Looking to buy a calf Dehorner

kgpixels

Can anyone recommend a good calf dehorner? A plug-in 220v.

reilig

kgpixels wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good calf dehorner? A plug-in 220v.

Some people have great things to say about this:

http://www.odonovaneng.ie/agricultural-products/calf-products/hornup/

:P:P:P:P:P

I'm a fan of gas dehorners myself

AtillaTheHun

people are going crazy over the horn up alright.
i reckon you'd want to be debudding well over a 100 calves to make it worth the extra expense.

we use a gas lighter fluid one. very happy with it.

BOND747

I have one of those gas dehorners that use lighter fuel too, its really easy to use and not bad on gas either

Bizzum

I laughed when I read Reiligs post. You beat me to it!:D

I owned 2 of the small portable gas dehorners, fuelled by the lighter fuel. I'll never own a third. I don't rate them at all.

I now own a gas dehorner from Mullinahone co-op fuelled from a standard gas cylinder with a regulator on it. Great job, no cutting out, good strong flame. Top of the range. Buy buy buy!

patjack

I use the portable gas dehorner, not the new hornup one, the one that comes in the blue steel box, very economical on the gas and find them very good when used on young animals.

X1R

If you are going for gas then buy the best you can afford:
The Express Gas Dehorner is by far the best.
You thread the gas into the handle and it is very good.

There are a few others out there that are ok but DON'T leave them in the jeep/van after using
(dunno can I use the names but here ya go....Pharvet,Forcefield do them)
They are the ones described above that you use the lighter gas.

I am working in an agri store and these are the ones that are comming back for new jets, blockages etc.

The electric dehorners are great as they never loose heat and unless you have done damage to the plug or not paid the bill it never lets you down,
the only other disadvantage is the cable restriction.

At home we use and have used the electric always.

hope that helps.

what happen

kgpixels wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good calf dehorner? A plug-in 220v.

the gas ones are best and can bring them anywhere. the electric ones wont have the same power as gas .

haybob

I use an electic one too and have no problems but we seem to be in the minority

X1R wrote: »

If you are going for gas then buy the best you can afford:
The Express Gas Dehorner is by far the best.
You thread the gas into the handle and it is very good.

There are a few others out there that are ok but DON'T leave them in the jeep/van after using
(dunno can I use the names but here ya go....Pharvet,Forcefield do them)
They are the ones described above that you use the lighter gas.

I am working in an agri store and these are the ones that are comming back for new jets, blockages etc.

The electric dehorners are great as they never loose heat and unless you have done damage to the plug or not paid the bill it never lets you down,
the only other disadvantage is the cable restriction.

At home we use and have used the electric always.

hope that helps.

bbam

haybob wrote: »

I use an electic one too and have no problems but we seem to be in the minority

+1
We have an electric dehorner, €80 a few years ago and it does a great job..
Leave it 15 minutes to warm up and we keep the power on all the time..

haybob

bbam wrote: »

+1
We have an electric dehorner, €80 a few years ago and it does a great job..
Leave it 15 minutes to warm up and we keep the power on all the time..

I never leave it plugged in, usually plug it in and out for each calf but heating it up for a while before use is a great idea

Bizzum

haybob wrote: »

heating it up for a while before use is a great idea

I'd go further than that: Heating it up fully before use is essential. Same applies to the gas ones!

lakill Farm

Do we clit the hair from around the bud before debudding? Im i right that 10 seconds on each side is about right?

bbam

Yes CLIP the hair and then ten seconds does most.

Good thing this isn't After Hours forum or your clit comment would get some going over, and over, and over.

lakill Farm

Woops. Im found out

I tried it last year on a few calves and it worked on 50% but we were trying to hold the calves manually but i invested in a crate so i will have more control this year and looking for a 100% success rate

bbam wrote: »

Yes CLIP the hair and then ten seconds does most.

Good thing this isn't After Hours forum or your clit comment would get some going over, and over, and over.

bbam

I'd say make sure you use a circular motion to get in around the bud.

Some dehorner cups seem very shallow which stops the edge getting down to the root of the potential horns.

Holding manually is dangerous. I got burned doing that years ago and it weren't nice.

Ours is electric, I've extended the cable and it remains plugged in all the time while in use, would leave it 15minutes before first use to heat up well.

lakill Farm

Cheers bbam.

Mine is a gas one with the lighter fluid. I let it heat up for 15 mins and then tested it on a bit of timber so i think it was hot enough.

Well i got the crate yesterday, ill have to work out cutting the bit of hair around the bud. Would a electic razor for human hair work?

I have the alum disinfective spray in stock.

bbam wrote: »

I'd say make sure you use a circular motion to get in around the bud.

Some dehorner cups seem very shallow which stops the edge getting down to the root of the potential horns.

Holding manually is dangerous. I got burned doing that years ago and it weren't nice.

Ours is electric, I've extended the cable and it remains plugged in all the time while in use, would leave it 15minutes before first use to heat up well.

reilig

I have a gas dehorner too. I don't cut the hair. Should I be?
My dehorner gets red hot after 5 minutes and if you put it within 1/4 of an inch of the bud it melts the hair around it.

49801

reilig wrote: »

I have a gas dehorner too. I don't cut the hair. Should I be?
My dehorner gets red hot after 5 minutes and if you put it within 1/4 of an inch of the bud it melts the hair around it.

that sounds a bit too hot to me

Bizzum

lakill Farm wrote: »

Mine is a gas one with the lighter fluid.

I had two of these and they broke my heart, cutting out, not fully heating. Worked well for a while thengot very unreliable,even though cleaned well.
Re: Your 50% sucess rate, Do you find you left predominantly one horn on the same side of the calves, ( left/ right hand side), You have to work against your hand on one side.
The crate will leave things a lot easier and safer for you!

reilig wrote: »

I have a gas dehorner too. I don't cut the hair. Should I be?
My dehorner gets red hot after 5 minutes and if you put it within 1/4 of an inch of the bud it melts the hair around it.

I rerely cut the hair, unless the calf is very wolly and tiny buds that I cant easily feel.
I think when the dehorner is hot enough to singe hair it's the correct temp.

49801 wrote: »

that sounds a bit too hot to me

It sounds perfect to me. Red hot and no gouging or messing, a nice clean quick job. Easier on all involved!

49801

there no hard a fast rule for how long you should keep the iron on as it will depend on bud size and until the job is done. anesthic requirements for debudding are complied with.

I use the following motion

• apply iron and hold steady
• do several 1/4 turn motions
• then i angle the iron 10-20ish degrees off centre axis and rotate around the center axis to apply presure around the whole circumferance of the bud
• I prefer not to remove the bud

if you are applying any more pressure than a firm push its too much or the iron is too cold. you should be able to feel when the iron has finished going through the soft tissue and stops. Clipping prior helps to identify the bud. just a matter of choice really but a scissors should be more than sufficient.
anesthic requirements for debudding are complied with.

Atilathehun

This in my mind, is the best method. Cant understand how the hot iron method is deemed easier on the calf.

lakill Farm

Atilathehun wrote: »

This in my mind, is the best method. Cant understand how the hot iron method is deemed easier on the calf.

Easiest on calf is been born a polly
If not a polly sort as a calf
We skulled last year and also debudded the calves so very few to skull this year. Hope to debud all this year

reilig

Atilathehun wrote: »

This in my mind, is the best method. Cant understand how the hot iron method is deemed easier on the calf.

+1

But only if used properly. The vast majority of people who used it (or its relatives) in years gone by did not read the instructions and therefore did not know how to use it properly. This resulted in poor innocent calves having to bear constant burning of the skin around the bud for months after application.

As is always the case, the rules are set at the lowest denominator.

BeeDI

reilig wrote: »

+1

But only if used properly. The vast majority of people who used it (or its relatives) in years gone by did not read the instructions and therefore did not know how to use it properly. This resulted in poor innocent calves having to bear constant burning of the skin around the bud for months after application.

As is always the case, the rules are set at the lowest denominator.

++1. I have a hot iron dehorner, but I simply hate the damn thing with a passion. I used to use;) that Hornex paste and always found it simple to use, easy on the calf, if of course done on time, and not plastered all over the calf's head. Wait till horn bud can be felt inder the skin. Clip hair, "just around the bud" not half the head. Apply the paste directly to the bud. Keep calf away from cow for two hours. Job done, and calf showing nothing more than annoyance with the feeling.

Atilathehun

reilig wrote: »

+1

But only if used properly. The vast majority of people who used it (or its relatives) in years gone by did not read the instructions and therefore did not know how to use it properly. This resulted in poor innocent calves having to bear constant burning of the skin around the bud for months after application.

As is always the case, the rules are set at the lowest denominator.

So someone decided, some farmers didn't use the caustic products properly, and so changed the rules such that all farmers have to use the hot iron method!
Did it never occur, to them, that the farmers who used the caustic improperly, were the most likely candidates to do, likewise with the hit iron
Have seen some right examples of calves, mauled with these things:mad: