go the polled route

 

[Philip Watkins]

....

We won't give out Estrumate to animals we've not examined.

The vet has seen this animal a number of times since it calved and the estrumate was her suggestion.

 

[Top Tip.]

The vet has seen this animal a number of times since it calved and the estrumate was her suggestion.

In my experience a vet would never give out estrumate for use by self ,they would have to come out to administer it.

 

[Philip Watkins]

In my experience a vet would never give out estrumate for use by self ,they would have to come out to administer it.

I've heard that is normal practice. They particularly don't like handing it to females.

 

[Sid]

It's easy done, but best demonstrated.

Its the injection that critical. Wrong place and worse case is a blind calf?

I would advise the OP to visit someone who has a bunch to do and help them FOC for an hour. Then they hopefully will let you have a go on theirs and may even come and help you do yours, may even let you "borrow" a crate to hold the calves making it a 1 person job.

 

[MF 135 Man]

@sjewart

 

[sjewart]

Thank you everyone. Yes the vet did not suggest i jag heifer with esstrumate. She said she would come to do it when next in area.

I have a local farmer i might ask to demonstrate how to dehorn but if my next calf is a bullock i think il call on the vet as, although iv found the burrdizzos, I don't know how to do it.

 

[roscoe erf]

Thank you everyone. Yes the vet did not suggest i jag heifer with esstrumate. She said she would come to do it when next in area.

I have a local farmer i might ask to demonstrate how to dehorn but if my next calf is a bullock i think il call on the vet as, although iv found the burrdizzos, I don't know how to do it.

Why don't you ring them

 

[roscoe erf]

Why don't you ring them

I ment their rubbish

 

[sjewart]

I ment their rubbish

Hahaha...i thought u meant either my local farmer or vet!

My dad was never a fan. Said they lost some confirmation/masculinity ringing them.

Many will disagree i know. I don't even know what a calf ring looks like.

 

[roscoe erf]

Hahaha...i thought u meant either my local farmer or vet!

My dad was never a fan. Said they lost some confirmation/masculinity ringing them.

Many will disagree i know. I don't even know what a calf ring looks like.

No disrespect but you seem to like making the job harder more expensive as you can guess totally disagree with that

 

[sjewart]

No disrespect but you seem to like making the job harder more expensive as you can guess totally disagree with that

I don't disagree with anyone roscoe. Taking all points on-board. No need to worry about it til the calfs here.

 

[bjm81]

We switched to using the paste last year and it has been a success. Trim hair around the bud with scissors, roughen the area with emery paper, apply paste then we wrap duck tape round their head to stop them wiping it off. Take the tape off the next day.

We've done about 120 calves and I've yet to see one where the horn has regrown. The paste (Dr Larsons) doesn't seem to bother them. Done at same time as tagging & ringing under 1 week old.

There's the odd time that the horn bud isn't easy located so we'll leave it a week so the bump is easier to find.

Paste is cheap and saves a vet's visit for the cutting & dehorning.

 

[sjewart]

We switched to using the paste last year and it has been a success. Trim hair around the bud with scissors, roughen the area with emery paper, apply paste then we wrap duck tape round their head to stop them wiping it off. Take the tape off the next day.

We've done about 120 calves and I've yet to see one where the horn has regrown. The paste (Dr Larsons) doesn't seem to bother them. Done at same time as tagging & ringing under 1 week old.

There's the odd time that the horn bud isn't easy located so we'll leave it a week so the bump is easier to find.

Paste is cheap and saves a vet's visit for the cutting & dehorning.

See the tape bit, do u have a photo of it? Does the tape touch the paste? Does the tape wrap under their chin??

 

[muleman]

Not a fan of paste,used to run down their face and burrn the skin and fester on all summer.
Just burn them out at fortnight to a month old now,100% success rate

 

[sjewart]

Not a fan of paste,used to run down their face and burrn the skin and fester on all summer.
Just burn them out at fortnight to a month old now,100% success rate

That doesn't sound pleasant muleman.