# Newbie Question on Dehorning



## Biddieacres (Jan 19, 2009)

I was just wondering....why do you have to dehorn?  Do you always have to dehorn or just certain breeds?  Does it hurt?  After reading about it and seeing pictures I thought "Ouch"!

Thanks!


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## Farmer Kitty (Jan 19, 2009)

Horns on cattle can be dangerous for people as well as other cattle. 

Here we are a dairy farm and work closely with them. When they are in the barn milking I'm feeding them in the manger. A horned cow could easily throw her head and hurt a person.

Even out on pasture, whether heifers or beef cattle, horns are dangerous. If you are out there working and they decide to come after you, they can gore you with the horns. 

Some cattle are polled, meaning that they won't grow horns. 

The ideal time to dehorn is as a calf when they can be burned off. As they get older it affects them more and they heal up faster when just burned off.


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## wynedot55 (Jan 19, 2009)

as said horned cattle can be dangerious.so dehorning is making them safer to work around.an if you do it while they are young it really doesnt hurt them.i have horned an polled cattle out in the pasture.an i watch the horned cows closely.


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## jhm47 (Jan 19, 2009)

DEFINITELY dehorn!  I am a paramedic, and I have seen first hand what a horned cow can do.  In fact, I bought a horned cow about 25 years ago, and was lucky that she didn't kill me one day when I was eartagging her newborn calf.  Burn them off, cut them off, use dehorning paste, whatever, but DO IT!


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## Farmer Kitty (Jan 19, 2009)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> DEFINITELY dehorn!  I am a paramedic, and I have seen first hand what a horned cow can do.  In fact, I bought a horned cow about 25 years ago, and was lucky that she didn't kill me one day when I was eartagging her newborn calf.  Burn them off, cut them off, use dehorning paste, whatever, but DO IT!


I agree. Even if they just come up to give you a friendly push or rub (which BTW, you shouldn't allow) you could get gored!


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## Biddieacres (Jan 19, 2009)

So if they are polled, it means they had horns and you do a procedure which makes them not grow back?  I ask because if in the future we get a family milk cow, could I get one which has already been dehorned and I would not have to do it?


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## wynedot55 (Jan 19, 2009)

yes if you get a grown milk cow.then she has been dehorned.


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## Farmer Kitty (Jan 20, 2009)

Yes, you could buy a heifer that has already been dehorned or a cow which has been dehorned. Or you could find a polled calf. 

Polled means they won't grow horns. It's a genetic thing, not that they have had horns and been dehorned.


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## wynedot55 (Jan 20, 2009)

a polled calf is very rare with any of the dairy breeds.


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