Want higher prices for your calves? Dehorn them!

In crushes and while being transported on trucks, cattle with sharp horns can inflict severe injuries to one another, reducing the price of such animals. Dehorning is the only effective solution, says Shane Brody.

- Shane Brody

Many communal farmers prize horned cattle, as horns play a part in certain cultural and ritual slaughter practices. However, cattle with sharp horns can cause severe, price-reducing damage to other cattle. This happens particularly when cattle are loaded onto trucks or placed in handling facilities to receive medical and other treatment.

Horns also pose a risk of injury in a crowded feedlot, where cattle are in close proximity to one another. Feedlots are certainly not keen to spend extra money to dehorn calves and tend to downgrade weaners with horns.

Dehorning should be done as carefully as possible to avoid causing undue pain and stress to the calf. It should be carried out when the calf is still young (between two and three months old), as the horns are not yet fully developed and attached to the skull at this stage. In addition, younger and lighter animals are easier to handle and thus suffer less stress.

HOW TO DEHORN A CALF

A useful tool for dehorning is a set of special rubber bands designed to be fitted to a calf. These cut off the blood supply to the horns, causing them to fall off after a while. Unfortunately, few farm supply stores keep these bands in stock. Here, then, are a number of other methods of dehorning: 

The dehorning iron