From Our Archives

Calf surgery

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28years ago, In this article, the careful procedures to be followed when removing surplus teats and dehorning cattle were outlined.

“It is not at all uncommon to find a heifer calf born with more than four teats, and surplus teats are best removed before the calf reaches four weeks old.

“Get an assistant to turn the calf over so that she ‘sits’ on her rump and exposes her udder for close examination.

“Start by determining which are the normal teats and which are the extras; there may be any number from one to four. The normal teats are those which are correctly situated on the rudimentary udder. They are usually the biggest. The unwanted extras are most often at the rear of the normal teats.

“Before starting the operation, take a short length of rope and tie the two ends together. Twist the loop into a figure of eight and slip it over the young calf’s hind legs, just above the fetlocks. By standing on the rope at the cross-over of the figure of eight you can prevent the calf kicking.