Livestock Management

Dehorn

Remove the horns from a not polled animal

Polled

Animal naturally born without horns.

Reasons why we Dehorn

Horned cattle bring less money when sold, take up less space in trucks and feedlots, less damage to facilities, less chance of animals injuring one another and people.

Chemical Paste/Caustic Stick

Dehorning. Calves under 2 weeks of age. Applied to the areas of the head where horns will start growing. Stops horns from actually starting to grow. Pros: Bloodless, Quick

Cons: Can bump or rub against another calf, hurt if over applied.

Hot Iron

Dehorning. Also used when calves are small. Is used to kill the surrounding tissue around the horn bud and thus, no horns will grow. Pros: Fast, bloodless

Cons: Need either electricity or hot coals.

Clipping/Sawing

Dehorning. Bigger calves or mature cattle. Put over bud and opened to cut through tissue. Sawing usually used on large animals.

Pros: Very simple, minimal equipment, immediate

Cons: Loss of blood, must be properly contained, stressful

Marking Cattle

Require in some states. Make management easier. Can tell apart, mark ones with vaccines.

Hot Iron (Branding)

Marking. Oldest and most commonly used method in IDAHO. Metal is heated and burned into hide causing hair not to grow back.

Freeze Branding

Marking. Metal is prepared using liquid nitrogen. hair grow back white. Easy to use and see (on dark colored cattle.)

Tattooing

Marking. Number and ears are inked with hand-held apparatus that has needle like teeth. For breeding animals. Registered animals.

Tagging

Marking. Very common (MOST COMMON) Tag is made of metal or plastic.

Neck Chains.

Marking. Not used in range herds. Sometimes used in purebred or dairy herds. May have technology to track movements, feeding habits, etc.

Castration

Removal of the testicles of a male animal

Banding

Castration. A rubber band cuts off circulation to the testicles and will eventually fall off. Pros: Bloodless. Cons: Not work, Irritating for bovine.

Burdizzo

Castration. A blunt metal crimper crushes the spermatic cord. Pros: bloodless, Cons: Don’ts do it hard enough it won’t work. Fails to work sometimes.

Surgical

Castration. The tip of the scrotum is removed, the testicles are either pulled to snap the spermatids chord or the cord is cut. Pros: Know for sure it is castrated, simple. Cons: possible infection, bloody.