Trimming tails

royaler83

I know this may sound silly but what do ye lads use to cut cows/bullocks tails?

I know its only twice/once a year job but any scissors I use wouldn't cut through butter after any length of time.

If animals' tails are matted or covered in hardened dung it's a nightmare.

Thanks for any opinions

whelan1

i have a real good pair of kitchen scissors that i use and i then hide them so no one can rob them for other jobs

theroad

Used to dock their tails until the Dept. told me it had been banned. Now I use a clippers three times a year. I guess the cows are happier, but I don't much like getting a swish of a wet tail in the eye when they're in the parlour.

pakalasa

Plastic Knife with those disposable long blades.

bbam

whelan1 wrote: »

i have a real good pair of kitchen scissors that i use and i then hide them so no one can rob them for other jobs

Yea... If you get the right scissors it's easy enough done... We have an all steel pair of industrial scissors and they do a great job.. We don't milk or anything but love to see the cows done..

snowman707

serrated scissors , and like whelan1 hidden when not in use.

Feargal as Luimneach

theroad wrote: »

Used to dock their tails until the Dept. told me it had been banned. Now I use a clippers three times a year. I guess the cows are happier, but I don't much like getting a swish of a wet tail in the eye when they're in the parlour.

Yip banned alright. They will dock you money from your single farm payment.

royaler83

What about sheep shears, would they do the job?!

mayo_lad

there are pro's and cons of docking cows tails sure the wet tail might not be hitting you in the face but you cant tell when the cows are about to sh1t on you in the dary i had a docked cow once and i cant remember the amount of times she sh1t on me in the dary

all i do with my cows is trim the tails with an electric clipper once every year it;s surprising how much of a difference it makes when the hair in the tail is short

reilig

royaler83 wrote: »

What about sheep shears, would they do the job?!

When we were milking, we used to use one of those small sheep shears. it worked great. Not milking anymore and don't clip tails on the sucklers

gerico

get an engineers scissors, such as the type used to cut heavy gasket paper etc. does the job a treat

whelan1

around this time last year i went on a farm walk to a dairy farm the tails where touching the ground - i kid you not:eek:- **** all over them , i couldn't believe how lazy the fella was , i normally do a cows tail while i am waiting on a slow cow etc , it only takes a minute , these cows looked brutal and imagine getting one of them tails all over your face:rolleyes:

5live

A good scissors and a file is a good job. Or if you won the lotto there is a shoof tail trimmer from new zealand for about E400 from co-op animal health i think. Fits on a 14 v battery drill. I borrowed one to do the cows last month and is a beautiful thing. I have 14 unit parlour and can do 2 cows each round without much hassle while waiting for cows to come in. Again it is on the expensive side but i HATE clipping tails. One downsade is you probably have to clip 3 times a year but it really is easy. Now when exactly is the SFP coming in......

pakalasa

I normally cut them at the start of the winter (suckler cows), Straight across, just below the tip of the bone.
Cows look a lot neater, I think. Also keeps them much cleaner.

Hugh 2

5live wrote: »

A good scissors and a file is a good job. Or if you won the lotto there is a shoof tail trimmer from new zealand for about E400 from co-op animal health i think. Fits on a 14 v battery drill. I borrowed one to do the cows last month and is a beautiful thing. I have 14 unit parlour and can do 2 cows each round without much hassle while waiting for cows to come in. Again it is on the expensive side but i HATE clipping tails. One downsade is you probably have to clip 3 times a year but it really is easy. Now when exactly is the SFP coming in......

I had a cordless clippers
Worked well for few years but the battery now seems clapped out -( it was never a patch on a corded one)
I also had to change or sharpen the blade each year - dirt seems to wear them out
That shoof drill clipper looks the business -


Has anyone here got a few years use out of one ??

Deepsouthwest

Hugh 2 wrote: »

I had a cordless clippers
Worked well for few years but the battery now seems clapped out -
That shoof drill clipper looks the business -


Has anyone here got a few years use out of one ??

Use a small sheep shears here, and it flys through them, for a lot less cost and maintenance as well

Hugh 2

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Use a small sheep shears here, and it flys through them, for a lot less cost and maintenance as well

Battery, corded or manual ?

Deepsouthwest

Hugh 2 wrote: »

Battery, corded or manual ?

Manual, have present one for around four yrs now and does around 140 cows twice a yr. I find the easiest place to do them is when they're lined up at the feed barrier just after being fed

knockmulliner

Hugh 2 wrote: »

I had a cordless clippers
Worked well for few years but the battery now seems clapped out -( it was never a patch on a corded one)
I also had to change or sharpen the blade each year - dirt seems to wear them out
That shoof drill clipper looks the business -


Has anyone here got a few years use out of one ??

i have the older model for 3 years, 60 to 70 cows average about four times a year, needs to be sharpened now.

Kovu

An very sharp old machete:o

Also used for opening silage bales, chasing hooligans away and throwing at foxes when there are no yard brushes handy.

Hugh 2

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Manual, have present one for around four yrs now and does around 140 cows twice a yr. I find the easiest place to do them is when they're lined up at the feed barrier just after being fed

This

or


My dad used to have the scissors type - hated the yoke but it might have been out of line or something - could hardly cut a knob of dirt off with it

Deepsouthwest

Hugh 2 wrote: »

This

or


My dad used to have the scissors type - hated the yoke but it might have been out of line or something - could hardly cut a knob of dirt off with it

The scissors type, cost around €20 in local coop, well worth it

Reggie.

.Kovu. wrote: »

An very sharp old machete:o

Also used for opening silage bales, chasing hooligans away and throwing at foxes when there are no yard brushes handy.

Grrrrrr :rolleyes::D

biddy2013

aldi scissors, 2.99 for 5 pairs. do a cow or 2 each milking while row is walking out

kevthegaff

I do them as im finished keeping colostrum off them, scissors or shears twice yearly

grumpyfarmer

They look like a rolls royce of a job alright but at around€350 before even the price of a decent cordless drill I think I'll stick with the €20 hand shears... do about 120 animals twice a year with it..

Hugh 2 wrote: »

I had a cordless clippers
Worked well for few years but the battery now seems clapped out -( it was never a patch on a corded one)
I also had to change or sharpen the blade each year - dirt seems to wear them out
That shoof drill clipper looks the business -

Has anyone here got a few years use out of one ??

Hugh 2

knockmulliner wrote: »

i have the older model for 3 years, 60 to 70 cows average about four times a year, needs to be sharpened now.

After 3 years and in need of sharpening -- does it still cut tails well but just slowly or is it failing to cut ????
Was quoted 500 a few years back .
They are quoting 350 now
I can get one for 330 at local co-op


kevthegaff " I do them as im finished keeping colostrum off them, scissors or shears twice yearly "

Similar idea here
Put coloured insulation tape on tail when they first come into parlour first milking kept for calves once they pass CMR paddle test tail gets shaved and milk goes into tank ----
-tails are generally left alone ( just kept from getting long) they are shaved again on the day they are dried .