Dehorning Cattle With Rubber Bands

patsy_mccabe

Never heard of this method before.

From the video description ;
This is the way we dehorn our cattle. This method cuts off the circulation to the horn. It does not cause very much pain and after a couple of months the horns fall off.

Capercaillie

Goods way to get fly strike or tetanus.

Who2

Capercaillie wrote: »

Goods way to get fly strike or tetanus.

That's part of the reason they would recommend giving them the ten in one shot prior.

croot

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Never heard of this method before.

From the video description ;
This is the way we dehorn our cattle. This method cuts off the circulation to the horn. It does not cause very much pain and after a couple of months the horns fall off.

Dad told me once that they used to use rubber bands to dehorn cattle but I don’t remember them being used.

The man in red and black

Interesting to see it but you would have to imagine will be left with stumps. Would much rather wire off horns that size flush with the head, pull the veins and be done with it. Just because something takes longer to fall off doesn't mean it's less painful necessarily.

greysides

The man in red and black wrote: »

Interesting to see it but you would have to imagine will be left with stumps. Would much rather wire off horns that size flush with the head, pull the veins and be done with it. Just because something takes longer to fall off doesn't mean it's less painful necessarily.

I know someone who tried lamb rings. Some worked ok but a lot of the rings either burst or rolled down the horn eventually leaving stumps. I can't say I like the idea.

For horns that size...........FFS, why were they left get that big..... I prefer a saw, close to the head and pull the veins.

kay 9

Those bands give the animal discomfort whilst they're on and when the horns strength is weakened they can get broken off prematurely at feed barriers and feeders etc and your left with a possible bleeder.
After research, they found mechanical removal; saw, wire or keystone cutter whilst giving slightly more discomfort from the get go the animal went forward, healed and thrived faster.

patsy_mccabe

Or we could just burn them off as calves. I still see weanlings with horns in a lot of the local farms. Can't understand it. Shur it's so much easier do them as calves.

Muckit

I buy in all. There's no real hassle either way once you realise comes with the territory. I can see how it happens. Fragmented land, elderly farmers, lack of help, lm calves showing late. If only life were perfect!

Muckit

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Or we could just burn them off as calves. I still see weanlings with horns in a lot of the local farms. Can't understand it. Shur it's so much easier do them as calves.

That statement could say as much about you as the neighbours! When you started this tread l thought you wree looking for some pointers.

Limestone Cowboy

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Or we could just burn them off as calves. I still see weanlings with horns in a lot of the local farms. Can't understand it. Shur it's so much easier do them as calves.

It is a lot easier in fairness but what often happens here is a late calf might be missed and would be too strong to do them by the time you'd think of it. See the same with neighbours too.

greysides

A few posts have been taken down to keep thread within forum rules.

Reason:

LEGAL AGE LIMITS FOR SURGICAL PROCEDURES WITHOUT ANALGESIA (IRELAND)

B: Disbudding/Dehorning

Farmers (or Veterinary Practitioners/Nurses) may perform the disbudding / dehorning of:

*cattle up to 15 days of age without use of anaesthesia or analgesia;
*cattle between 15 and 28 days but only with use of appropriate local anaesthesia and analgesia (as per a veterinary prescription issued by the farmer’s Veterinary Practitioner in relation to the animals undergoing the procedure);
*sheep and goats up to 8 days of age without use of anaesthesia or analgesia;

Irrespective of the legal allowance to not use local anaesthesia, for animal welfare reasons the use of local anaesthesia and appropriate analgesia should be encouraged by Veterinary Practitioners;

For cattle over 28 days of age, and sheep and goats over 8 days of age, only a Veterinary Practitioner may disbud / dehorn, and in this case the Veterinary Practitioner must by law, use appropriate anaesthesia and analgesia.

Link to F&F Charter.

patsy_mccabe

The wild west is still the wild west.:rolleyes:

Floki

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

The wild west is still the wild west.:rolleyes:

Even have rubber bandits!

See what I did there ^^.




(I'll get my coat).;)

Dickie10

i use a gel, do it around 4-5 days of age. works very well just need a drop on each horn. leave calf away from cow for half an hour until the gel soakes in