by Heather Smith Thomas

Horned breeds are usually dehorned as calves, to eliminate injuries when cattle are fighting, and to make it safer to handle them. Dehorning a small calf is less stressful to the animal, but sometimes the stockman doesn't have a chance to do it until the animal is older. When large horns are removed, care must be taken to avoid serious blood loss. But an animal can be dehorned at any age if removal is done properly.

Dehorning newborn calves is easiest; horn buds have not erupted through the skin. Caustic dehorning paste kills the horn cells if you apply it to horn buds when the calf is a few hours to two days old. This works well, but can make the head sore since it works by eating away horn cells. Avoid using it in wet weather; the paste can injure an eye if it runs down the face. Another drawback is that some cows lick it off their calves.
A rechargeable battery dehorner is more humane than paste. It becomes instantly very hot (1400 degrees) when pressed against the head, cutting a circle through skin around the horn bud. It kills nerve cells while severing and cauterizing blood vessels that feed the horn bud. Bloodless and painless--after the first few seconds calves feel no pain--it's the least traumatic way to dehorn.

Small calves can be dehorned in the first months of life with a scoop which cuts out the horn, or a hot iron to kill the horn-producing cells. The area may bleed excessively when scooped; many stockmen prefer an electric dehorner since it cauterizes the blood vessels. Use the proper size for the calves. One too small won't kill all the horn cells on a big calf, resulting in horns that continue to grow or are deformed. A dehorner too large is hard to use on small horn buttons; you burn a lot more tissue than necessary, making the head sore and slow to heal.

Make sure the dehorner heats fully and consistently or you'll end up with horns or stubs. Apply heat long enough to completely kill the horn; the outer shell should come off, then reapply heat to the underneath tissue and its surroundings, to destroy blood supply to the horn. Minimize the extent of burned tissue by clipping the hair around the horn; it won't take as long to heal.

With large calves, horns are too big to kill by burning. Use horn clipper or nipper to cut them off deep enough to remove the base, so horns won't regrow. If cut vessels bleed excessively, "pull" the ends with tweezers and crush them. A torn or crushed vessel stops bleeding quicker than a cut one; the edges draw back and pull together better and clotting is swifter. You can also saw horns off, pull the veins, then sear the area with a hot iron to eliminate bleeding. Minimize stress when dehorning; exertion or excitement can keep blood pressure elevated, with more risk of excessive bleeding.

For yearlings or mature cattle, horns must be removed with a saw, with the animal restrained in a chute with head immobilized.

To avoid excessive bleeding, leave a small amount of horn on the bottom side to make a lip for anchoring a temporary tourniquet-- tying baling twine tightly under the horns. The large arteries that supply the horns are right under the skin at that spot, and by putting pressure on them you can halt bleeding. Tie a string around the poll, anchored under each horn lip, then pull it even tighter with another string over the top of the head, which pulls up on the first string, front and back. This makes it very tight under the horn on each side and shuts off the arteries. The twine can be taken off in a day or two. ©