[trish.farm]

Phew, next little job out of the way, Daisy's calf now modeling some beautiful ear tags (really has spoilt his good looks) and both he and is Dr Banados mate are now speaking in very high pitched voices!!  Both banded with 2 balls nicely dropped in their sacks.  Halter training has come to a grinding halt as they wont come anywhere near me now!!  OH has breathed a sigh of relief as castration kit has been packed away for another year!!  Just got de-horning to do when they are ready, oh and then the joys of TB testing (grrrrrrrrrrrrr).

[SallyintNorth]

When and how do you de-horn?

I was planning on disbudding my Jerseys, but the vet talked me out of it.  So we've used a wire, but in each case the horns have been pretty well-grown when it's been done, and I really hate it.  Plenty didn't talk to me for months, literally months, after she was done.  I had BH do Katy when I was nowhere near the farm, so she didn't associate it with me, and she's been fine with me.  I wanted the same with Kitty but I ended up having to lead her to her doom (although I was elsewhere while the deed was done) and told the vet I wasn't going through this again!

It's funny, I don't mind it with the beef animals, and usually help, but my little Jerseys who trust me... I hate it.  Hate it.

We've a neighbour who disbuds his Luings; I'm thinking of asking his daughter, who's now apprenticed on the farm, to come and do my next one and show me how.

[Sbom]

Much, much easier to disbud calves at a week or two old than to dehorn with wire when bigger. Takes a few minutes, no blood and minimum distress to all! Can be done as soon as you can see/feel the bump.

[trish.farm]

Yeh mine are all done when they are babys, once there is a tiny bump and you can feel the lump there, think mine were about 12 weeks when the last 2 were done.  No idea if jersey x angus  and a hereford x fresian will grow horns???

[trish.farm]

actually, looking back at records they were 5 weeks when they were done.

[SallyintNorth]

So... for disbudding, which I have never seen done, what exactly do you do?  And what, if any, are the pitfalls?

[trish.farm]

Basically you burn out the base of the horn which stops it regrowing.  My calves had a local anaesetic (excuse my spelling) then 15 minutes later burnt the bud out.  They use a gas poker type thing!!  Smells just like having your horse hot shod!  Not pleasant but apparently they dont feel it  .  All over very quickly and as they are very young they forget all about it.  It does have to be done when the bud is about the size of the end of your thumb and you can just feel and see it.

[trish.farm]

Sorry forgot the pros and cons. Once it is none, (if done properly) no horns will ever grow.  Quick and easy as the calves are young and doesnt seem to affect them.  Only after affects is sometimes you get a scab grow and that can get knocked off and they bleed a bit or get a bit pussy, (puss not cat!) but a squirt of alymicin and all is well.  Much rather de-bud than deal with a full grown set of horns to remove.

[SallyintNorth]

Oh.  Glad I asked - I had thought it was either some sort of paste which dissolved the horn bud (and the risk being that you use too much and it burns flesh), or that you could cut off the wee buds with a special tool - much quicker than dehorning later in life.

So they'll have to be constrained in the crush for the anaesthetic and held until and while the burning is done then?

[Sbom]

No crush needed, just a willing helper!
You can get paste but having seen the resulting horns I'd say it's not great 
You need to inject the local anesthetic in just the right place to disbud with hot iron and it does take practice and a competent teacher, but easy when you know how.....
Again would advise a trip to local dairy farm for help/experience 

[twizzel]

We have a little calf crush which is fantastic, and makes life a lot easier. We tend to dehorn 2 or 3 times a year, last time we did 18 ranging from a few days old up to 4ish months... definitely best done as young as possible! If there's a few that have slipped the net the vet comes and does them with wire with my OH.

Thinking about it we've got a couple of 2yr old heifers that have just had their first calves... and have whopping great horns! That was a job for tb testing which is next week, I forgot about them!

[belgianblue]

I dehorn an month after they are born, just when you can feel the horns coming through, I use an buddex dehorner which you can buy from "fearing international" or similar product from them,

[Backinwellies]

Can't understand why your vet warned you against disbudding (unless he make lots of money from dehorning!). Disbudding is a fairly straight forward task which I taught to 100's of students over the years. One of my favourite practicals!


 Age of calf will depend on breed as they develop at different rates .... our F x H left till 6 weeks horns were almost too long whereas the Lim's at 5 weeks were barely visible.   
Best done when horn can be easily felt (as a bud) .... don't wait till horn can been seen easily as job is harder and not as efficient.

[Rosemary]

I just leave the horns on. They make great drinking cups in due course 

[SallyintNorth]

I just leave the horns on. They make great drinking cups in due course 

I'd love to Rosemary, but you can't run horned and polled together and my Jerseys have to run with the sucklers - plus as I put set-ons onto my Jerseys, I don't dare leave them with horns, just in case they take exception to one of their foster-calves.

Can't understand why your vet warned you against disbudding (unless he make lots of money from dehorning!). Disbudding is a fairly straight forward task which I taught to 100's of students over the years. One of my favourite practicals!

Ok, Linda - please could you give me a tutorial?