De-horning Clarabelle

With Clarabelle being two weeks old, it was time to de-horn the little girl.  De-horning, for us, is a necessary process.  If you don't remove the horns, the animal can unintentionally or intentionally hurt other cows or people.  It would not be pleasant to be gored, that's for sure.  Horns can just be dangerous and you always have to be watchful.  If you don't de-horn them the horns can grow, loop back around and grow back into the skull.  Sometimes horns can get tangled in fencing or gates, causing the animal to get trapped.

Each time we have a new calf I dread doing this task.  There are at least three different ways to dehorn, and we've tried each method.  We've burned them off with an electric de-horning tool that heats up cherry red and you burn the horn bud, killing the horns.  We've also taken a heifer to a veterinarian and in a surgery had the horns cut out and then have the incision sewed up.

All methods seem painful, but the method that seems easiest on the animal, and the owners, is using Dr. Naylor Dehorning paste.

Image Credit

It is best to get this job done as soon as possible.  On Clarabelle's two week old birthday, we figured it was high time to get the job done.  They recommend dehorning within the first two weeks of the calf's life.  We brought her in the barn, put her in the stall and used clippers to clip away the hair from around both horn buds.  You want to do this so that the dehorning paste comes into contact with the horn bud.

Shaving the hair away from Clarabelle's little horns

Then I applied a ring of Vaseline petroleum around the horn bud.  This acts as a dam to keep the paste from running.  You definitely don't want the paste to run and possibly get in the animal's eyes.

Applying a ring of petroleum jelly

Then holding Clarabelle firmly, I apply a quarter-sized amount of dehorning paste on top of the little horn buds.  Since it is caustic, you don't want to get it on your hands.  I apply it using a wooden popsicle stick.

Applying the dehorning paste

Once it is applied, it is important to keep the animal away from other animals and inside out of the rain.  I use duct tape to wrap a protective cap over the area of application.  This protects the area so that the dehorning paste can't be rubbed off by the calf.

Duct tape cap

We always sit with the animal for about 30 minutes.  There is a brief period of discomfort and the animal will react, letting you know that they aren't happy, but after a short period the burning sensation subsides.  We leave her in the stall overnight to rest.  

In the recovery room

The very next morning we remove the duct tape protective covering and using a wet rag, we wipe off any remaining dehorning paste.  You can tell where the paste has burned the horn bud, killing it.

Horn buds killed

Clarabelle was in good spirits and as soon as we had her head cleaned up, she began nursing on Rosie.  No cutting, no bleeding.  Although it is not a pleasant task to perform, we're thankful that in a very short time, the discomfort is over and the job is done.