DEHORNING DAIRY COWS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1300, 1 December 1911, Page 10

DEHORNING DAIRY COWS.

AMERICAN, EXPERIMENTS. Inferring •to the' subject of dehorning dairy .cows a writer in "Board's Dairyman" says:—ln the ordinary business dairy herd there are many reasons why animals should be dehonicd. Dehorned cows give better results than cows with . horns, simply because they are most peaceable and do not fear one and an other. At one time the cows needed their horns for protection, but in this ago they nro cared for and have no use for their weapons. 'f hoy often do a great deai of harm by. injuring members of the herd and making attacks on people. The only case where it is advisable to leave the horns is when raising high-class animals that are. likely to bo used for show purposes. In the show-ring the animals with, hq'rns. .hayo a,.better chance' for. prizes than thoso animals that."'havo"beeu dehorned. The best time to dehorn an animal is when it is only a few days old bv us : '•' caustic potash. But'after the horns ban made a fair growth they can best be c off with the saw or clippers. The at'" mals_ should be fastened securely in a position where the operator can get at the horns. Tho best method for fasten--in<r the animal is to put it in a chute built for this purpose. In sawing or" clipping tho horn care should be taken to cut deep onough or tho horn will grow out again. The clipping should ho deep enough to- include a ring of skin and hair; and the baso of the horn that ■' amputated should show a ring of hair. As soon as the horn is cut olf some disinfectant should he used on tho fresh cut. J.'ino tar or sornc of the coal-tar. dips are good ' for this purpose. ' ■Dc-lio* should be done in late fall or early spring.' '.At this time the weather is moderate and the flies do- not bother the animals. The reason often given for not dehorning dairy cows is that it will ennso thoirto fail in their'niilk'flow.'." If tho cows are properly cared for after they ore dehorned, they will soon recover from the shock of dehorning, and the decrease in' milk flow will not l>c as apparent as is often- thought. Twelvo, cows in the herd at the KanFas State Agricultural College wero recently dehorned, and a cow wns keot before and "after dehorning. The total production of the .12 eows.for-five davs br>fore- dchnr.mii; amounted, t'0,1142.51b. of milk.' The total production' of, the )2 cows for. .a. period of. five days -after dehorning was lmn.Tlh; of milk.* The total decrease in milk for tho 12 cow? durin" the ..above period? was -lO.Sl'b. The average -dairy loss for cow for five davs was only-.G!)lb„ or about one half pint. Two of the cows made mire mifk duriii" the five days after dehorning thao they did for the five days before the other 10 prodm-nd i P!IS milk after dehorning. On the' fifth day after dehorning, nil except two cows were.producing equally, as much, and some produced more than they did tho day, before thev ivere dehorned. . '