Cutting a longhorns horn

[DCA farm]

I've got a longhorn in my herd I'm looking at either cutting horns completely off or cutting them inside her ear spread. How y'all recommend me going about that. This is a 5 year old cow so she ain't got no baby horns she's heavy bred right now so it will have to be after she calves which would be any day now

 

[wbvs58]

Will that make her a "shorthorn".
Embryotomy wire always works well. You need to restrain her head but the wire keeps cutting and will follow her movements well but you can use anything you have to hand like hacksaw even angle grinder with thin blade should work well if you are just shortening them.

Ken

 

[JMJ Farms]

Never dehorned a Longhorn before. But the others I have used hacksaws, wire, even a carpenters saw. But I prefer a sawzall. Make sure her head is restrained good if you go that route. A slip will make a mess. The wire is definitely safest. And I would recommend some blood stop of some kind.

Once upon a time I saw my grandfather use a chainsaw for the cutting and some axle grease to pack it with. Steer done fine. But I wouldn't recommend his method. Pretty gruesome as well.

 

[Brute 23]

I had some heifers at the vet to palpate and one had some decent horns already. I asked him if he could knock them back while he had her caught and he pulled out those wires. It was pretty neat. He made pretty quick work of it. The heifer didnt fight it much at all.

 

[cfpinz]

As mentioned above, OB wire works really well and cauterizes somewhat as you're going through - plus it leaves a "clean" cut. Valley Vet sells the wire as well as a set of handles.

 

[Lucky_P]

OB wire, definitely. But... please consider having your veterinarian do it, with a nerve block to diminish pain.
Yeah, I did thousands of them, through the years, without blocking them... but just because you can, doesn't mean you ought to.

 

[DCA farm]

I had some heifers at the vet to palpate and one had some decent horns already. I asked him if he could knock them back while he had her caught and he pulled out those wires. It was pretty neat. He made pretty quick work of it. The heifer didnt fight it much at all.

Called the vet yesterday he's supposed to call me back let me know if he can do it. I'll probably have to bring her to him which ain't no big deal

 

[DCA farm]

OB wire, definitely. But... please consider having your veterinarian do it, with a nerve block to diminish pain.
Yeah, I did thousands of them, through the years, without blocking them... but just because you can, doesn't mean you ought to.

I've cut calves horns but never s full grown cow I'll probably just let the vet do it

 

[cowgirl8]

Dehorning is one thing I can not be around when its done.. Back in the day we had to dehorn our sims. Now everything is polled in our herd except one pet longhorn..

 

[Son of Butch]

OB wire, definitely. But... please consider having your veterinarian do it, with a nerve block to diminish pain.
Yeah, I did thousands of them, through the years, without blocking them... but just because you can, doesn't mean you ought to.

My like/thank button is gone, so have to go old school. :nod:

 

[Nesikep]

OB wire, definitely. But... please consider having your veterinarian do it, with a nerve block to diminish pain.
Yeah, I did thousands of them, through the years, without blocking them... but just because you can, doesn't mean you ought to.

My like/thank button is gone, so have to go old school. :nod:

Mine too


I'd recommend waiting until fall to do it because you're just entering fly season here.. Maybe if you plastered the horn tip with pine tar or something you could get away with it?
BTW, she'll remember the experience, even under sedation and she'll hate you for ever!

 

[Nesikep]

apparently the thank button is gone in this thread/forum section... it's still working in others

 

[Silver]

Seems to me with longhorns it's a bit different deal and you need to tie a tight wrap of something at the base of the horn to stop the blood flow. I haven't done it but that's how I understand it.
I've cut a lot of horns of cattle over the years and the wire is the best tool for the job in my opinion.

 

[cfpinz]

I've never done a longhorn, but have used a callicrate bander on quite a few horned Herefords. Sometimes they'll bleed when they knock the dead part off, sometimes it's pretty uneventful.

 

[Silver]

I've never done a longhorn, but have used a callicrate bander on quite a few horned Herefords. Sometimes they'll bleed when they knock the dead part off, sometimes it's pretty uneventful.

Do you have to get the band down into the hair at the base?

 

[BRYANT]

OB wire, definitely. But... please consider having your veterinarian do it, with a nerve block to diminish pain.
Yeah, I did thousands of them, through the years, without blocking them... but just because you can, doesn't mean you ought to.

My like button is gone also, or I would have like what Lucky P said. if they are that big and you cant live with them then take to a vet and nerve block them. I had some cross bred cows dehorned that had fairly large horns and said NEVER AGAIN. If a I have a cow with big horn and she is mean toward other cows I will tip them or sell her, to hard on the cow. I just band them when they are small

 

[ez14.]

OB wire, definitely. But... please consider having your veterinarian do it, with a nerve block to diminish pain.
Yeah, I did thousands of them, through the years, without blocking them... but just because you can, doesn't mean you ought to.

My like button is gone also, or I would have like what Lucky P said. if they are that big and you cant live with them then take to a vet and nerve block them. I had some cross bred cows dehorned that had fairly large horns and said NEVER AGAIN. If a I have a cow with big horn and she is mean toward other cows I will tip them or sell her, to hard on the cow. I just band them when they are small

The like button is not on all the boards

 

[DCA farm]

OB wire, definitely. But... please consider having your veterinarian do it, with a nerve block to diminish pain.
Yeah, I did thousands of them, through the years, without blocking them... but just because you can, doesn't mean you ought to.

My like button is gone also, or I would have like what Lucky P said. if they are that big and you cant live with them then take to a vet and nerve block them. I had some cross bred cows dehorned that had fairly large horns and said NEVER AGAIN. If a I have a cow with big horn and she is mean toward other cows I will tip them or sell her, to hard on the cow. I just band them when they are small

Her tips are cut but she's starting to push other cows around with the length of her horn and she don't fit down the chute another reason I need them gone. I may just butcher her when she weave her calf. Might be the best thing

 

[Bigfoot]

XL bander should slip all the way to the base. I've gottten to where bands are all I use. Lotta people don't give a tetanus shot, but I wouldn't think of doing it without one.

 

[cfpinz]

I've never done a longhorn, but have used a callicrate bander on quite a few horned Herefords. Sometimes they'll bleed when they knock the dead part off, sometimes it's pretty uneventful.

Do you have to get the band down into the hair at the base?

The closer to the base, the better. They usually grow back short nubs, somewhat deformed.

If I'm just tipping, I much prefer the OB wire.