Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: horn management (shetlands)  (Read 2412 times)

bloomer

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • leslie, fife
  • i have chickens, sheep and opinions!!!
horn management (shetlands)
« on: November 29, 2014, 10:51:40 pm »
i noticed today whilst doing a full flock check and resort ready to release rocky the tup onto his willing ladies that his horns are getting awfully close to his face and the way they are growing i think they will start to rub/dig in...


is there anything i can do other than trim them back?


if i do have to trim them how do i do it safely? rocky thinks he's a Labrador and very trusting so i don't want to upset him more than i have to!


as an aside he decided his ladies looked very tempting immediately and started following them around like a good boy so watching for yellow bums is going to be my new hobby for the next few days :-)


 [size=78%] [/size]

Badger Nadgers

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • Derbyshire/North Staffs
Re: horn management (shetlands)
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2014, 11:22:03 pm »
It'a "cheese wire and handles" job, available from agricultural merchants.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: horn management (shetlands)
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2014, 12:05:30 am »
Take some pics and post them, bloomer.

Sometimes it needs a bit shaved off the inside, sometimes the tip sawn off, sometimes it can be bent away, sometimes (but rarely in Shetlands, I think; more common in Swaledales) the whole horn needs removed or cut right back.  (Latter is vet job, IMO.)

The dead bits are dead, so won't hurt him, but there are blood vessels and nerves running up inside, so how you go about it will depend on which bit and how much.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: horn management (shetlands)
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2014, 01:12:43 am »
As Sally says - take care.   It tends to be hereditary I'm afraid  :(
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

bloomer

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • leslie, fife
  • i have chickens, sheep and opinions!!!
Re: horn management (shetlands)
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2014, 07:41:17 am »
ok i'll get pics today


the good news is i have no intention of keeping any of his male offspring :-)




bloomer

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • leslie, fife
  • i have chickens, sheep and opinions!!!
Re: horn management (shetlands)
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2014, 12:26:26 pm »
Ok no photos today, Rocky has his ladies and they are far more interesting than coming for a head scratch and photo shoot!
The good news is he clearly know what he's doing keeping his ladies together and meeting their needs :-D
I'll come back to this in a week or so when I get a picture the horns need looking at but its not overly urgent just me thinking ahead!

nimbusllama

  • Joined Nov 2010
  • Near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Re: horn management (shetlands)
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2014, 08:08:35 pm »
I have no experience of this, but you might like to look at this.....
 
If you google  bending horn tim tyne  you will see a link to page 174  of the The Sheep Book for Smallholders which might help.....




ballingall

  • Joined Sep 2008
  • Avonbridge, Falkirk
Re: horn management (shetlands)
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2014, 09:54:24 pm »
We have the necessary cheese wire and handles here if you decide you need to borrow them. Alex is getting good with them  :innocent:

 

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