On our farm, we dehorn calves when they are between two and three months old before the horns are visible through the animals hair. This is referred to as “disbudding” because the horns are not developed. At this age, it’s a quick process that takes one or two minutes to perform and doesn’t require anesthesia. Shortly after the procedure, the calves are back to their normal routine of eating, drinking and relaxing.
At this time, we also administer two vaccinations; Bovi-Shield Gold 5L5 and Ultrabac CD. Just like I take my sons to the pediatrician for vaccinations to keep them healthy, we vaccinate our calves to protect them from disease and illness.
Last Saturday, my husband, Lad, one of our employees, Josue, and my sons, Garrett and Jack, dehorned and vaccinated a group of 26 calves at our dairy.
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| This is a calf prior to being dehorned - her horns are not developed |
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| Lad explains to the boys how to bring the calves up one at a time |
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| They lead one of the calves to the dehorning area |
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| A calf enters the area where she will be dehorned and vaccinated |
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| Lad places a halter on her head to restrain her during the process |
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| Lad uses an electric calf dehorner |
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| The process takes about one minute |
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| Garrett draws a mark on her back with chalk when she's done |
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| Josue administers the vaccinations |
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| We use Bovi-Shield Gold 5L5 and Ultrabac CD |
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| This is how a calf looks after being dehorned |
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| Jack walks with one of the calves after the procedure |
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| Almost immediately after the procedure, calves are drinking and eating again
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| Jack has a snack with a recently dehorned calf |
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| All these recently dehorned animals are content and eating |
Thanks for posting. I've been wondering about this.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the, unfortunate, baby calf need to be so thoroughly restrained for this process?
ReplyDeleteWhy is there no video of this process available to watch?
ReplyDeleteRestraint is necessary to get this procedure done quickly, safely and avoid mistakes. I can think of a handful of times when I’ve had to restrain my sons when they were receiving vaccinations or having blood drawn by their pediatrician. It’s quicker and easier for the nurse to pull blood if my son’s arm is still. My boys don’t like to get shots or blood tests, but I believe it’s necessary for their health and it’s my responsibility as a parent to make sure my children are healthy and well cared for.
ReplyDeleteIt’s our responsibility as dairy producers to make sure our animals are well cared for. It’s also necessary for us to provide a safe working environment for our employees. The process of dehorning is done quickly and is for the good of the animal and the people who work with them. I’ve used pictures in my blog, but the Ohio Dairy Farmers YouTube channel has a dehorning video – check it out at http://www.youtube.com/user/OhioDairyFarmers/videos.
Hi I was wondering how the dehorning looks and is medically in the dsys, weeks & months after it is done? Is it normal for it to scab then go all pusy under the scab?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Right after the dehorning process, there remains a scab the size of a nickel. There is no blood loss, the procedure is minimally invasive and animals return to normal behavior immediately. Within 3 weeks after the dehorning, you cannot see the scab anymore. We have never had to treat an animal with anti-inflammatory or antibiotics after having their horns removed.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know this procedure is not painful for the calf? Libby
ReplyDeleteHi Libby. The calf may experience discomfort for a few seconds during the procedure, but it is over quickly. Since animals can't communicate verbally, we must assess them via observation. After the calf is dehorned, she is back to her normal routine quickly. Within minutes, she will resume eating, drinking, relaxing and socializing. If the animal was experiencing pain, she would not resume normal activity.
ReplyDeleteAnimals with horns often pick and poke at each other. I would guess that there if the herd animals had horns, there would constantly be minor cuts and scratches in the herd, and throughout an animals life, it would have to heal worse injuries from other animals horns than the dehorning wound. Wounds in a herd in summer would lead to increased fly problems, not? Are there studies on injuries from horns vs. the dehorning 'wound' somewhere?
ReplyDeleteYes, dehorning significantly decreases the risk of injury to people and other cattle. I don’t know of any specific studies regarding injuries from horned vs. dehorned cattle. But the American Veterinary Medical Association recognizes that dehorning is a necessary management practice for human and animal safety.
ReplyDelete