Calf Dehorner

DanielGibbons

Hi all,

Calving time is upon us again, and the blasted dehorner has worn our patience thin!

Basically we bought one of the gas ones a few years ago (fill with lighter gas)
It was grand for a while but eventually just kept taking longer and longer to heat up and now it just gets lukewarm.

Not too long ago we got an electric one (mains plug) and it's doing the same thing, but after only a seasons work!

Is there anything we could do with the current ones? We've tried cleaning the tips off but to no avail.
What would ye recommend as a replacement? Just want something fairly durable and reliable at this stage.

Thanks
Daniel

Kovu

What breed of dehorners were they? Very strange that it happened to both. Under guarantee?

We've had ours for three years with no problems. It's kept in the house in a warm dry place though. Well looked after.

This one:

DanielGibbons

Kovu wrote: »

What breed of dehorners were they? Very strange that it happened to both. Under guarantee?

We've had ours for three years with no problems. It's kept in the house in a warm dry place though. Well looked after.

This one:

Hi Kovu,

I'm not sure what make they were. I'll check tomorrow once I'm home.

The gas one looks exactly like the one you attached!

Both of these were treated well, always kept in the house til needed. Always given plenty of time to warm up between calves too!

Kovu

Very strange. Did you buy them at the local co-op? We used to take them back in for repairs. Might be possible to get them sent off to be looked at for no charge, just to find out what's going wrong with them.

Would yours do many calves?

DanielGibbons

Kovu wrote: »

Very strange. Did you buy them at the local co-op? We used to take them back in for repairs. Might be possible to get them sent off to be looked at for no charge, just to find out what's going wrong with them.

Would yours do many calves?

The electric one was bought in the local agri pharmacy, I imagine the gas one was got in the same place or else the co-op.

Might be worth a shot

It's strange with the electric one, it'd be mad hot til about half way up the shaft, then the tip would be hot, but not nearly hot enough for the job!

farmerjj

I bought a electric one this week for 75€ I think in dg, heats really fast compared to the old electric one but saying that the old one was nearly 20 years old.

Greengrass1

We had two broken portasol here traded them in for a mark 3 one. Super yoke. Fly through calves had used the ones that you put canister into before and it blew up on me so said I'd never get one. They get very hot too too hot I'd say

Limestone Cowboy

Greengrass1 wrote: »

We had two broken portasol here traded them in for a mark 3 one. Super yoke. Fly through calves had used the ones that you put canister into before and it blew up on me so said I'd never get one. They get very hot too too hot I'd say

Have a gasbuddex one here with a few years and it has a few hundred calved done and never gave a seconds bother. Find the small bottle you screw up into it right handy!

Parishlad

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Have a gasbuddex one here with a few years and it has a few hundred calved done and never gave a seconds bother. Find the small bottle you screw up into it right handy!

+1

_Brian

We have a regular electric one, extended the cable for handiness..
heats, quickly and gets serious hot (have gotten burned and its not nice).

td5man

_Brian wrote: »

We have a regular electric one, extended the cable for handiness..
heats, quickly and gets serious hot (have gotten burned and its not nice).

Picked one of them up by the wrong end when I was 3 or 4 never did it again.

_Brian

Yea.
I was holding a calfs snout years ago for my BIL and the dehorner slipped, sank it into my arm instead. Had a nice half moon scar for years.

Sami23

_Brian wrote: »

We have a regular electric one, extended the cable for handiness..
heats, quickly and gets serious hot (have gotten burned and its not nice).

Just quick question on the electric ones do ye plug them out when actually dehorning or leave them plugged in when doing the job ?

_Brian

Sami23 wrote: »

Just quick question on the electric ones do ye plug them out when actually dehorning or leave them plugged in when doing the job ?

Plugged in all the time..

Genghis Cant

DanielGibbons wrote: »

Hi all,

Calving time is upon us again, and the blasted dehorner has worn our patience thin!

Basically we bought one of the gas ones a few years ago (fill with lighter gas)
It was grand for a while but eventually just kept taking longer and longer to heat up and now it just gets lukewarm.

Not too long ago we got an electric one (mains plug) and it's doing the same thing, but after only a seasons work!

Is there anything we could do with the current ones? We've tried cleaning the tips off but to no avail.
What would ye recommend as a replacement? Just want something fairly durable and reliable at this stage.

Thanks
Daniel

Very same story here. went through two of them small gas dehorners like the Portasol pictured.
Bought one that connects to the standard bottlet of gas. Never a minuets problem with it. Heat it up well and away ya go.

onyerbikepat

An old neighbour of mine was telling me that, his gas dehorner went up in flames when he was using it. Lucky he didn't get burned with it.

Limestone Cowboy

onyerbikepat wrote: »

An old neighbour of mine was telling me that, his gas dehorner went up in flames when he was using it. Lucky he didn't get burned with it.

Happened us aswell with the one that you connect to the big bottle of gas. The head of it broke off the handle while we were doing a calf.

Genghis Cant

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Happened us aswell with the one that you connect to the big bottle of gas. The head of it broke off the handle while we were doing a calf.

Isn't that how the flame thrower was invented :-)

Bodacious

OP ring portasol 0599143333 and explain whats going on with it and they will issue repair kit or will ask you to trade it in for the mark iii


very simple things with portasol is:

• only use ronson highly refined gas in yellow tin
• always face dehorning iron tip towards ground when refuelling until it spits back
• don't be filling it every 2 mins let it burn off the gas in it and refill when its used.

the buddex one that cowboy has are a fine job but the head of it is bigger more awkward for smaller/younger calves but would be great if you could put a 15mm head on it which you probably can

The man in red and black

Out here in Canada we use this lad here:

http://www.enasco.com/product/C01017N

Or else if they are bigger animals we use these weapons, have 3 different sizes:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/261396133604?lpid=82

The burner at the top you just burn a copper ring around the base of the horn and the horn falls off later. It's a horrible brute of a yoke and I cannot understand how lads don't just disbud them as young calves like at home. They could learn a few lessons in general on calf management from Ireland!

The second one, 'The Gouger' as we call it, is a serious tool to take off big strong horns even on animals a year or more, it's faster and less effort than wiring or sawing and leaves them very tidy.

orm0nd

onyerbikepat wrote: »

An old neighbour of mine was telling me that, his gas dehorner went up in flames when he was using it. Lucky he didn't get burned with it.

the same happened myself, not with a de horning iron but with a gas soldering iron when I was fixing the calving camera,

there was lot of loose straw in the shed & it could have been nasty

DanielGibbons

Hi lads & ladies,

Thanks for all your feedback.
Looking at what you're all saying, it just seems to be bad luck with our dehorners!

The electric one was brought back to the coop, only to be told that a new element would cost nearly as much as a new dehorner.

I'll get a couple of photos up of what our ones are doing wrong, just to give ye an idea.

Anyone still using caustic??

Kovu

DanielGibbons wrote: »

Hi lads & ladies,

Thanks for all your feedback.
Looking at what you're all saying, it just seems to be bad luck with our dehorners!

The electric one was brought back to the coop, only to be told that a new element would cost nearly as much as a new dehorner.

I'll get a couple of photos up of what our ones are doing wrong, just to give ye an idea.

Anyone still using caustic??

I hope not......tis not allowed any more :rolleyes:

DanielGibbons

Kovu wrote: »

I hope not......tis not allowed any more :rolleyes:

News to me... since when?? Not that we use it here, far too dangerous for both man and beast!

Kovu

DanielGibbons wrote: »

News to me... since when?? Not that we use it here, far too dangerous for both man and beast!

2007/08 I think. On animal welfare grounds. Hated that stuff!

tanko

I have a Portasol 3 gas dehorner here a few years now and find it very good and easy to use.

DanielGibbons

Kovu wrote: »

2007/08 I think. On animal welfare grounds. Hated that stuff!

No harm in fairness!

tanko wrote: »

I have a Portasol 3 gas dehorner here a few years now and find it very good and easy to use.

Yeah the Portasol 3 seems to be good.. I'm going to try to clean our one down, failing that I'd say a Portasol will be on the cards!

larthehar

https://www.google.ie/search?q=calf+dehorner+gas&client=ms-android-samsung&hl=en-IE&source=lnms&biw=360&bih=615&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=UgKIVMj6HtHfaK7_gYAI&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=2&rlz=1Y1XIUG_enIE604IE604#facrc=_&imgrc=0gcKMdFto0KrGM%253A%3BkXdK3LxnEMV2CM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.animalfarmacy.ie%252Fassets%252Fproducts%252Fimages%252F416_1_Dehorner_gas_express_hd_cw15mm_hd.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.animalfarmacy.ie%252Fproducts%252Fdetail%252Flivestock%252Fcattle%252Fdehorning%252F416%252Fdehorner-gas-express-hd-cw-15mm-hd%3B450%3B477


I have one of those... the only job.. changed the head for a smaller one... have it maybe 10yrs!

Deepsouthwest

larthehar wrote: »

https://www.google.ie/search?q=calf+dehorner+gas&client=ms-android-samsung&hl=en-IE&source=lnms&biw=360&bih=615&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=UgKIVMj6HtHfaK7_gYAI&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=2&rlz=1Y1XIUG_enIE604IE604#facrc=_&imgrc=0gcKMdFto0KrGM%253A%3BkXdK3LxnEMV2CM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.animalfarmacy.ie%252Fassets%252Fproducts%252Fimages%252F416_1_Dehorner_gas_express_hd_cw15mm_hd.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.animalfarmacy.ie%252Fproducts%252Fdetail%252Flivestock%252Fcattle%252Fdehorning%252F416%252Fdehorner-gas-express-hd-cw-15mm-hd%3B450%3B477


I have one of those... the only job.. changed the head for a smaller one... have it maybe 10yrs!

Which of those have u got? I've the one in the blue box, not sure what make it is. Nice size and weight to use, but find it v poor to heat up properly. Anyone know why this is the case?

larthehar

http://www.fanevalleystores.com/processed/images/products/500-500---151026.jpg

quote="Deepsouthwest;93383987"]Which of those have u got? I've the one in the blue box, not sure what make it is. Nice size and weight to use, but find it v poor to heat up properly. Anyone know why this is the case?[/quote]

Same as, it's like anything though... maintenance is key... I strip mine down before the season and clean it.. there is also a little filtered gas jet that needs to be changed maybe once every couple of years.. mine would be red hot... literally! Scoop it out in a couple of seconds... I got a spare jet with mine..

DanielGibbons

Hi all, ended up getting the aul fella an electric one for Christmas.. now just for a few calves to test it on

Happy new year all!

farmerjj

https://www.agriretailer.ie/farming-products/calf-care/calf-dehorning-paste/
Anybody try this stuff for dehorning,does it work?

Kovu

farmerjj wrote: »

https://www.agriretailer.ie/farming-products/calf-care/calf-dehorning-paste/
Anybody try this stuff for dehorning,does it work?

I think tanko mentioned using it, recall him saying something about separating cows and calves for a while after putting it on.

GiantPencil

Used it before, found it a waste of time. No matter how well it dries in or anything like that the cow will usually end up licking that area and affecting it.

Anesthetic to the horn and gas dehorner and you're done quickly with minimum stress to the calf.