Calf dehorning

[Maccbob]

Looking to buy a dehorner shortly, this one seems to come up quite often in a google search, "Portasol Gas Calf Dehorner Mark 3", has any one got one or which one do you recommend.

Thanks

Rob

[Saffy]

My preference is a gas bottle and a dehorning iron.

Stephanie

[Saffy]

My preference is a gas bottle and a dehorning iron.

Stephanie

[SteveM]

have one of the gas cartridge operated express ones, but still using the old gas one connected to a bottle.

The cartidge one just burns a ring around the bud, cutting off the blood to the horn, will be trying it on a steer sometime to see what the result is like.

Did make a new end for it to convert to normal debudding iron from aluminium bronze but didnt heat up enough.

Does anyone use the cartidge or 12v battery ones?

[sheila sykes]

We use on you fill with lighter fuel used it for years got it from show time at York
but thinking of trying dehorning paste has anyone else used paste and
how good is it

[nuttalls]

I have used the paste around 2 years ago, after cows stopped licking calves about 2 weeks old, first time off I went, gloves and paste applied round buds to which after they skip round a bit, I know why they do! rubbed my leg by mistake and it made me skip round very hot and burning,ha ha. The paste seemed to put a little burn hole were the horns would,ve been brilliant called Hornex.

[Rob R]

We've used Hornex for years with great sucess, and found the best results come from using when they're really young as you don't need as much paste to get a clean result. You do need to either hold the calf or keep it separate for five minutes in a solid sided pen so they can't stick their heads through the side and knock a blob of the stuff onto their nose (that happened on the latest one, when solid sides weren't available, but I did wipe it off quickly!).

We kept horns on for many years and have only recently gone back to dehorning as numbers have grown and we've had more problems with animals being bullied off the feeders in winter. Also, with having more summer grazing a trailer ride away, there's more conflict in the holding pen between loads.

[ann]

I've used the paste for a long time, but have recently gone back to the hot iron as I have had some regrowth in the last few years which doesn't matter on steers but looks unsightly on heifers.

How young do you do yours rob, just out of interest ?

[Rob R]

I never had a problem with any under 5 days

[wagra dexters]

Hello Maccbob,
I have used a Portasol disbudder on about 200 Dexter calves over 10 years. If mine disappeared I would buy another one immediately. I don't know if it is Mk111 so I googled and it looks the same.
The worst job on the farm, I dont think I would want any cords or tubes attached.
Margaret

[Ian]

Hi All

I have the perfect dehorning tool it's called an homozygous polled bull. Does not include BBQíng the head of your calves at any age, puts no stress on the farmer who does not like this particular type of BBQ and is completely pain free to all concerned.

I am looking to the future because it will not be long before the dehorning of calves will only be able to be done by a Vet under an anesthetic (expensive) and guess what I will have bulls for sale when the time comes.

I am trying to farm as ethically as I can and causing unnecessary pain to a small calve is unethical in my book.

[JohnnyP]

I working on breeding a bull with no balls to avoid the unpleasantness of castration. Wish me luck!

[nuttalls]

hello all, we only have naturally polled bulls, but think the gene comes from the cow, we have some calves natural polled, and some born with horns, we were aiming to try and go all polled, as for vet only and cruelty our vet did them and had to return a year after, due to making a complete mess of them. u that's why we use hornex and wont use him to dehorn again

[nuttalls]

I working on breeding a bull with no balls to avoid the unpleasantness of castration. Wish me luck!

that made my day ha ha jean

[sheila sykes]

Jean
Where do you get the hornex from